Worth filing?

[BuddyLoveAK]

Hi all, and thanks in advance for any input and advice! I'm considering filing a new claim but am not sure if it's worthwhile. While I was in-service I had chronic bronchitis. I just went through my medical records and they circled acute bronchitis every time except one, where they circled chronic. It lasted for like 9 months. After discharge my primary care physician told me I had significant scarring form the bronchitis and it caused me to have a lower than expected PFT, so I should file a claim, which I did. However, I put pneumonia down instead of bronchitis and they denied me right away saying I didn't have pneumonia. And I left it at that. Now I am having a harder and harder time breathing and have asthma. I had asthma when I was in elementary school but it went away when I was in middle school, and it appears to have come back some years ago. Anyways, is it worth filing for some kind of respiratory condition? I'm not sure what pulmonary scarring is called or if that's the cause or my asthma, and if my asthma was aggravated by service. I was exposed to chemicals once for several hours. My Sgt made me and my roommate mix bleach and ammonia and scrub the floors with hand brushes, which got us pretty sick. I'm not familiar with pulmonary issues, my claim I'm fighting for right now is mental health related. Thanks again and sorry if I rambled a bit.

Edited January 24, 2019 by BuddyLoveAK
Forgot to add something

[Buck52]

Yes you should file for it or appeal the decision if its been a year? you can resubmit your evidence (for bronchitis)...but if you have not appeal the decision just yet   resubmit new evidence that you have and what your Dr mention about the scarring.

check this link out by CCK Attorney's

https://cck-law.com/news/va-rate-bronchitis-disability-compensation-purposes/

File for all your condition and check and see what secondary condition that you can possibly file for...remember to file for all the conditions that you think were military related....you may be denied on some but file for all these conditions that you may have  to get your Early effective Date STARTED.

You can file a ITF (Intent to file) this gives you a year to file for your claims and to gather up your evidence  before you submit your claim    so actually if you do the ITF it starts your early effective date and if approved you will get a year or more of retro. or ever how long they take to rate your claims.

Edited January 24, 2019 by Buck52

[vetquest]

Buck is spot on about appealing for filing and ITF.  What mental health condition are you fighting?

[BuddyLoveAK]

Thanks Buck! It's been more than a year, but it's a new claim with a different condition than the original claim. So I'm hoping it'll be ok. I was under the impression that the VA is supposed to "help" you with your claim if you get the diagnosis wrong, instead of denying you right away. Like if you file for depression but it turns out you have PTSD they don't deny you because you put depression they just "help" by switching it over to PTSD.

Vetquest, I'm trying to get my bipolar service connected. They discharged me with a personality disorder and later on I was diagnosed bipolar.