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Will applying for Voc Rehab because I feel well enough to go to school again cost me my 100% non-P&T non-TDIU rating?

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hemipepsis5p

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Hi everyone! 

So I have bipolar disorder, and I've made massive progress in my wellbeing in the last 6 months from diet/exercise and tons of self-help books and a Bipolar Life Skills program. Anyway, I feel great, and have for months and months now, and I feel like I'm ready to go back to school and finish my degree (in psychology) and try to get higher education so I can help other Veterans out of depression (I want to be a psychologist, the Psy.D route).

Anyway I'm at 100% right now for my bipolar disorder, and I'm getting re-rated in like 2 years. I have 1 month left on my 9/11 GI Bill, which isn't enough for me to finish my degree (I have 2 years left). I'm aware that I have to put in for Voc Rehab before using my last month of benefits in order to get the higher Voc Rehab BAH rate.

So my question is, if I call up Voc Rehab and say "Hey I'm feeling well enough to do school again and work and I want to be a psychologist and help other Veterans get their lives together" will the Voc Rehab people immediately schedule me for a re-evaluation? Don't get me wrong I want to get off of this disability stuff but if Voc Rehab is going to pay me only the BAH for the school's zip code, that is not enough for me to live on without a roommate (I'm 30) or some other source of income, not even close, like, the BAH is 3k per month, and the cheapest studios around the school (within a 45-minute drive one way) are $1200, and there are so many people applying for the apartments that unless you can show you bring home an income that is 3x your rent (in this case $3600 per month), they won't rent to you. I already tried to move there on my current monthly income (3k) and I got no responses.

Living on campus is possible but would be a nightmare as I would have to spend 4 months out of the year living with my 62 year old mom and my stepdad in a cramped little house. It's just not realistic. I know for a fact they wouldn't let me live with them for 4 months out of the year. Even when I was homeless they were only going to let me stay there for 1 week until I got into a VA housing program. It especially wouldn't work if I wanted to take summer courses because the dorms are closed during the summer and my family lives in another state. I also wouldn't be able to maintain my current extremely-healthy diet because no cooking is allowed in the dorms (no hot plates or toaster ovens). I eat very specific health-food recipes and mealprep 3-4 days at a time. The dining facility at the college is okay but is incompatible with my superfood diet. I checked to see if the school has off-campus school-sponsored housing but they don't have any.

Anyway, I could absolutely make it work even if I'm bumped down to 50%, but if they put me at 10% or something I'm going to have to get a job when I'm going to school which would be too hard for me to do while getting the grades I need to get into a Psy.D program. Transferring schools to a cheaper area isn't much of an option because my transcript is so awful right now that no one else will take me.

Will Voc Rehab set my BAH to 3x the studio rent for the area so I can get an apartment? I can hear you laughing now, I've dealt with the VA, I know the answer is probably "Yeah sure, when pigs fly."

Thanks for any help!

Edited by hemipepsis5p
space out of place
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"To achieve it, it has to be established that you're prevented from any occupation because of your SC disability"

I thought that was just for TDIU, which I don't have.

What if my psychiatrist says I can be rehabilitated? What if I get an IMO to boost that? I'm fine with trading the 100% rating for Voc Rehab if that has to happen, I'm not meant to live on this shit because my goal in life is to help other Veterans. I'm also 30...

Thanks everyone for the responses so far.

Edited by hemipepsis5p
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The reason I made the statement about being unable to perform any occupation is because if you are evaluated as meeting the 100% mental health  criteria, you have TOTAL occupational and social impairment.  If that isn't the case, then somebody goofed in your favor, but I'd think if you get a doctor to say that you're now able to function in school, you might be able to get VR&E to give you a shot.  They probably can't even consider putting you in a program unless you do have medical evidence that your condition has changed to make employment possible.  However, at the end of the day, nothing that I have to say about that will have any effect on whether or not you succeed.  You just need to sell your rehab plan to the people that can make it happen.  I honestly hope you get what is best for you!

100% Mental Health Rating Criteria:
Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as: gross impairment in thought processes or communication; persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name.
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