TKR & 100% temp disability

[mtmorical]

We are new to the site and hoping for some help.

My husband left service in 2002 honorably and medically. After he got home and received treatment they determined him at 0%. We went about life although his R knee has always been an issue. In 2013 it finally became to much for him so in the spring he started going back to the VA, they tried to clean it out with a scope, then they tried cortisone injections, but the doc said that his knee was too far gone and that he needed a TKR so at 38 years old he put as long as he could and it was scheduled for Dec 2015.

Unknown to us the VA was doing something with his discharge and one day we got a check in the mail for over $8k, and two days later a letter explaining that his R knee has now been rated at 10% do to degenerative joint disease, arthritis and would be receiving compensation at the 10% rate. Great!

Now my questions:

Will the approve the temp disability for his TKR since he has been determined 10% for arthritis?

Is there anything that they could deny it for? Like not getting medical care (we couldnt afford it and didnt know he was VA covered)

We filed a FDC only to get paper in the mail that he needed to sign saying his had no additional information, so we signed it and sent it back, then we got flag on ebenefits stating requested information past due. So we contact a VSO, he called us back and told us that they never should of sent that letter since we submitted a FDC, that he was working with a manager and was going to request an informal expedite since its caused his claim to be suspended due to the paper that should never of been sent, the flag about requested information past due has since been removed.

Has anyone had experience with this? Will they now drop us to a standard claim because we submitted those additional documents? Has anyone had luck with an financial hardship expedite request?

 

Thank you in advance for your help!

mtmorical

Edited March 28, 2016 by mtmorical
more info

[mtmorical]

Now case when from gathering evidence, to prep for decision and now back to review of evidence. Who can I call to find out why? Does that mean the rater who had felt it wasn't good evidence?

[mtmorical]

Would it have gone back to review because it went from gathering of evidence to prep for decision? Looks like it skipped the review stage?

[broncovet]

No.  Just because its "not emergency surgury" does not mean its "elective".  YOUR DOCTOR makes the determination, and you need to read his report.  You can get it at your VAMC.  It will help if you are "armed" with the knowledge of knowing what is in your medical records.  

Dont worry about "what stage" ebenefits says your in.  As I have explained, they used to have a monkey flip coins for answers.  "Yes" is heads.  "No" is tails.  The VA got rid of all the monkeys, tho, because they were more accurate than the VA's ebenefits, and the contractors were upset about that.  So, the more reliable "monkey" method has given way to the new method.  I would like to go back to the "monkey" way, as it was reliable 50 percent of the time.  The new way is much less reliable than that with all the software glitches, log in failures, "error code 50's" ..and that is before you even log in.  

Many Vets advocates, such as Jim Strickland, says you should not use ebenefits for the reason its unreliable.  

There are about 2 parts of ebenefits that are reliable, IF you can log in:

1.  AB8 letters.  The VA does not want you with a "P and T" letter, if you are not "P and T".  

2.  "Compensation". (Payments).  The VA does not want you to think you will get $2968 on May 1, 2016, if thats not right.  

Check the AB8 letters and the "payments", and forget the rest of ebenefits.  

[Rx7mike]

1 hour ago, broncovet said:

No.  Just because its "not emergency surgury" does not mean its "elective".  YOUR DOCTOR makes the determination, and you need to read his report.  You can get it at your VAMC.  It will help if you are "armed" with the knowledge of knowing what is in your medical records.  

Dont worry about "what stage" ebenefits says your in.  As I have explained, they used to have a monkey flip coins for answers.  "Yes" is heads.  "No" is tails.  The VA got rid of all the monkeys, tho, because they were more accurate than the VA's ebenefits, and the contractors were upset about that.  So, the more reliable "monkey" method has given way to the new method.  I would like to go back to the "monkey" way, as it was reliable 50 percent of the time.  The new way is much less reliable than that with all the software glitches, log in failures, "error code 50's" ..and that is before you even log in.  

Many Vets advocates, such as Jim Strickland, says you should not use ebenefits for the reason its unreliable.  

There are about 2 parts of ebenefits that are reliable, IF you can log in:

1.  AB8 letters.  The VA does not want you with a "P and T" letter, if you are not "P and T".  

2.  "Compensation". (Payments).  The VA does not want you to think you will get $2968 on May 1, 2016, if thats not right.  

Check the AB8 letters and the "payments", and forget the rest of ebenefits.  

Like i stated but should have went into detail a little more. More or less this is how mt VA ortho explained it

Emergency surgury= your but is in a gurney geting clothes off a but robe HEHE and surgury in a must  as soon as possible or turtle speed. Meaning You have to have the surgury as it may be determental to healthor in some instances ive seen can be refused to.

Elective Surgury=(va loves these)= You may turn the surgury down as it is something that is not life threating but deems wothyness to set an appointment and getting it done

Mandatory surgury is nothing. Look at the exam thouroughly and there are many ways to say Yes No or Mandatory and Ehh we will get to it. Use common sense looking for the choice words they can be seen on other exams post on hadit. They willl help you understand it a little better and remember there is a load of info on here. ive been a troller for years but now see i can relate. Wealth of info on here and many informed like bronko he has helped me on many occasions. sorry ran of topic had to take some juice from the tangerine my anxiety is weird today.

EBenefits even with its many update that make you relearn it everytime you log in is still messed up. As broncovet stated mokeys left and now it just error ridden cant log in ect.

All we have left in Ebennis is the money shit and bannana peals. AB8 Payments and dependants as well AS VONAPP are about i bother with as the rest is monkeydung.

Best info is from someone else who has been through it. Best of luck.

[mtmorical]

Thanks for the reply!

my doctor even moved two patients to later dates for surgery because my knee was so bad, plus my wife told them I dropped our then 8month on son and broke his arm and if another damned thing happened because they failed to provide the medical NEEDED and required she would sue.

my notes are actually really good, surgery doc stated how he was surprised I manage to function due to severity and also that my other knee is quickly deteriorating which in his opinion is due from over compensating for so many years, TKR needed on L knee within 6-12 months

 

[mtmorical]

Well I called today to see if the 1-800 (nothing) would have an info for me since my country service rep isnt even really VSO, they confused me even more, last Weds I went from Gathering of evidence to preparing for decision, then on Friday it went back to Review of evidence (first time at that phase). So I called there today and he said that I am in the decision phase. Even more confused, can someone explain what review of evidence means (i would think that would of been done before going for a decision) why would they tell me its in the decision phase if its in the review of evidence?