Surprise while in process of BDD claim

[jpx31]

Hi all,

This is my first post on here. Some background: I am active duty for another 3 weeks as an infantryman in the usmc. I filed a  BDD claim (or the one that you can file 6 months before you get out) with the VA for some of the issues I have. The grunt life has been tough on my body and mind, and I decided I would file a claim for some of the things that started to bother me when I was in. This was in Feb, and I had 3 C&P exams in March (hearing/tinnitus, the one with pain in joints/body, and MH). Overall, I was surprised with the speed of the process and timely nature of the process. I've heard horror stories, but none of applied to me so far. I'm a mortarman 0341, and I've served and trained as either a mortarman or a riflemen my entire time in. 2 deployments, one to asia (japan and korea) and other to the arctic circle for 6 months (Norway).

Fast forward a couple months to June, and I get a call from the VA. I assumed it was about my GI bill application (I'm slated to go to school in August). Nope, it was for my VA claim. I had filed an extension on my contract because of current events to stay in a bit longer on active duty because of the shutdowns in my state. They just wanted to verify my new EAS date and home of record address to send my decision letter later on in July instead of June. I updated my information and the rep on the phone asked me if I wanted to hear what the raters said about my claim. Of course I did, and what I was told was nothing short of shocking to me. After all I heard about the VA, I never thought I would get much of anything, even being infantry and having obvious pains. I was given the advice of trying to service connect as many of my pains as possible by the VA rep on base, this way when they inevitably get worse later in life (I'm 27)I  could get treatment if they were at least 0% SC. So I did. The rep on the phone told me I received a SC for all 10 items I had claimed, and that my likely rating would be 100% scheduler w/ P&T, pending approval of VA HQ or some other "approver" he mentioned. I had expected that I might get 10-40% range somewhere, depending if they took my claims seriously and how the x-rays in my hands came back. The things that bother me the most (my knees, neck) were rated the lowest and the thing that doesn't bother me as much (my feet) got rated highest. Is this common? An error? I have foot pain and pain in my heel and thing around the arch of my foot, but I can still walk and everything. However, my knees bother me everyday, and my neck pain makes it very hard to get decent sleep, I figured they would be rated higher than my feet...

Has anyone else received a rating much higher than they thought they would get or a lower rating for specific things that seriously bother them every day? What was your reaction? How should I feel?

This is a list of my claim and what the rep told me the rater gave for each condition

50% Bilateral foot pain/plantar condition

50% PTSD with Insomnia (I witnessed my best friend's suicide in the barracks while I was in, never got to go to combat)

30% headaches/migraines

20% neck pain /mobility

10% left thumb pain/mobility (dislocated badly in plt PTd and never healed properly)

10% right index finger pain (caught on a pack strap and hyper extended)

10% each knee

10% left knee strain (separate from other knee award???)

10% tinnitus 

10% left ear hearing loss

0%  right ear hearing loss

This is what the guy told me over the phone so I wrote down what he was saying the best I could, I definately wasn't ready for this. I don't know how to feel. I almost didn't file a claim at all, because I hadn't seen combat. I didn't get a lawyer or anyone's help and I accomplished 100% my first go around. I didn't think I deserved it or rated it over the combat vets. When I think disability rating, I think of people confined to wheelchairs or missing limbs from a war etc or serious life threatening conditions, my uncle was one from desert storm. My wife thinks I deserve it, mainly because she has to deal with my all my sleep issues, hearing loss, complaints of going up steps etc, but I have mixed feelings and am happy and have feelings of guilt at the same time. I thought they would just 0% SC a lot of my issues and wait for them to get worse over my life later on. The reason of my post is this:

Are ratings like this common for non-combat infantry vets? Should I try to appeal for a lower rating so other people with terrible conditions are more likely to get the treatment and care they need? Should I speak with a VSO now or when I get back to my home state and if so, which ones are best? I just feel odd, I have pain in a lot of areas in my body, but I'm still able to walk and run (just not pain free and as fast as before I enlisted).  Also, since this rating isn't official yet, will the "approver" or VA HQ likely  reduce ratings from the raters before I get my official decision letter?

I know this is a long post, and I am thankful of whoever is willing to read it all and comment  and give me some advice. Have a good one all

[Berta]

When you get the official letter, you will know why they rated some conditions low.

BUT Hip Hip Hooray for you!~!~~!!!

You certainly did the right thing , filling the BDD claim before you got out.

The date of retro will go back to the date of your official discharge.

You had your ducks in a row and well armed with evidence the VA needed.

You ABSOLUTELY deserve any compensation you get!!!!!!!!!!!!

Geez, dont even think about appealing for a lower rating. And be careful of getting s VSO because we might have far better advice here, when you get the official award letter.

When you get it, can you scan and attach it here? We need to see the decision and the Evidence list.

Cover your C file# prior to scanning it.

I suggest, if your MOS earned you any college credits, be sure to contact the inservice person who can handle that issue.My daughter left the USAF with plenty of college credits but her MOS training took two years.( Classified Top Secret Intel)  -you might already have some credits for your college future.

A former vet rep I had also had the same MOS but never got a hold of anyone while he was still in.He started college without the potential benefit of inservice credits.

Also do not leave the mil without

1. a copy of your complete SMRS ( STRS) to include a copy of your NAV 201 file.

I forget why but after my husband died, ( USMC -)his NAV 201 file had something in it I needed for one of the claims I had.

2. Contact info for any of your buddys in your unit- one never knows when they need a buddy statement.

 Your unit probably also has a web site on line.

I was a  VA Vet center volunteer and the vets voted me into the PTSD Combat Rap group. late 1983-right after the VA determined PTSD was real and that there is a lot to it

Not all had combat-it was not required to join the rap group.

The first Vietnam Vet with PTSD ( 100%) I met at the vet enter  was a woman.She had been a nurse in a MASH UNIT in Vietnam.

One thing about vet centers- we had a team leader who handled the rap group meetings and things were discussed there that their family members and significant others could never understand.

I felt my role was to be like a non judgmental spouse, sister, daughter, etc etc and it changed my whole world and I even married one of the members who had PTSD. .Rod SImmons ,1stMarDiv , Amphibious Tractor Battalion , Danang,Vietnam. It also changed my daughter's life. She was a Vietnamese linquist and went to Vietnam twice.

A lot of civilians do not have a clue on PTSD. A lot of family members of a PTSD vet  dont have a clue either.

But our "grateful nation" has come a long way from the days when Vietnam vets returned .Thank God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 20, 2020 by Berta

[ShrekTheTank]

Congratulations!   
 

you served your country and trust me your issues can get worse.   If this is where you are rated then this is where at minimum you should be at.  

[Berta]

forgot to add....BDD c;aims should go fast but many vets do not file their claims until many years after the fact.

That makes it more difficult unless they have a chronic condition (as described in the Chronic regulations available here at hadit ) or a presumptive one, like Agent Orange, or Camp Juene contaminated water claim, etc etc for them to gain service connection.

They have to have a copy of their SMRS and 201 files, and that can take more time to get them ( via NARA)than when a service person leaves the Mil with them already.

And many cannot even find a Buddy for a buddy statement which can often turn a denial into an award or even some vets cannot remember their unit friend's names-to try to find them on line.

You sure did the right thing ------BBD.

How long will your service period be? My daughter had 6 years, almost over when 911 happened.

She jogged from her apartment to NSA knowing the parking lot would be pandemonium there( she had been packing as she was on leave and planning to come home here when she saw the news -NSA was where she worked (USAF) and they put her into the Battlefield Command division.

...And then she then re- upped for another year...... I am extremely proud of her.And of ALL of you!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

[jpx31]

Thank you for your thoughtful replies. I will upload more information once I receive more official word. My service period will be 4 years 1 month. Would have stayed in longer but the wife was sick of me leaving for 6 months at a time. I absolutely intend on giving to a veterans charity of some sort (my wife works full time) and we don't have kids so we are not in dire need of the extra money every month. I saw some cool charities that help fund service dogs for disabled veterans. I do need some more info on the process though because I don't want to give to a fake charity that doesn't help anyone. Again, thank you for the replies and support, I didn't expect any of this.

[Christie]

the tinnitus is the MAX they will give..i am shocked they gave you 10% for the hearing loss..mine is stuck at ZERO even tho they issued me a hearing aid. they love 10% for knees also. if they are going to give you a final degree of 100% then honestly just be happy. I have been fighting for 21 years and finally just got my 100%. VA love common core math. the headaches/migraines was the hardest fight for me...they didnt want to admit it was caused by the mandatory anthrax vaccines even tho i started complaining from day 1 and its proven i was given the bad lot. at 70% they treat you for everything anyway and not just service connected disabilities. congrats....

[pacmanx1]

Great Job. You might want to check your VA math either something is off or missing but what you posted doesn't add up to 100% scheduler.  Do you have any other pending claims? From what you posted only adds up to 93% and VA will round down to 90% in VA math.