Walter Reed

[WAKO/VN-65-66]

Does anyone on this board think that the new investigations at Walter Reed, will have any effect on

the claims that have been put on hold for so long. Just waiting for my determination.

WAKO

[Testvet]

I agree Imus was all over Schumer like a dirty diaper and he was all over Mccain the other day too, the only one I have seen him cut any slack in the past 2 weeks is Sen McCaskill as she has only been in office since Jan but he was all over her about understanding that he's going to be watching who does what.

Thats the key to this whole mess is not letting them sweep it back under a rug again and keeping the attention on it until it get's fixed and it appears Dana Priest and Anne Hull are keeping their promises to stay on it, let's see what comes out tomorrow or Monday from the Washington Post but one of our best advocates now is the reporter from ABC, Bob Woodruff and his wife, they know the vets and their wives are getting screwed and they have a mission in life now and it appears to be making sure the vets who are injured don't slip back out of sight

[john999]

I think the administration would like to just fix Walter Reed and then close the book. To give mandatory funding to the VA is something the republicans have voted against for the last 6 years. Cheney and Bush are war criminals and I think that is what Imus says all the time. All that blood is on Bush & Co.'s head. I hope the ghosts of the dead haunt them both.

[CSM-H]

Vike17, Please take a closer look at what I said earlier; "it is true that DoD, specifically the Army does give "lower ratings" BUT they only rate ONE issue and they (DoD) pick the issue".

I think we are saying almost the same thing...just a little differently. As to your question; "What does DoD do when there are multiple disabilities, do they take the disability that would rate the highest and assign that and all the other issues just disappear?" Vike17 this is just my opinion, but from what I witnessed they (The board President or possibly a Doctor, not in the room by the way) picks the issue and for what it's worth I believe they pick the one that is the easiest to establish and then discharge with it. As for the other issues they don't go away, they are just not rated!!! The now discharged/medically retired vet has to file a claim with the VA.

Also of note is if the veteran gets a medical exit "bonus" "stipend" or whatever it's called, he/she will not get any compensation from the VA until the previously paid benefit money is "collected" back. As in soldier get $20,000 and then later gets increased by the VA to 80% from the DoD rating of 20%. The compensation from the VA for 80% is say $1200, multiply 1200x12=14400 and then approximately 5 months more (1200x5=6000) close enough....so for 17 months the veteran will get no compensation on the 18th month he/she would then start collecting the 80% rate....Hope that makes sense.....This pretty much how they do it..unless it'sa changed since I left in 2004. Hope this helps make a little sense out of it, CSM-H

CSM-H,

I was actually talking about a news paper article I read about a week ago on this. I don't remember where or which one, once I find it, I'll post the link. It might have been the Army Times, I don't know. At any rate, the article talked about a single disability, I think PTSD, that would get a 10% rating from DoD, but then turn around and get a 50% rating from VA. I was actually basing my post on one disability, not multiple ones. Maybe I should have stated that, sorry, even though I didn't know DoD would rate only one disability not multiple issues.

You're right, I don't know much about the MEB/PEB process. I never went through this, just helped numerous veterans that had gone through it and received really low ratings, then only turn around and get a substantially higher evalution from VA. One particular claim that comes to mind is a veteran I helped last year, he was rated at 10% for Reiters syndrome from DoD, but was awarded 60% with IU from VA. Such a difference for one disability i.e. 10% to 60%!!!

I've got a question. What does DoD do when there are multiple disabilities, do they take the disability that would rate the highest and assign that and all the other issues just disappear?

Vike 17

I found the article I was talking about. It was in the Army Times, March 5, 2007 print under "Disabled System: Critics claim Army purposely lowers disability ratings" However, it doesn't reference the PTSD claim I stated, it referenced a radial nerve in the arm that warranted a 70% rating but was only given a 30% evaluation at first. I still remember an article about the case of PTSD I menetioned above, I'll try to find that also.

[Vike17]

CSM-H,

I thought you were implying that VA's ratings were only higher than DoD's because VA rated multiple disabilities compared to DoD only rating one disability. That's the way I read the post and that's why I pointed out that DoD's ratings also seemed lower than VA's when only one (the same) disability was rated by both agencies. Sorry I read your post wrong.

Vike 17

[CSM-H]

Vike17, actually I could see how I wrote that to look that way....Yep in my opinion they rate the ONE issue lower but high enough to put the soldier out....Then the VA will rate that issue higher (usually) and then rate all the rest. Part of the problem is that DoD (IMO) is trying to save money, they don not have the budget to pay for disability retiement at the level it really requires. Where as the VA is set up for this but they hold on to that money pretty tight and make you/us jump through some pretty significant hoops to get it. Thanks for the responses and keeping me engaged. my case is hopefully going to the BVA soon and I'll have a story to write then....CSM-H

CSM-H,

I thought you were implying that VA's ratings were only higher than DoD's because VA rated multiple disabilities compared to DoD only rating one disability. That's the way I read the post and that's why I pointed out that DoD's ratings also seemed lower than VA's when only one (the same) disability was rated by both agencies. Sorry I read your post wrong.

Vike 17