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100% TDIU - Permanent and Total: TBI and general Question

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commodog

Question

Hello all,

Ever since suffering a cold knockout from a vehicular fall, and down the side of a levee/cliff during the invasion of Iraq (14-20 feet, directly on back of head: ACH was worn at the time, and NVG's [AN-PVS5's] were on my face.), I have had a variety of cognitive issues and total behavioral personality change.
I am already 100% Permanent and Total (as the title says), and diagnosed with mTBI and PTSD, to which the majority of my award is granted towards PTSD.
My LOC (Loss of Consciousness) was probably around 30 minutes if you consider me "coming to" briefly from time to time (being fireman carried by my TC, and then lifted by said TC, MOPP gear, M16 and all into the bench seat of a 5-ton) and being pushed on the shoulders as I lay in the fetal position, in utter confusion (I couldn't even "think" straight), on the bench seat by my TC who kept trying to get me to stay awake while he concurrently drove.

I'm filling you in with this cursory amount of detail so you guys can get a feel for my background and situation. (Circumstances and type of injury.)

What I want to seek your guys advice on, is this:
I have a memory/focus issue that seems to be getting worse.

I do things that seem to be gaps in processing tasks.

For example:
- Driving - Briefly lose "awareness" (presence?), but come to seconds later.
- Daily routines or tasks:
 (a) Leave house, forget I locked it. Get out to car, can't remember whether I locked it. Go back to door, door is locked. Go back to car, can't remember if I locked it. (If wife is in car, she reminds me almost always as soon as I get in car.)
 (b) Make coffee - Fill coffeemaker with water, insert coffee grounds, turn on, walk away. Come back to coffee all over floor several minutes later. Forgot to put in cup or pot. (Put something in stove, and totally forget about it until it's burned.)
 (c) Have a difficult time coordinating tasks, and find myself extremely frustrated when doing so.
 (d) I sometimes go into long segues or overcomplicated verbiage. Internally, I feel like I'm struggling to say what I mean, and everything seems to "run together". My doctor wrote something to the effect of "This is either a sign of his cognitive dysfunction, or he is avoiding questions/conversations.", of which I assured said doctor it is not the latter.

I have talked to my psych doc, and my doctor is telling me that these symptoms sound TBI-related, and put me in for a "Second Level Evaluation" with polytrauma.
I have been to polytrauma before, and they did what I think was a best-case effort, and I went back to work. (Was driving a concrete truck at the time, and eventually got fired for , frankly, being forgetful/inattentive. Am now staying at home and doing home improvement projects to keep me busy/"fulfilled')

I have to admit, I have a bit of fear about what the reality could be, as I am fairly young (early 40's), and have children and a wife.

My questions, are as follows:

- Does my doctors assessment that my apparently degrading cognition and processing is related to my TBI seem reasonable? Are they stretching? (I know *some* of you have psych degrees, or have seen this thing before.)
- Could going back for more second-level polytrauma assessment affect my current rating? 

My wife is currently an honors level student (Deans List, Presidents List, and Academic honors), utilizing Chapter 35, and a state tuition waiver for spouses of those 100% P&T, and I do not want to ruin her frankly amazing pursuit of her degree.

Any insight whatsoever will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Commodog

Edited by commodog
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I was on the same boat as you 100 Tdiu p and t. I then filed a claim for adjustment disorder and that sparked another tbi review and ptsd exam which they made me 100% scheduler P and T SMC S. Sorry I didn’t take enough time to read all the replies so I’m just shooting this from the hip, if you have any questions Ill respond to this when I see an update.

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GREAT!  This is a old thread so I hope others read your success with SSA.

SSDI awarded my husband Solely for PTSD, when his VA comp was only 30%.

(He had 2 separate SSDI awards but I already told that  story here before because it might help someone else- SSA made a legal error on the  initial SSA award they gave him for a 1151 stroke)

The SSA used his VA medical records, as well as records from an ADA  EEOC case he won.Also Voc Rehab records fo the PTSD SSA award.

My VARO said the SSA refused to release his records, in 3 letters I have that VA sent  to my Senators and Congressman. It was a lie.

That VA lie  caused a holdup to their proper decision. His 100% SC  P & T for PTSD never came until after he had died. It was a posthumous accrued award with a very favorable EED.

Subsequently  I proved he had SMC , AO IHD, 1151 IHD, AO DMII, 1151 HBP and currently I have claim for HBP due to AO, per the most recent NAS report. 

He was posthumously granted

100% P & T under 1151

 100% P & T SC PTSD

SMC

30 % IHD AO (maybe that was 50% -I forget)

AO DMII granted ..... no rating----maybe I should revisit that-

but it gave me considerable more ancillary benefits, and they had to refund my FTCA offset.

HBP 10% awarded under 1151, claim in progress for direct SC due to AO.

And death by VA- he died with only 30% sc for PTSD.

These were all accrued benefits- I have plenty of info on accrued and DIC at hadit-----

Many widows/widowers never get their proper benefits, I am sure, because they might be unaware of them or have a lousy vet rep who does not have a clue on them.

My husband made me promise if the "VA  "Killed" him, to continue his 2 claims and go after them for wrongful death.I said "Honey the VA isnt going to kill anyone"- boy was I dumb.

4 hours later he suddenly collapsed and  died as I gave him CPR. Death by VA is the title of a book that  my daughter, a veteran, wants me to write. It hurts to think of it ,but VA made it easy. It will contain every VA denial, SOC, SSOC, one  I-9, award letters and proof of the 1151 and FTCA results.

Some of those denials are still shocking and hurtful to read.

The VA wasted their time on the denials. I won all of those claims.

Every week I get google alerts on VA malpractice.

The VA saves lives every day!

But some of their doctors are incompetent. And Many VA doctors these days are contractors and cannot be sued under FTCA.

QTC, or VES, or maybe LHI touts on their Home page that ,to become a contractor and work at a VAMC ( but not as a VA employee) they would have a low liability risk if they get employed by a federal contractor.

They can wear lanyards, and white coats and have a VA office but they do Not work for VA, and the only way you can find out, is to ask them or search their name at the Provider VA site- searchable here.

A VA doctor treated me when I was under CHAMPVA for an emergency issue, and he had been a contractor at the time- over a decade ago.Still is  and still at same VAMC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Proudvet said:

I was rated 100% for PTSD/TBI and filed for SSDI and was approved 1st time   You can go online www.ssi.gov and file for benefits. 

I see no question here. This thread was last posted in August 2018, it's great you are willing to take the time out to post. You might what to check the date out before responding. 

Congratulations! 

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