Need some help with VA math

[ShrekTheTank]

Just got off the phone with the VFW rep at the regional office and said my Dercums is now at 60% but said I am not at 100% I have done 3 calculators now and I don't understand

tension headaches	30%	Service Connected		12/10/2018
irritable bowel syndrome (to include claimed fecal incontinence, bowel condition, gastrointestinal problems, chronic hypertrophic gastritis)	30%	Service Connected		03/06/2015
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multiple scars that are tender or unstable such as status post inguinal hernia scars; disfigurement from lipomatosis dolorosa; and upper extremity lipoma scars (previously 7805)	30%	Service Connected		12/02/2013
left chest lateral posttraumatic 8th rib, episodic intercostal myalgia (claimed as left rib pain)	0%	Service Connected	Predischarge Exam	12/02/2013
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (to include claimed cold sweats)	30%	Service Connected	PTSD - Combat	02/12/2014
tinnitus	10%	Service Connected		02/12/2014
left knee strain (previously rated as left knee retropatellar pain syndrome)	10%	Service Connected	Predischarge Exam	12/02/2013
Dercum disease (lipomatosis dolorosa)	10%	Service Connected		12/04/2014
status post right inguinal hernia repair (claimed as pain and numbness, status post right inguinal hernia repair)	0%	Service Connected	Predischarge Exam	10/02/2004
hypertension	0%	Service Connected	Predischarge Exam	10/02/2004
scars, status post lipoma excision, left arm	0%	Service Connected	Predischarge Exam	10/02/2004
scars, status post lipoma excisions, right arm	0%	Service Connected	Predischarge Exam	10/02/2004
left knee retropatellar pain syndrome	0%	Service Connected	Predischarge Exam	06/01/2010
scar with minimal hypoesthesia, status post right inguinal hernia repair	0%	Service Connected	Predischarge Exam	10/02/2004
left chest lateral posttraumatic 8th rib, episodic intercostal myalgia (claimed as left rib pain)	0%	Service Connected	Predischarge Exam	10/02/2004
fibromyalgia	40%	Service Connected		01/05/2016

[GeekySquid]

1 minute ago, shrekthetank1 said:

hat would be for a new claim?  This is an appeal from 2014.  They coded it incorrectly and never gave me the proper rating back then.  

Your rating on appeal, if approved for XXXX effective date, is what the date is for the rating percentage awarded.

What was the specific appeal? was in an EED request and if so what was the percentage that was existing back at that EED?

If it was an appeal to increase and ALSO give EED at the NEW higher rating, and that was awarded in the same case at the same time then the EED would be at the NEW HIGHER rating but years before.

[GeekySquid]

1 minute ago, shrekthetank1 said:

My doctor referred me there as it fit better with my time schedule.  They do have records and everything, I just understand now they carry less weight.

ahhh NO.

If this is a support group it is NOT therapy for the purposes of the VAMC and VARO raters if there is not a doctor who is both licensed by the state and approved by the VA. It is why IME/IMO's for the VA are so expensive.

If however you are seeing an MSW at the Vets center in an individual way UNDER an MD's oversight, AND the MSW and MD are both registered and accepted by the state and VA, then yes that data may be, only may be not will be, entered into your VAMC record and available to Raters. Data YOU personally upload to Blue Button is not supposed to be taken as part of a "medical" opinion used by the Raters.

If you see that MSW as part of an official group therapy, then all the other stuff of the above paragraph still applies.

 

[ShrekTheTank]

16 minutes ago, GeekySquid said:

Your rating on appeal, if approved for XXXX effective date, is what the date is for the rating percentage awarded.

What was the specific appeal? was in an EED request and if so what was the percentage that was existing back at that EED?

If it was an appeal to increase and ALSO give EED at the NEW higher rating, and that was awarded in the same case at the same time then the EED would be at the NEW HIGHER rating but years before.

So the bva judge already awarded the eed to a year prior.  So they are disregarding what the judge put out. Then they gave me the 60% which I appealed their lowball/improper coding of the 10%. 

[ShrekTheTank]

14 minutes ago, GeekySquid said:

ahhh NO.

If this is a support group it is NOT therapy for the purposes of the VAMC and VARO raters if there is not a doctor who is both licensed by the state and approved by the VA. It is why IME/IMO's for the VA are so expensive.

If however you are seeing an MSW at the Vets center in an individual way UNDER an MD's oversight, AND the MSW and MD are both registered and accepted by the state and VA, then yes that data may be, only may be not will be, entered into your VAMC record and available to Raters. Data YOU personally upload to Blue Button is not supposed to be taken as part of a "medical" opinion used by the Raters.

If you see that MSW as part of an official group therapy, then all the other stuff of the above paragraph still applies.

 

This is not a group it is the director of the vet center. So I will have to check that out.  Ty

[GeekySquid]

1 minute ago, shrekthetank1 said:

So the bva judge already awarded the eed to a year prior.

please paint me a time line.

VA grant 1999 20% for Black Hairy Tongue or whatever

Appeal to BVA 2002 to EED back to 1994

BVA granted EED back to XXX

3 minutes ago, shrekthetank1 said:

So they are disregarding what the judge put out

which was what exactly? what percent back to what year? or was it just a remand that said "rate this vet as something back to the year XXXX"?

 

4 minutes ago, shrekthetank1 said:

Then they gave me the 60% which I appealed their lowball/improper coding of the 10%. 

is that a typo using the word "which" instead of the word "when"? if not I am very confused.

[ShrekTheTank]

Drugs are kicking in will do in the morning.