100% Permanent and total

[jfrei]

So why keep filing? I was diagnosed with sleep apnea but under my 100 for my TBI they state with sleep disturbances. I never filed for sleep apnea my wife knows I have it my VA doctor says I have mild sleep apnea. I am 50 for post traumatic headaches and 100 for my tbi. Is there any reason or benefits for filing for sleep apnea? I know it’s pretty much a given since it’s in my family history on my mother’s side latter in their life but is it pointless if they just say Yeha it’s part of the tbi diagnosis. I don’t understand how many things can be considered secondary until it’s considered moot i already have 3 considered secondary to my STBI...

[paulstrgn]

If and when I get to 100% P&T I will keep adding to my claim. Most everything I have is secondary to my back. I have a SA and hypertension claim pending with the BVA (in my opinion it should be approved but we will see). If my hypertension is approved (even at 0%) that will be fine, I have the feeling I will go from a stroke or heart attack and those I will be able to link to hypertension. I want my wife to be able to get DIC when I go so I will keep adding on until I either have 100% P&T 10 years or or one of the other issues I have. After all I don't think I am going to die from my back or nerve issues! I believe you should always add to you VA disabilities, plus who knows you might get an SMC from it. JMO 

[seminoles]

55 minutes ago, paulstrgn said:

If and when I get to 100% P&T I will keep adding to my claim. Most everything I have is secondary to my back. I have a SA and hypertension claim pending with the BVA (in my opinion it should be approved but we will see). If my hypertension is approved (even at 0%) that will be fine, I have the feeling I will go from a stroke or heart attack and those I will be able to link to hypertension. I want my wife to be able to get DIC when I go so I will keep adding on until I either have 100% P&T 10 years or or one of the other issues I have. After all I don't think I am going to die from my back or nerve issues! I believe you should always add to you VA disabilities, plus who knows you might get an SMC from it. JMO 

I am and will do the same, I don't trust the VA one bit to award DIC even if it is warranted to just like I didnt' trust them to continue my IU PT until my death I sure as hell am not trusting them to honor DIC after my death so I will continue to fight for secondaries and every single thing they denied service connection for.  I take it in baby steps as I am able to physically and mentally because mentally they can wear me down and piss me off. 

 

[brokensoldier244th]

Well, a Cpap costs like a thousand bucks, and the masks (if you go through a medical supply company and not amazon) are like 50-100+ with headgear, and you need a new one at least once a year just for sanitation and because the silicone gradually wears out around the seal. I filed for it based mostly on that- At the time I didnt care if I got a 50% rating or not. 0% would have been fine with me, and it was rated that way for almost a year until I did some more reading on the nerves in my back that are damaged, along with SC hypothyroidism and an almost 0% T rating helping contribute to a huge dip in metabolism and thus, partially to weight gain. Eventually I was re-rated, but I was more grateful at the time for the 0% and the Cpap. 

 

As for the rest, if you add your other conditions on there, even at 100%, it can affect things like eligibility for DIC down the road should you unfortunately die from something that was SC. 

[GBArmy]

 I have OSA also but the replacement masks are an issue for me. You can get 3 masks a year and you have to treat them with kid gloves. Clean the hardware weekly but be very careful with the masks as they tare easily, and as Brokensoldier said, they aren't cheap. I usually have to buy 1 or more replacements a year. It is probably because I am so restless. It takes some getting used to, but you have to learn to sleep with it. A lot of people just give up and don't use it, but remember it forces you to breath; it is stupid to quit trying to use  it. If you file and receive a disability, it is usually rated at 50%, so it can really help on getting you SMC going forward.

[Buck52]

Just a little side note**

For Veterans that are not aware of this.

If you are s.c. to use a c-pap machine  you better be using it, if and when you need to take your C-PAP in  they have two information cards in them one you can find ,the other is hidden only the sleep clinic nurse or Doc have access to it  and it will reveled  the usage of the machine down to every Hour/minute/dates and also records the apnea's you have through out the night .

The C-Pap  machines are suppose to be calibrated once a year!

 so if your just using your VA Prescribe C-Pap machine part time,or not using it at all, your taking a big chance that the VA will reduce your Sleep Apnea Claim.

The sleep clinic will report what they find in these information cards.

[Vync]

2 hours ago, Buck52 said:

If you are s.c. to use a c-pap machine  you better be using it, if and when you need to take your C-PAP in  they have two information cards in them one you can find ,the other is hidden only the sleep clinic nurse or Doc have access to it  and it will reveled  the usage of the machine down to every Hour/minute/dates and also records the apnea's you have through out the night .

The new Philips CPAP machine I received last year has the internal modem/cell connection enabled. My VAMC can read my compliance remotely whenever they want.

Additionally, Philips has software you can put on your Apple or Android phone called DreamMapper. It uses a Bluetooth connection so you can read a lot of information and run reports detailing your sleep. I sync it about once a week to check my AHI (apnea hypopnea index). Mine was under control before my heart attach, but now it's all over the place, including the danger zone. I sent a secure message to neuro sleep and they are going to adjust the settings when I bring it in.

2 hours ago, Buck52 said:

The C-Pap  machines are suppose to be calibrated once a year!

Hmm... I'll have to ask about this.