tinnitus How Can I Connect An Illness To An Existing Sc Disability?

[tdak]

Good afternoon!!

How can I connect a condition to an already SC disability? I have Chiari I Malformation and a host of other conditions. As the RO stated it in my award letter, they bulked all of my conditions as symptoms to the Chiari and listed it as a benign growth of the brain @ 60%,which is fine for now, but I have medical documentation that some of the conditions are listed as symptoms, such as Hypothyroidism and Fibromyalgia are stand alone conditions(yet listed as symptoms). Due to the fact that Chiari is pretty rare there is no real medical documentation that provides an absolute connection. Some of my Chiari symptoms are migraines, tinnitus, blurred vision, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, nystagmus (irregular eye movement), gag reflex, hearing loss and the list goes on. I have about 95% of all the symptoms ever seen listed. My hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue, nystagmus and tinnitus are of the worst. I was told by they claim rep. from the American Legion that I neded something to state that the Chiari caused/created the condition and was bad enough to be able to be SC as their own condition. How can I get this info if it is a rare condition and all of these other illnesses are listed as symptoms and not stand alone conditions?

Please help!!

Edited January 19, 2007 by tdak

[jbasser]

Tdak, dont forget the agravation factor, That is where a Service connected condition aggravates a NSC condition, for example. Heart disease causes shortness of breath and you have a NSC lung disability. Then the Lung disability can be SC'd based on the aggravation of the Lung by the heart.

[Objee]

Good afternoon!!

How can I connect a condition to an already SC disability? I have Chiari I Malformation and a host of other conditions. As the RO stated it in my award letter, they bulked all of my conditions as symptoms to the Chiari and listed it as a benign growth of the brain @ 60%,which is fine for now, but I have medical documentation that some of the conditions are listed as symptoms, such as Hypothyroidism and Fibromyalgia are stand alone conditions(yet listed as symptoms). Due to the fact that Chiari is pretty rare there is no real medical documentation that provides an absolute connection. Some of my Chiari symptoms are migraines, tinnitus, blurred vision, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, nystagmus (irregular eye movement), gag reflex, hearing loss and the list goes on. I have about 95% of all the symptoms ever seen listed. My hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue, nystagmus and tinnitus are of the worst. I was told by they claim rep. from the American Legion that I neded something to state that the Chiari caused/created the condition and was bad enough to be able to be SC as their own condition. How can I get this info if it is a rare condition and all of these other illnesses are listed as symptoms and not stand alone conditions?

Please help!!

For the clue as to separation of symptoms, look at the 38 CFR Part IV (Part 4). If they are on the schedules as separate diseases, they are separately ratable. I have sleep apnea due to hypothyroidism. The apnea, while it contributes to the hypothyroid diagnosis is separately rated.

Although the hypothyroidism stands on its own as a disease, secondary conditions caused by (and a part of) it are separately ratable if listed in the Part IV.

Ralph

[tdak]

Tamara,

Are you saying that the doc that wrote the IMO for your Hypothyroidism is an Endocronologist?

If so, there is no better specialist on the thryoid than an Endo.

I, myself, suffer/suffered from HYPERthryoidism. An over-active thryoid (hot all the time, hyper-active, couldn't sleep, couldn't "turn my motor off", losing weight, couldn't get enough to eat......) and my Endo "ablated" my thryoid with U-235 or somesuch stuff (killed it, essentially, by overdosing it with radiation). So, now, I must take synthetic Thryoid hormone (Synthroid) for the rest of my life. My oldest son also has the same problem, with the same results.

Larry,

No, my Pulmonologist wrote me the note, because my Endo actually left the group and I just started seeng a new one, so asking my new endo was out of the question on the first visit(lol). My Pulmonologist knows me very well and has a lot info on me in my file, so she was willing to write the note for me. I just started seeing a new GP also who was astonished by my medical file.

I wish I had hyper instead of hypo...I gained 65 pounds in 2 years and weighed more than I ever did even pregnant. I freaked. When the blood test were run everything always comes back borderline for me. The chiari gave me a flattened pituitary gland which made my thyroid not respond, which made me gain weight. I was up to 150mcg of Levoxyl, with no response form my body but mace my bloodwork come back so low is showed me as hyper-thyroid. It was a mess for 2 years. Now I take 125mcg and only my doc knows if I will be on it forever, because I don't know if there is anything that can be done for a flattened pituitary gland.

In any case, I just wanted to make sure it was ok to come from any doctor.

Thanks,

Tamara

PS. I hope you feel better and your son too!

[tdak]

For the clue as to separation of symptoms, look at the 38 CFR Part IV (Part 4). If they are on the schedules as separate diseases, they are separately ratable. I have sleep apnea due to hypothyroidism. The apnea, while it contributes to the hypothyroid diagnosis is separately rated.

Although the hypothyroidism stands on its own as a disease, secondary conditions caused by (and a part of) it are separately ratable if listed in the Part IV.

Ralph

Ralph

Thanks so much. I did look through the CFR, and there are so many things listed, its amazing. My new doctor wants me to have a sleep study done, because I do not sleep well at all. Did you get rated for your Hypothyroidism and sleep apnea together or alone or not at all.

[tdak]

Tdak, dont forget the agravation factor, That is where a Service connected condition aggravates a NSC condition, for example. Heart disease causes shortness of breath and you have a NSC lung disability. Then the Lung disability can be SC'd based on the aggravation of the Lung by the heart.

Jbasser,

Thank you, I will definately keep watch as I do have many conditions that I imagine will have a long term impact on me.

Tamara

PS.

Nice fishing boat!!