Spinal Injury..new post..

[Carpool]

Old posts, but it's been resurrected now.  hahaha

I do not support harming another Veteran.  However, I also do not support those who lie to get ratings.

When I was injured, my parents listened to a older friend who was 100%.  He kept telling them I was getting a big check from the VA when in reality I was only awarded two 10% ratings, carried over from the Medical Board.  That carry-over mistake prevented me from applying for TDIU and started the decade-long fight.  I knew my spinal injury was not a 100% injury, but it sure wasn't a 10% either.  Finally about 8 years into the VA appeal process, I had it with all the crap from people around me who assumed I was getting all this money from the VA.  People only saw me on good days, because on bad days I couldn't move, much less get out and visit.  My parents were stunned when I told them that what I get from the VA is deducted from my retirement.  But that's not really any of their business anyway.  That their friend's check (rating) was more likely based on him having cancer, not cause he sprained an ankle and arm in a chopper landing and had a few other minor old-age things.  They really got the point when I mentioned that he worked in construction for 30 years AFTER that landing, so his ankle and arm must have been ok.  My aunt was one of the worst, saying how a in-law niece gets this and that and there's nothing wrong with the niece, not so much as a stubbed toe.  I couldn't say that her thing may have been sexual trauma.....that's her story to tell or not.  I just felt bad that she has to listen to all the jabs and maybe doesn't want everyone to know her situation.

My point is that everyone's story is different.  And how that story affects us may be different.  You don't know til you live with the person and see them on goods days and bad.

I'm crippled with a spinal injury, walk with a cane, facing a wheelchair due to nerve damage, have about 14 other injuries from on duty, in the MTRs (not football games or MC accidents) and am still fighting for FAIR ratings after 10 years.  Spinal injury should be a 40-60%.  Some are a FAIR 20%, 10%, or even 0%, but should be SC'd.  How do I know this?  The VASRD.  It is very easy to understand where you rate.  Work is out unless I can employ myself and work at my pace and limitations, but it will never amount to making a living.  Shoot, even SSA job vocational specialist could not place me in a position and immediately approved SSDI.  I just keep trying to get the VA to recognize that for consideration.

But that doesn't mean I need to turn in the guys who twirling a cane like Fred Astaire walking through the VA parking lot then hobbling when he nears the door, asking for a wheel chair.  I feel sorry for them, lacking the conscious to be honest and honorable.

Just remember that we have a common interest that those who didn't serve can't understand.  Yes, that includes the majority of the VA employees..... who think they understand.  hahaha  again

[broncovet]

Welcome to hadit:

New users often ask a question in someone else's post....that almost never works out well.  

First, very few people will even "find" their question, especially buried in a 2018 someone else's post.  So, they will get few, if any, answers, and get discouraged and leave.  

So, for new users who ask a question in others posts, moderators sometimes explain this, and, I just moved it so you could get answers.  

Most of the experienced members know NOT to post your question in someone elses' posts.  

Beyond not getting answers Vets need, its very confusing to have 2 or more people asking questions in the same thread, because its hard to tell sometimes which question you are answering.  Thus, we seperate them into new topics, and more people get to see it, you get better answers, and less confusion about which question is being answered.    

You are correct, I usually warn them and ask them to start a new post.  However, I did not do that this time, I just moved it and probably did not provide a good explanation, earlier, as to why I did this.  

We volunteers have "x" number of hours, per day or per week to answer questions.  So, my goal is to help as many Vets as possible..with the limited time I have.  

Hundreds of Vets have been helped by hadit, and around 4000 people over the years have "liked" my advice.  

But not every one does.  I apologize if I offended you, it was not my intent.  

[broncovet]

I have transferred your post to a new post..this way more people will see it and you can get some answers, hopefully.   I will give it a try, and maybe others will chime in.  

To get a spinal cord injury service connected, you will need 3 things:

1.  Current diagnosis of spinal cord injury. 

2.  In service event which you think led to the injury.

3.  A nexus, or doctor's opinion that you (spinal cord injury diagnosis) is at least as likely as not due to (an event in your military service).  

     Unfortunately, VA doctors dont like to always provide a nexus statement.  

     My advice, is to review your records and see if such a nexus statement, as well as the other 2 Caluza elements are there.  (they could well be, VA employees often dont read all of our file).  

      Next, if the Caluza elements are there, you should file a NOD disputing the regional office denial.  Hopefully that denial was within a year.  If not, you will likely have to file a SCL (Supplemental claim).  

     If/when denied, you need to persist and keep appealing until you win.  Persistence and patience wins when most else fails.  

     As far as "what others think" about your injuries/disabilities, remember a disabled person is not required to wear a tshirt or tatto that says, "Im 100 percent disabled by the VA".  

      Instead, you choose whether or not to disclose your disabilities to people you meet.  Mostly, I dont disclose "unless" there is a compelling reason.  One reason:  

Im not sure I want the whole world to know how much I earn and what I do for a living printed on my tshirt.  If you are ok with that, fine, but I would like to keep my income pretty much private.  Many people agree, and, quite often, would be offended if you asked, "How much do you make?"  

       If they did ask me that question, I would probably respond.  "Ok, you go first.  Tell me how much you make, how much is in your bank account, your 401k, along with your social security numbers, and account numbers along with usernames and passwords."  

      "Oh..you say you dont want to be first?  Well, thanks, I dont want to be first, either. "  ...now there is your answer as far as "how much Im disabled", what percent, and what for, since when.  

      Its not required you answer every question which is asked of you.  Sometimes, I answer their question with a question..."Why would you want to know that?"  

Edited January 30, 2023 by broncovet

[Rattler]

I am with you on "good days, and bad days." No one sees the bad days. Not even the one you are married to. I just spent two days in bed because I overdid it.  Tbird the founder is the same way.

I just went through one of those people who think they know it all. I have know this one for twenty years +.  Her son went in around 911 and has over 20 years now. She couldn't cut the apron strings. When he went to Iraq she left her husband and went and arraigned through the local Army Depo to go to Kuwait so some how she could be near him in case something happened. She gave me the same dumb lecture on how so many of us un-deserving vets are conning the government out of money. broncovet said it right no one knows what you went through. (Or me)

I personally take offence when someone wants to rant and rave about who deserves what. If the VA would have given me my educational benefits in 1981 when I went to flight school it would have been much different. instead it took them 43 years to change it around. I am still fighting them for back pay.

The reason why you are not getting a response is you are not coming hear and asking for help. You are using this site to vent you anger at others in an inappropriate  way that violates the site policy.  There are plenty of other places to do that Facebook, Twitter, etc. not hear as you are doing.

The way to do it hear is like this.

"I need help up grading my ratting for my back that is 10%. I all so have been ratted for my right knee at 20% and my left hand at 10%.

I received my 10% Back ratting in 2010 when I was Medical boarded out of the service

The VA ratted me at 20% right knee arthritis and 10% for my left hand in 2012.

You may be ask to post a redacted copy of your decisions letter with your personal information redacted. (blacked out with a sharpie)

Community Guidelines

 https://community.hadit.com/guidelines/

 

 

[Tbird]

@Rattler767is correct. If you have a question posted it, if you want to vent head over to Facebook or somewhere else that is more suited for it.

[Carpool]

Tbird,  thanks for jumping my behind and sending me somewhere else to fit in.  Beautiful.

Man, you guys really misjudged this and missed the context.  Broncovet moved my post from being a comment on a previous post(Broncovet's first statement) to establishing it as a new post.  I can see where someone would question a stand-alone post like that as it seems out of place.  Why not just ask how to help or 'what's going on'?  I would have answered and it would have cleared things up VERY QUICKLY.  When I came on this site, a comment to this post (

) was at the top of the list.  Someone had added to it, resurrecting the original post.  I read it and added my take, hoping to help others understand that things are not as they seem most times.

When I added to it, I even mentioned that it had been resurrected (it's from 2018).  I just went back and re-read the thread.  Only a handful of comments were visible when I initially read it and commented, most of the comments were about addiction and not so much about judging by outward appearances.    I wasn't venting, ranting, or anything of the sort, just pointing out that:

1. I wouldn't harm another Veteran in any way,

2. Misjudgements and misperceptions by those around us are harmful.  I've been the subject of misperceptions the whole time since injury(read benefits, entitlements, and injuries).  I see a parents friend misrepresent his benefits to make it seem like he gets a big check for minor injuries when he really has cancer.  I see a cousin in-law a few times removed suffer misjudgements and can't say much because it might inadvertently betray her situation and privacy,

3.  It's easy to figure out what rating a person should have by using the VARSD.  That not every injury is or should be a 100%er,

4. There are Veterans that game the system and I feel sorry that they do that,

5. A person can't know the Veteran's whole situation unless they are part of it, and

6. Just remember that we are Veterans together, bound by something you have to experience to understand.

I responded to this because I care.  If that's not understandable, just delete the whole thread.  My post was never intended as a stand-alone post anyway.

I don't need help with my claim.  Shrekthetank1 and Broncovet answered my question in my very first post about the order of documents generated by the VA.

Edited February 1, 2023 by Carpool
added info

[Tbird]

@CarpoolI stand corrected, thank you for the clarification.