Filed first claim today

[Dha]

I decided to file a claim for some issues I’ve had that were discovered while on active duty and was wondering if anyone would provide some insight to what I might be instore for. Any difficulties or possibly what type of rating these things typically get assigned. I will list them below and hopefully someone could help. 

1. Anal fissures resulting in surgery and leakage from rectum. Discovered while on active duty. No treatment given and a couple years after separation resulted in emergency surgery and discovery of infected punctures inside rectum/colon. Since surgery, which was several years ago, I still bleed and require several trips to bathroom to clean up.also have scaring.  Very embarrassing. I have all paperwork from hospital where surgery was performed. 

2. Problems with foot from fractured MT.  Documented while in combat training and first duty station. Subsequent knee problems from favoring this foot. Can’t jump down off of any elevation of any kind anymore. Can’t run with the  kid. That sort of thing. 

3. Discovered a growth in ear canal during final physical before separation. Sent to civilian ENT and was told a bowny growth formed( can’t remeber medical term). Could be caused by irritation, ear plugs that sort of thing. Loss of hearing in that ear and pain when wax is built up which requires me to get cleaned out by ENT every few months. During the visit to civilian ENT he marked me down with T&A hypertrophy (enlarged tonsils/adenoids)  I have never been to sleep study but believe I have apnea  always wake up gasping for air  

4. Tinnitus( ringing humming in ears)

5. Shoulder pain due to an injury that was given limited duty for for about 6 wks while on active duty. 

6. Fell on wrist and had sharp pain for several weeks  I was never given any kind of X-ray but have it documented in record book  Started rearing it’s head again over the last few years  with pain that comes when held in certain positions  

I thought maybe this was too much to put down for a claim but the veterans advocate I was working with said it was fine. I have all medical records from in service to back it up. And most dr. Records from after discharge but not all. 

Any info or even anyone who has any experience with these symptoms and their experiences would be appreciated. I get a little anxious when it comes to this sort of thing. 

Thanks 

[Buck52]

You need to look up what your diagnose for what are the Diagnostic Codes?

Anyway find the rating criteria for what your diagnose for.

  if you have medical records while in the military about any of these conditions/or Injuries use that as evidence for Service connection  then after your Service Connected  its just a matter of how bad your conditions are or your symptoms??

Remember medical evidence while in military is a Veteran best friend... favorable medical evidence is what wins claims.

...they have rating criteria for every condition we have ,  you just need to read what these rating criteria/level will be for your condition.

if you know what your diagnose for and the severity of the condition   post them  we can find out the rating criteria  for you.

I recommend you file for all these conditions at the same time   rather or not your approve /or denied it starts your early effective dates   because eventually you will be approved  if you have the medical evidence to prove your claims.and the claim date will be when you first filed.

you can also file the ITF (Intent to File) after you file the ITF you have an extra year before filing the claim  this gives you time to gather your evidence and starts your EED early effective date.......or you can File  FDC (Fully Developed Claim)  if you have all your evidence and everything you need to be approved.

And btw Welcome to Hadit

Edited November 28, 2018 by Buck52

[broncovet]

Be prepared for the long haul.  80 percent of first time claimants are denied, so get ready to appeal.  Almost all of us who have won significant benefits had to appeal at least once.  Usually we have to fight them much more than just one appeal.  

[Buck52]

Broncovet is right,

  so when you file your claims just be sure you have all records of evidence and have your claim presented in a clear view format  for the rater to read and make it easy for the rater to find things, you point this out in your claim..but just remember good favorable evidence is what wins claims!

Always think positive.

Sometimes when we prepare our claims in a way that makes it better for the rater....and all evidence points to the proper approval   Then you should be Approved.

 

[Dha]

 Is it acceptable to bring additional information to the c&p exam that I have found after the claim has been filed? Thank you all  for the advice. 

Edited November 29, 2018 by Dha

[GeekySquid]

11 hours ago, Dha said:

Is it acceptable to bring additional information to the c&p exam that I have found after the claim has been filed? 

if you have the supporting evidence in hand, printed, and any information you did not submit with the claim, then yes bring a copy of it...keep your originals safe at home and electronically scanned and stored online.

just be prepared that the examiner may or may not be interested in what you bring.

I also suggest that once the exam happens you need to get several documents from the VA. you want the exam request form the VA created. You want the examiners notes and you want the filled out exam.

If your examiner is a VA employee done at the VA the exam will appear under your My Healthy vet Blue Button, the others have to come from the VA records office.

If  the examiner is a contractor like QTC you have to get all the docs from the VA records office.

Typically you can go to you local regional office, not the hospital, and go to the records office and file out an FOIA for those documents.

Do this for every C&P you have and from the list you provided you will likely have several.

you will likely have a c&p for hearing and unless you are deaf as a post you may not get any percentage but if you provide a nexus you may get SC. the tests are described on here in other forums but in short to get any percentage on hearing you have to have loss on the puretone tests and the Maryland CNC speech test. you have to hit below 94 to have a hearing loss for rating purposes.

the two attached files are an excel with all the military mos and nec classifications and the likelihood of hearing loss by those jobs.

the other is VA Fast Letter 10-35 which also includes those codes. There may be a superseding fast letter but I cannot find one. 

 

Copy of Duty MOS Noise Exposure Levels.xls

from wayback machine state of tenn website Duty MOS Hearing Loss Probibility Chart-VA Fast Letter 10-35.pdf

[Dha]

11 hours ago, GeekySquid said:

if you have the supporting evidence in hand, printed, and any information you did not submit with the claim, then yes bring a copy of it...keep your originals safe at home and electronically scanned and stored online.

just be prepared that the examiner may or may not be interested in what you bring.

I also suggest that once the exam happens you need to get several documents from the VA. you want the exam request form the VA created. You want the examiners notes and you want the filled out exam.

If your examiner is a VA employee done at the VA the exam will appear under your My Healthy vet Blue Button, the others have to come from the VA records office.

If  the examiner is a contractor like QTC you have to get all the docs from the VA records office.

Typically you can go to you local regional office, not the hospital, and go to the records office and file out an FOIA for those documents.

Do this for every C&P you have and from the list you provided you will likely have several.

you will likely have a c&p for hearing and unless you are deaf as a post you may not get any percentage but if you provide a nexus you may get SC. the tests are described on here in other forums but in short to get any percentage on hearing you have to have loss on the puretone tests and the Maryland CNC speech test. you have to hit below 94 to have a hearing loss for rating purposes.

the two attached files are an excel with all the military mos and nec classifications and the likelihood of hearing loss by those jobs.

the other is VA Fast Letter 10-35 which also includes those codes. There may be a superseding fast letter but I cannot find one. 

 

Copy of Duty MOS Noise Exposure Levels.xls

from wayback machine state of tenn website Duty MOS Hearing Loss Probibility Chart-VA Fast Letter 10-35.pdf

Will do. Great info thank you.