VA Disability Rating

How To Get A Higher VA Disability Rating

VA Disability Rating

Whether fighting for a higher disability rating or filing your disability claim with Dept. of Veterans Affairs, this article has insider tips that win.

How To Manage Your VA Claim For Disability Compensation

Filing disability claims with the Dept of Veterans Affairs is tricky, confusing, and sometimes seems like a lost cause.

Getting documentation together for one disability claim can be a full-time job.

Try filing two, three or four disability claims at the same time. It can be a mess to get your VA compensation and take years to sort out. But, in the long run, winning my VA disability claim after many years was incredibly rewarding.

I’ll start by explaining what I did and why it was wrong.

Yes, I have screwed up my own disability claims a time or two. And, you can learn from my own mistakes and those of others.

This is yet another case of ‘do what I say, not what I did.’ It is important to not repeat the following because it will cause a lengthy appeal process – and there is nothing worse than a 10-year appeals process.

It’s like waiting for your IRS tax refund, except it’s more money and, like Rip Van Winkle, I look a whole lot older.

The Don’t Be Dumb Rule

I hand wrote my initial application for disability compensation without reviewing my Service Medical Records (SMR). My claim led with the statement: “see supporting medical documentation in my file.”

It did not explain or quote what I was referencing. I did not cite the page number, date, or doctor’s name on the record.

That was dumb, and it cost me thousands of dollars and many years.

Don’t be dumb.

At the time, I had a ‘they owe it to me’ attitude simply because I was a veteran.

I assumed the examiner would simply read through my entire file and look for that one needle in a haystack to help me win thousands in benefits.

I had no concept or understanding as to how much time the doctor could spend on my claim.

Woops. And, you know what they say about assumptions.

Imagine someone sending you a handwritten, 300-page manuscript (doctor’s scribbles plus my own) and allowed you 4 hours to read it.

Then, they ask you a ton of questions that are legally binding. That is what I implicitly asked the VA examiner to do in 2002 when processing my disability claim.

In reality, the VA disability claims process is very complex and time consuming for the veteran, any advocate, and the Dept of Veterans Affairs.

Do not expect the VA to connect the dots. It must be your job. Since you stand to benefit substantially from doing the hard work yourself, it makes sense that you should want to dig in.

If you do choose to take the assignment, you’ll be older and fatter still fighting the good fight, like me.

Start with your Service Medical Records (SMRs)

Get started. For disabled veterans with copies of their SMRs, you should get moving by reviewing what is contained in the records.

Any disability condition diagnosed within one year of separation could be considered service connected, even if it was undiagnosed in service, so long as you still suffer from the condition, disease, or disability, now.

For those without their records, request a copy of your SMR’s from your local Veterans Affairs regional office. Mail in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Click here to find a sample FOIA letter.

Once you have the chance to review the documents, you can begin your own research.

Research Everything

Research every disability or condition you have within your medical records (about the possible presumptive conditions that show up within one year – bring these up too). To do this, identify the key terms and find them in 38 CFR Part 4: Schedule of Ratings.

For example, let’s say you have Sinusitis.

Within your records, you can document 5 different occasions that you went to the doctor for the condition (like allergies, congestion, nasal drip, etc). Go to the CFR and find Sinusitis.

A quick way to do this is to click [Control + F] and type in Sinusitis on the web page for 38 CFR Part 4. This should lead you right to the rating criteria.

Notice for the condition, the requirements “either or” tendency.

You either have periods of incapacitation or you have “non-incapacitating” episodes.

Take a look at your present condition and previous symptoms in the record. Decide where you currently fall into the rating schedule. Then, you can Google the condition on either regular Google or Google Scholar. Read about Sinusitis and what causes it.

Repeat The Drill

Get educated on each and every condition you are claiming this same way. The framework above is similar to what I did before I became an attorney.

Write up a summary of all the conditions and include dates of treatment while in service and after you separated from the military until the present. Just note that it is not sufficient to simply experience the condition in the military. It must be a current condition or disability.

That does not mean you do not need to seek medical attention for every issue in order to document it. But, note that many VA examiners and adjudicators at the Regional Office level will likely deny the claim without medical evidence. The Board, on the other hand, has been known to grant claims based on lay evidence in certain situations.

For example, incapacitating episodes are considered episodes that require a doctor’s visit. Non-incapacitating episodes are not. You can document those non-incapacitating episodes by using a lay statement under penalty of perjury.

A person can self-medicate certain conditions. But always remember, the condition needs to be currently impacting you in order to count. If it stopped hurting two years ago, then you will likely not get a rating for it.

Now Enters VA Documentation

Before the doctor’s appointment, be sure to have all your ducks in a row.

I generally bring all documentation relevant to the specific injury or injuries with me along with a summary sheet. Of course, I did not do that at first, which was part of the reason VA denied 90 percent of my claims the first time around.

Like I said at the beginning, avoid dropping your whole file on the person’s lap with the expectation that they will sort through it for you. Try to keep the summary sheet as short as possible — one to five pages —  depending on the number of issues.

Your supporting evidence will be in addition to the summary (doctors’ opinions – civilian, VA, military).

Always try to keep things as short as possible. Include a table of contents of your injuries. Here is a copy of an actual claim letter for the following claims: 1) sinusitis disability, allergic rhinitis disability and sleep apnea disability.

It’s mine, so be gentle.

Disability Claim Evidence

The Nexus Letter

One thing your evidence should have is a Nexus letter from a physician or other qualified clinician (hopefully from a doctor) explaining how the evidence in your file is relevant to the condition you have now.

It will connect the dots between service and now. This can be tricky for new conditions secondary to service-connected conditions, so be sure to research your condition thoroughly.

Use Only Copies, No Original Documents

As an aside, never bring your originals anywhere. Take copies of your files with you in a folder to your VSO meeting. VA uses an all-electronic filing system now, and any originals they have are generally shredded after being scanned into the system.

Lay Evidence

In case you are unaware, lay evidence is a statement from the veteran or buddy letter that supports a claim.

For as long as I’ve been around, Regional Office adjudicators frequently discount or totally disregard lay statements. They claim any lay statement is not “objective” as the basis for not weighing the statements. This is a mistake and not consistent with case law on the subject.

In Jandreau v. Nicholson, 492 F. 3d 1372 (Fed. Cir. 2007), the Court held:

“In a veteran’s claim for benefits, lay evidence can be competent and sufficient to establish a diagnosis of a condition when (1) a layperson is competent to identify the medical condition, [such as a broken leg, but not a form cancer], (2) the layperson is reporting a contemporaneous medical diagnosis, or (3) lay testimony describing symptoms at the time supports a later diagnosis by a medical professional.”

This means the layperson cannot “render medical opinions, including etiology opinions,” but can provide testimony that is an eyewitness account of medical symptoms. Barr v. Nicholson, 21 Vet.App. 303, 307 (2007).

According to Jandreau, “Contrary to the Veterans’ Court, the relevance of lay evidence is not limited to the third situation, but extends to the first two as well.”

This means Regional Office adjudicators are wrong in disregarding personal statements about symptoms that can be observed by a layperson.

On that note, I would question anyone claiming VA Compensation adjudicators are “objective,” too, given that the government takes an unjustified position in 70 percent of veterans denials.

VA adjudicators are simply not following the law.

How to Select your Veteran Service Officer

About the meeting. Be careful to never overwhelm your audience.

The summary will keep your conversation focused. Also, remember to be as friendly as possible. Many VSO’s do not earn a lot and they should be respected for their sacrifices to help us get the benefits we were promised.

VSO Selection. Not all VSO’s are created equal. Keep an open mind and shop around for the one you feel the most confident with handling your case. Some have less training or experience than others. Others have too many cases to directly manage effectively.

The advantage for you will be the fact that you have your case already together. Talk to the VSO about how to further document your claim prior to filing it. If the VSO feels confident that you’re ready to go, go for it.

One thing to consider, a bad VSO can squash your ability to appeal successfully by failing to notice shortfalls in your documentation before an appeal.

The application step does not require a VSO. Go to VA.gov to fill out the most current form or on eBenefits online. The forms seem to change each year, so I will avoid citing the specific form required now since it might change in a few months.

If doing this on your own, remember that there are many ways to skin a cat.

You can be very general about the condition(s) or very specific. I have had success with both. Do not attempt to diagnose the condition yourself.

For the sinus condition, you could merely state “sinus condition” or “problem breathing” along with supporting evidence hopefully sufficient to trigger the agency’s duty to assist with an examination by a VA contracted examiner.

Or, you can be specific and state “sinusitis” if it is in your file or if that is what a doctor told you. Hearsay is allowed.

However, avoid getting cute by trying to diagnose something that is not stated in your SMRs. List the symptoms like back pain with numbness down the legs, for example.

Now, if you believe you have something like sciatica, then listing that after the symptoms may be fine. Again, this depends on your specific situation, comfort level using medical jargon, and whether you have supporting evidence like a doctor’s letter indicating you have the claimed condition.

An informed decision is always the best decision.

Disability Claims And Breathing Problems

Here’s a continuance of my own little story for service connection for the following: Sleep Apnea secondary to Sinusitis and Allergic Rhinitis. I was denied for these conditions right after my separation from service, in 2001.

A little background. I had a sleep study in service conducted by the Fargo VA. The VA had the records of a sleep study and was notified as such.

Yet, during my evaluation, the VA did not request its own files and subsequently denied my condition. I had brief apneas but did not require a machine = 30 percent.

They also denied service connection for the other conditions despite at least 12 instances within my service records requiring treatment. The sinusitis was later confirmed in 2009 via an MRI as were the polyps from allergic rhinitis.

The next year I was given a CPAP machine.

Rubber, meet Road. In 2010, I put the whole claim together with a little documentation help from law school and “The Little Book on Legal Writing.”

To see what I mean, here are the first couple pages of my disability claim. I called the Fargo VA for the actual sleep study from 1998. While on the phone, the FOIA guy at the VA faxed the records to me. I lucked out.

Waiting to the day before the appointment to secure your records is another dumb move worthy of avoiding.

The records verified my apneas. I was also able to find Congressional Reports about the conditions of the dormitories we lived in while at tech school – there were issues of asbestos and leaking sewage along with outdated HVAC systems blowing particles around. I immediately came down with sinusitis and pneumonia after arrival. I included this documentation in case I come down with certain cancers down the road.

I went into the exam armed with the report, my medical records and a typed summary ready for the examiner.

The first appointment was with an Ear Nose and Throat doctor. He said the VA already conceded service connection but he needed to find out how many episodes I have every year. I handed him my documentation.

While he did not read over the documentation in full, he most likely referred to it after the meeting while filling out his exam notes. This is key, especially if the examiner did not take good notes while in the meeting or forgot some key point that you mention.

The summary you hand him may be the difference between a 10 percent rating or 30 percent rating.

My second evaluation was for sleep apnea.

I showed the doctor my current diagnosis along with the former diagnosis while I was in service. She took the time to read over my summary, which explained how the VA missed my earlier diagnosis.

Since I had the old sleep study exam with me, she was able to clearly tell that I had sleep apnea while in service. Because of the way my documentation was set out, she told me on the spot that she was going to tell the VA I had sleep apnea in 1998.

This could result in a decision for retroactive pay if I can prove VA committed a Clear and Unmistakable Error during their 2001 denial.

Release Of Information: VA Claims Investigation

For you.

After you file your claim, VA will hopefully send a letter verifying receipt of your claim to also notify you of the information they need.

This will include release forms they will need you to fill out in order to request files from civilian doctors you have seen. Be sure to read everything very carefully. Sometimes the dates can be wrong or VA might be asking for the wrong information.

In addition, you may have better luck getting documents from doctors than will the VA. When you forward medical release letters to civilian medical providers for their records, be sure to follow up with a phone call to ensure they understand what you are requesting, especially for psychologists.

Leave nothing to chance and never expect the VA will figure out how to contact these people for you. They frequently will not, or, the clinic in question may not provide what the agency requests.

At the examination for conditions like PTSD, VA has disability examination criteria online. Google whatever condition to read about the experience of other veterans after their exams. This can help a lot.

First, it will help you frame your condition in terms that the VA examiner will use in their analysis of your condition.

In addition, write a one or two page summary about your condition.

Click here to view my own sample disability claim.

Use bullet points with brief explanations of each and every treatment for that particular condition. Be careful to not overwhelm your examiner. Ask if the examiner has viewed your C-File before the exam. If not, you may have a claim for a review if the examiner gives you an adverse finding.

If the C-File is not present for the exam, be sure to note the fact. A lack of C-File can bias your exam and be a basis for a new one if you do not get the results you think you deserve.

Lastly, be patient. The whole process can take up to one year or longer.

VA Denials and Lowball Ratings

Here’s a recap of where we’re at with this process.

I’ve written about the disability claim process up through the VA appointment with an evaluator and supplying evidence to the VA about your claim. Now, we will go through what to do when you get your adjudicated claim back with an approval or denial.

You will generally have one of three outcomes: 1) full grant of your claim; 2) a partial grant: for example, they gave you TBI but at 10 percent instead of 40 percent; 3) full denial – do not pass go, do not collect $200. With the paperwork the VA sends you, you’ll never know which of the three you are unless you received a 100 percent rating.

Be In The Know

An important step when fighting for your own benefits is to request a copy of your own C-File. This is very important, and I’ll tell you a brief personal story that shows you why this matters in a second.

Getting your file is the only way to know what the VA examiners found and that they told the VA adjudicator who wrote your decision letter.

RELATED: Freedom of Information Act Letter For Your File

I am a TBI survivor. I also represent brain injury survivors and have exposed one of the biggest TBI scandals in the agency’s history.

RELATED: VA Apologizes For Using Unqualified Doctors To Examine TBI Claims

That scandal was exposed through my own research on my own claim over the course of five years after I ran into major roadblocks trying to service-connect my own claim.

It all started for me when I received a copy of one of my examinations.

At the time, I sought benefits for my TBI residuals.

I saw a VA examiner who confirmed the TBI and its residuals, at least to me during the meeting. VA sent me to get an MRI that confirmed gliosis. A VA psychologist confirmed residuals of TBI.

Good to go, right?

Not so fast. The VA decision letter awarded a 10 percent rating despite positive neuroimaging of gliosis. What gives?

After I received a copy of the examination reports, and after comparing the VA decision against the notes from the examiners, I realized the agency did not adequately weigh the evidence.

What was the impact of the conclusion in the VA decision?

The symptoms not attributed to the TBI residuals was the difference between a 10 percent and 40 percent rating, or $523 per month (Vet + Child). The net effect was VA kept $6,200 each year because of the shake and bake.

Anyone Can Win With The Right Evidence

Beat the machine. As noted above, I requested a copy of my file to read through the full analysis. This is how the lowballed decision came unglued.

At the time, the agency assigned me to a speech pathologist to evaluate me for a different issue. That pathologist took one look at the medical note from the examiner and knew something was fishy. That speech pathologist was a VHA employee.

So, that VHA employee contacted another specialist within the system to review the medical records and create a medical report.

AbraCaDabra

Once all the information was assembled, I walked over to my friendly Veterans Service Officer (VSO) and filed a notice of disagreement. The VSO told me it was the best appeal he had ever seen from a veteran.

The claim went from 10 to 40 percent and included a generous amount of backpay.

I didn’t give up and I didn’t die in the process. Hooray for me and hooray for my daughter.

To look at how I document my claims, check out my Sinusitis disability claim.

You’ve now walked through the process of developing your appeal as a layperson, soup to nuts.

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202 Comments

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  2. Thank you, Ben. Great article, As usual. The Claims process (IS A full-time Job) Too Adding information they aren`t asking for is a Mine Field. DON`T GO IN THERE…At ALL. Everything you put into writing they “Can & Will use against you.
    I added my wife as a Dependent in March 2016, I had to re-Qualify for A&A. (Aid & Attendance) Just to add a dependent.
    Allison Hickey Testified before Congress that they “Sometimes add a Dependent THE SAME DAY THEY GET THE CLAIM” Yeah, Right! You can add that to her Other lies Under Oath.
    Fact is they`ve just started putting my claim together and now, it`s “Pending Review of Claim Decision” In other words, I`ll likely die waiting.
    Good Luck to those of you in line. Be very careful you don`t send them anything OTHER than their requested info.
    God Bless our Country and GOD BLESS ALL of you who have served or are still serving.
    Curt. (Combat Medic 101st Airborne. Camp Eagle. Phu Bai, Vietnam)

  3. Hi,
    I have sleep apnea, filed for it 10 years after I left the service. Didn’t realize what it was. Have buddy statements from a LTC who was deployed with me, and my wife. Served in Desert Storm and Iraqi. Station at Balad during last deployment. First DBQ by VA hospital was 50% likely as not, they then did a ACE exam to deny it. I reconsidered the decision and they did a second ACE exam to deny it. This doctor even stated in his notes that he conferred with the first ACE exam when he made his decision. I’m going to appeal it. I was considering getting a private sleep study DBQ. Any thoughts? I’m in Minnesota and work at the VBA as a VSR.

  4. te:As expected my orthopedic claim was denied.

    The orthopedist who did my surgery did not mention the service connection and the two other orthopedists that I saw simply copied his report.

    When I tried to explain the service connection to the VA C & P orthopedist he cut me off and refused to listen.

    On the other hand, my PTSD claim was rated at 50%.

    Several other claims were denied, including the one for unemployability, which was denied because I am not at a 60% threshold.
    So should I try to get the PTSD claim rerated at 60%, or have the orthopedic or other claims reconsidered?

    Also, should I ask for reconsideration, file an appeal, file a new claim, or are there other options for obtaining the 60% rating needed to reconsider the claim for unemployability?

    Thank You in advance ~

  5. You cօmpleted a few nice points there. I did a search on the isѕue and found most people wilkl consent with your blog.

  6. Is there any advice for mental health disabilities? I have been in a constant flux since leaving the service in 2013. I am currently receiving 30% disability for PTSD and as many other service members who have it as well, I don’t have much in the way of paperwork from the military. I do have the instances of literally trying to do harm to myself and others in my vicinity. I honestly feel stuck as it can get in the way of employment. Please any help and advice is much appreciated!

  7. What do you do wn the VA hides your medical records from you and they feed you a BS line that they cannot copy them, then they do not exist, then they were transferred, i am waiting on that report i do not exist in the VA system after 20 years of thwem screwing me up, the vso told me that this happens all the time because of VA employee monitory gain and benefits.

  8. Mr. Krause;
    I appreciate the information you lay out above, especially the “Don’t be dumb”, advise. I only wish I had received this advise when I was medially retired in 1986, and the DAV representative told me to complete va form 21-526e, and where it states nature of sickness, disease or injury put ” See Health Records”.

    I sure got screwed…. The VA only rated 3 conditions based on the initial Application for Compensation, and denied on condition. Ironically, the condition they denied (Asthma) was the condition for which I was medically boarded out, on a medical retirement. It took me two years to prove service connection for that one issue and it was done using the same medical records they had previous reviewed. In the end the VA called CUE on itself then awarded me a rating.

    After I medically retired from federal civil service, and had some time to kill, I reviewed my records. I filed claims for 6 other conditions that had never been considered for disability by the VA. This was in 2000. I was awarded ratings for 5 of the 6 conditions.

    In 2005, I was informed by my doctors that my Asthma condition was now COPD.. I told the doctor, hey that (COPD) is in my active duty records, I thought asthma and copd were basically the same condition he said no they are not. I went home and reviewed my active duty medical records again and sure enough, at 32 years old as I was forced into retirement, the records states, Asthma with secondary COPD. I filed a claim in 2005 and already rated 60% for Asthma, was awarded a second rating for COPD for 30%. Of course this was a mistake on the Va’s part because a veteran cannot have more than on rating for his lungs. So I appealed for two reasons, first if I was due a second rating for COPD it should be 60% based on the same PFT that was used to rate the asthma. If I was not allowed two separate rating I should be rated based on the condition that is worse and achieve the highest rating possible. ( by this time I was already TDIU) The va combined the ratings into one for 60% asthma w/copd. In 2007 the 60% rating was increased to 100% due to oxygen use.

    In the past years we have heard a lot about TBI. So once again I did some research and reviewed my medical records and learned that the concussion I had in 1974 due to being throw out of a moving Jeep and knocked out for 2.5 to 3 days was actually a TBI. I filed a claim in ( upon review of my records) sept 2016, I received an award of 40% on 2 Jan 2017.

    I am no expert concerning va claims, but it seems to me all the claims I filed that were for new issues that had never been adjudicated in 1986 should have been claimed as CUE since the VA had the medical records and without ever being told in the initial claim which conditions to adjudicated they picked 4 conditions and ignore the other conditions all together. The even ignored the COPD condition again when I filed a NOD for the denial from the first award letter. Ironically, there are 8 separate pages in my active medical records that specifically state Asthma with COPD secondary.

    What say you.. is this a CUE based on the VA duty and failure failure to assist, or can I just claim cue on the initial award and tell them that all awards for 2000 and 2005 and 2017 should have been awarded in 1986 with my initial claim since the va failed to assist and apparently did not review my medical records then.

    long winded I know

    thanks

    Rick b

  9. HELP!!!!
    OUISE ELLIS
    I receive 40 % disability compensation and have been receiving it since I was discharged
    with a medical retirement in 1981. Over the years I have received cola increase’s but that
    doesn’t help. Now I feel I should be entitled to a larger percent of disability becauuse of
    the Illness that I aquired while I was on active duty and how it has caused me more Illness’s
    over the years amd unable tp work. I have been on Social Security since 2011.

    Is there anything you might be able to help me with to receive a higher compensation. Any
    help would be greatly appreciated. I look forward hearing from you.

    Thanks,

    ELOUISE ELLIS

  10. I am service connected for exposure to asbestos. Should I file for an increase as I have been on the CPAP machine for over 2 years. Can the exposure be a cause for my sleep apnea?

  11. Hi to every body, it’s my first pay a visit of this web site; this website includes amazing and actually fine information in favor of readers.

  12. I am a female Veteran of the Air Force. I enlisted in 09/1980 and retired in 3/2001. I had over 8 items on my original claim but only received a 20% rating for a busted up shoulder. I was intimidated and did not know all my rights. I appealed but did not receive a change. I did receive a few 0% rating and are still fighting those items right now. Recently the VA gave in and rated Tinnitus, which wasn’t on my initial request so is as of April 2016 and Bilateral Pes Planus was on original request in 2001. Got 30%. They changed the original 20% for the busted shoulder with limited movement to another shoulder claim that was recent to the 20% and took away the 20% for the original shoulder problem. I am currently at 60% as of April 2016. I had cervical surgery while on active duty that lead to some problems and those problems I believe lead to an eventual hysterectomy in 2010. The VA refuses to rate beyond the original 0% to this date. I am working on my NOD. My question is that I am interested in getting a lawyer to represent me on the NOD items as of the recent decision for the items still at 0% from 2001, and to request backdating to the original claim date of 2001 to the recently rated items. Do you take cases or do you have a qualified lawyer that you know who is able to work with someone in Florida?

    Thank you for any feedback..

  13. I was wondering if you can help me out. I have sacriatic spinal inflammation in my lower back and I received a letter from the VA stating that it was NOT caused by my time in service as an 0311…which is not true because it’s documented at least once in my medicl record and kind of difficult to”document” shit in the field and while deployed. Also my brother was blown up 9 years ago and is just NOW recently receiving 20% disability with a bad back and a metal plate fused inside his wrist from the injury. Should we both apply for another appointment to ask for a higher percentage from the VA or find a trustworthy lawyer to help us out?
    -Josh

    1. Joshua ~ I’m not an expert on VA disability claims, but I would pursue it with doctors and get additional medical documentation before going the legal route.

  14. I have a question regarding va disability benefits that until recently I didn’t even realize was an option for me. I served in the US Army from 94-97. My MOS was 11B – Infantry. My issues actually started in basic training when running in the boots caused me to have shin and knee problems. Upon going to sick call I was told there was inflammation and given “Ranger Candy” which I abused for the next three years to help with the pain. I pushed through it and went on to my duty station. Over the next three years from the wear and tear I developed issues with my feet, ankles,shins, knees and lower back. I went to the doctors several times and there only suggestion was sitting out PT, wearing tennis shoes instead of boots and more pain killers. Those that know the infantry know that sick call and sitting out is not good for one’s existence in the military. It was majorly frowned upon and I was “encouraged” to push through it, which I did until I developed hairline fractures in my legs and though I am not sure it’s documented collapsed arches in my feet. The last time I visited with the doctor he recommended I be put out on medical discharge but told me if I went that route I would lose my GI Bill and College Fund. I was less than a year from getting out and that was the primary reason I joined. I told him that wasn’t an option so he gave the option of going on permanent profile, which limited my work requirements in an attempt to alleviate the issue. Unfortunately that was frowned upon in my unit so I sucked it up. I ended up in Bosnia where I received a medal considered equivalent to a war zone and finished my time in pain and was honorably discharged with a permanent profile for all of the above issues. I had no clue disability was an option until talking to a doctor friend recently. Since being discharged I have had issues with my feet, legs and lower back. I have just dealt with it. I can’t run and standing or walking for an extended period of time causes pain in the exact same places. Regardless, my lower legs stay sore to the touch and feel bruised regardless how little I am on my feet or ice them down. Luckily I did go to college and further and now have a job where I sit behind a desk 60%-70% of the time. I was taught to work hard and not take advantage of the system, which is why I have never even been to the va since discharge. However, as I get older it seems the issues are getting worse. I was a kid when I was in the military but at 40 these issues are much worse. Further, the ringing in my ears I developed from the helicopters etc has gotten much worse to the point my wife swears I am deaf. Do I have cause to make a claim. I think I am entitled but also don’t want to feel like I am taking advantage of the system.

    1. There is no such thing as taking advantage of the system. You went in with good intention and maintained good intention. I suggest you utilize the system in place to have your injuries recognized and compensated. Believe me the VA have no awareness of your need to “not to take advantage of the system.” When you are older than the age you are now it will get worse. Start now. It may take years to get any recognition from the VA anyway. As I get older my injuries have gotten worse and I now recognize they will continue to get worse. I am 54 and consider myself to be fairly positive and a hard worker and honest person. But you have to use the system in place to get what is rightfully available to you and your family.

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  16. I am submitting a FDC for back, neck, and shoulder pain and PTSD. Other than shoulder surgery, I have not been treated for the PTSD. Should I see a doctor for this prior to submitting the claim, or just wait to see if the VA requires an exam? I am in the Philippines and seeing a doctor is not easy.

  17. Ben,

    How did you find the Congressional Reports about the conditions of the dormitories? I have been searching for this and can’t find anything.

    Regards,

    Jason

  18. I got to 100% VA disability due to a well known liar and convicted criminal Scott W. Spencer making false records about me for the Marion, Ohio court in 2001 in order to make himself popular in the National Jaycees group who did not want a veteran diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in their group, so Spencer as a lawyer provided the lies about me suggesting I was dangerous and would kill, etc.

    This raised my disability from 50% to 100% because the VA in Ohio believed the lies about me and refused to help me as a victim of crime due to the clear criminal harassment and blackmail by Scott W. Spencer which many of his victims experienced but he was never prosecuted due to being protected by political peers, up till at 57 years old he was followed into an off limits area of a park and a naked 14 year old girl he was having sex with was waiting. His actions suggest why he harassed me for suggesting I was uncomfortable with sex due to experiences forced on me as a child that he found out about and seemed to suggest made me dangerous, or more likely how he got himself off by causing me PTSD from his dozens of contacts with me harassing me claiming it was his right as a lawyer.

    Perhaps I deserve 100% because agents of the VA itself kept suggesting that I should give up and let myself be a victim of crime, which I secretly audio recorded as allowed under Ohio law since I was a party. I lost my job at Guardian Industries due to the lack of support by the VA for my being a victim of crime and the lies from Spencer being repeated by a coworker who was active with the same political party as Spencer so believed the lies about me, reporting the lies as being truth to managers, then my loosing my job out of claims that I might hurt coworkers like Spencer is recorded claiming about the Jaycees group I had the right to be a member of before the organized efforts to lie about me,.

    Now I think fear is part of the real reason veterans get any support. If not for claiming that I was dangerous based on the lies made by Scott W. Spencer then would I had ever gotten 100% disability?

    Because of my VA diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder my own lawyer emailed me saying he did not verify if I was a victim of crime because I had admitted being nuts. He also said it was wrong to call myself a victim if no one was found guilty. If I had known my lawyer was ineffective and more nuts than myself and lying to me then perhaps it would not be so hard for me to deal with evidence of being a victim of crime and never finding one person with the ability to verify the truth and find support for me. It is too late after the friends of criminals have obstructed justice until the statutes of limitation have run out. Knowing Scott W. Spencer found guilty of sex with his latest, 14 year old victim, who apparently he was trying to blame for his actions, is perhaps the closest to justice I can expect in the dysfunctional legal system of Ohio that puts political peers above the law and blames citizens like me for trying to report crime, claiming that I was slandering Spencer, etc. His history of victims is recorded and well known now.

    My mental health was much better before I was first diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder while I was in the army. Now I suspect it was my having strep throat for over a month during basic training in the army that was the real cause of my bipolar and other symptoms. I should had considered the connection at the start because two in my unit almost died from the strep, one from swelling of the brain and the other throat swelling shut. I was very sick myself and basic training is not a time to rest and recover from a serious illness, so as suggested about other people who were as sick it is possible I ended up with lasting organ and nerve damage from the strep and stress. The bipolar diagnosis only covered up other facts like my body not getting enough of certain vitamins, minerals, etc., suggesting my digestive system was weakened by the strep. It is too easy to diagnose physical health problems as being a mental health problem which drugs could cure. My B12 got very low and no amount of lithium could fix that. I am lucky a nurse suggested to see if my symptoms were B12 related. The VA is better than nothing but a risk of misdiagnosis at the same time.

    Sorry if this sounds like a rant. It is amazing what you can live through and learn. I had always been a super nerd which may explain why I became famous in military intelligence school for better than 99% grades but having trouble staying awake in class because it was too easy. Since I have issues like savant Kim Peek who is claimed to inspired the Rain Man movie, it is amazing that I survived the army for years when it might had disqualified me from service. But being sick with strep in basic training may have made it less obvious that I was not exactly normal. Since I did not lie to get in and my being different was missed it should not matter for disability. With support I had done ok in life until getting sick with strep then later diagnosed with the bipolar disorder claimed mental illness, despite my not being like other people diagnosed with bipolar.

    If I had known how joining the army would change my life I am not certain if I would have done it. But I was young and hopeful which does not seem to be what the army had wanted, that and having a degree of possible developmental disability does not seem to be tolerated in the army even if I was a super nerd and genius at my job. Socially it was hard for me because I related to machines and not people so much.

    All of this is still a problem in the VA because it should had been impossible for someone like me to survive the army. Like savant Kim Peek or the fictional Rain Man movie, I do have skills but also could not survive without some assistance which is a far worse issue as a veteran. My fear is loosing my relatives and ending up in a VA hospital alone and allowed to die from misdiagnosis and neglect. Perhaps it will not happen but I am aware it has happened to others with issues like me.

    One good thing is my army experience gave me the inspiration try liquid metal for antennas as shown on my hamdomain.com website, some online magazines, and finally years later mentioned in several US patents. Guess it is better than claiming to have an idea worth patenting when people are actually getting patents for improvements on my basic idea, what I would like to had been doing for national security if I had found support for my needs in the army.

    1. Can we talk. I have been hunted down for the past couple years and force to get a claim in for PTSD. I haven’t been violent towards any staff at any VA facilities. How ever I fear my name is being smeared in one town and I have no other resources. And yes family members are slowly being turned it seems. I keep to my self for the most part. I have never told on anyone who was abusive to me while in the Army. But this has to stop. Now like you I may to have 100%disability. And I have no clue what this is gonna end up like.

      1. I am not entirely sure what to say because many people in our society do not believe science or medical advice unless it fits their views of the world. A good example is the strongly religious who disagree with science unless the science is being used to convict someone of a crime, etc. That fact is still being used to harm me.

        However I believe PTSD can be prevented from destroying your life, or other people causing you harm because you have PTSD. I have always tried to resist injustice even when it seems I might be killed for resisting. It was hard to follow the clues but I have lived with some PTSD from when I was a child and my father was active trying to legalize Pot because not everyone around drugs just wanted to get high when they could expose themselves to little kids like me and my young 5-6 year old friends.

        The problem with PTSD is few people want to hear it and trying to hide the bad experiences in yourself only makes them time bombs that can hurt you when you may not expect it. Much of the medical advice for surviving PTSD seems true but I discovered in my own case that your brain knows the difference between confronting real fear and faking it in the hope of addressing the PTSD. So unless you have help finding what is most important in what your brain blindsided you to fear or can figure it out on your own, it is hit or miss if you are getting at the major causes of the PTSD.

        In my situation I first experienced issues as a child causing me PTSD which I do not believe involved my father, then my father did have problems which seemed to build on top of the first PTSD issues, then as a teenager I was bullied for being a nerd, got punched out on a school bus by a violent senior who thought I looked at him wrong or something, then my being a nerd resulted in my being attacked in the army, etc, each time adding to what had been before. It all had to be addressed in order for me to learn how to fight back at how fear was controlling me and destroying my life.

        One thing about the army is you cannot run away and/or deal with fears and PTSD like you can as a civilian. If you run away then you face charges of going AWOL, etc., so I think the army was the worst of it simply because they do not offer good ways to deal with it no matter when it was first caused or made worse while in the army. Odd how some people think PTSD must be one event were some of us are cursed with many events which haunt us.

        The worst of it is people claiming I was wrong to get angry or see it as a fight. But that is human nature, we either fight to break the control of our fears or we fail. The PTSD may still remain a problem but it is less of a problem the more we understand it instead of letting it control us or letting other people use it for control. We all have a feel for what goes on in our own heads so what is best medically still needs to be determined from your own situation. Never give up on yourself because other people certainly will or seem to, but how many of them also have PTSD and are hiding it?
        -Mike Lake

  19. Hello,Hey just a question. I had to wait about 2 years just to get my service medical records from 1986-1990 did it take that long because of my AFSC in the ICBM silo field and TS security clearance? Once I did receive a call from my DAV rep J. Hanson informing me that he had like 200-300 pages of medical records, I got an unexpected Fat check in the mail,and a 50% service connected rating. It only took 10-14 months to get all that from the VA,so Thank you VA. The only thing I submitted were my In-service medical records,and I never even saw them. My DAV guy read a few pages of them to me,and It all started rushing back into my memory to the point of tears because I started thinking I just imagined a bunch of crap that happened to me as far as Ionizing radiation exposure and other stuff. I thought I may have made up stories to fill in my memories,but It all came back to me once he(DAV) read a few sentences to me. I even asked him if I could please see my records and make copies for my own peace of mind to help me remember some serious traumatic event that occurred. He said NO PROBLEM come by our office and I could make my own copies or he could have copies made for me.That was over a year ago have heard nothing back from him,the DAV office sent an email saying I need not contact their office in the future.I am waiting on my SMR’s for my claim to be decided by the FDC process. I even just stopped going to appt’s and just said F it, because without those records the explanation every single time i have to tell the story sounds like a Don Shipley phony Navy Seal story. It makes me feel like a piece of shit when i see the Dr’s expression one neurologist told me I was a damn junkie,as he could see the needle tracks on my arms. The VA has since apologised for his remarks as my needle tracks were razor wire puncture wounds. I will not tell this whole freaking story to anyone at the RENO VA ever again,until i have my SMR’s in front of me. Can you or any one out there give me any advice on getting those FN SMR’s into my possession? I am getting worn out kinda old at 50 yrs, cannot get my commercial driver license or DOT medical card ever again because I pass out all the time for no apparent reason. Honestly I am thinking of just checking out robin williams style as i’m tired of living. Best wishes to all you VET’s and families and VA workers this holiday season. See ya on the other side. Peece

    1. Don’t let them bastards win Clifford! You will if you do a Robin Williams style check out. Fight them bastards tooth and nail and they will finally give in. I’m in the same boat as you in getting anything done but think of it like this, the squeaky wheel will get some grease eventually.

      1. Yes, don’t give up. My friend was sprayed with rocket fuel and developed cancer. Thee person sitting next to him when this happened also developed cancer and was granted benefits and he was denied. WTF? Long story short he had to fight to get compensated and he finally did before he died.

    2. I am not sure if any real logic exists between evidence and results as I discovered and posted in a comment above, However it is clear like Doug said that continuing to seek attention seems to be more important than actual evidence.

      My unit basically got me out of the army by lying that I had a personality disorder instead of seeking a discharge for my bipolar disorder diagnosis being a serious problem when I thought I was going to Iraq. Since I had a file of the evidence used for the alleged personality disorder, it was enough to show I was truthful about the bipolar disorder diagnosis and consequences for me resulting in some bad things being done to me during the effort to get me out of the army.

      It is possible I might had done better after the army if not for making me feel like a criminal because I had been given the medical diagnosis of bipolar disorder which the medical system was not sharing with my unit until after much confusion and problems for me. If the armed forces could reduce the problems which result in disability then why does it seem they are not trying? It all comes from the federal budget so healthier veterans should make it easier to fund the armed forces,

  20. pdbr recently denied my application to get disability changed to higher rating. when i got out army was awarded 10% and seperated with severnece. can i get my current disability rating from va increased?

    1. I received a medical discharge from the service but did not receive no form of pention ,until after I filed a claim why didn’t I received upon my discharge?

  21. Greetings, I am a Veteran of the US Army and am currently at a disibility rating of 50%. I have numerous issues that aroused during my 14.5 year tenure serving “This Country”. Over a 12 year period since being separated from the “Service”, I’m tired of fighting with “VA”, it’s a losing battle! I, as many of you have posted here and would love to recoupe from “VA” what I am truly entitled. I have received many denials of recoupment and most often say, “Our Country” don’t give a rats butt about those who served and continue to suffer unless; you, the Veteran are an amputee and, “WE” have the “Media” to thank for that stab in the back! No pun to “Our American Heros” who are amputees, I’m simply stating my opinion. I’m 47 and suffer everyday, year-round from one or the other illnesses that I suffered from serving this “Country” and hate the fact that it goes OVERLOOKED or placed at the bottom of the “Bucket List” with VA for resolution and or compensation! This however, is a great post from its “Editor” and, I would love to see more and receive correspondence from its editor! Thanks and God Bless!

    1. If any of your illnesses may be a consequence of your already service connected issues then it is my understanding that you should get more disability for the reason, However when I tried making the claim that my bipolar disorder was responsible for 7 years while VA doctors missed evidence that I had a spinal cord tumor, they missed what I was claiming and suggested I was blaming the doctors who removed the tumor. So I am nut sure that logic is part of the process for VA compensation.

  22. That was great , i love some of these replies !!! i was depressed and now im laughing my ass off , ha ha ha , thanks you great aliyou , and you to lol

  23. I applied for Individual Unemployment and was denied. I was told it was because I take online classes and have custody of my kids. I have PTSD, issues with both knees, back issues, migraines and sleep issues, all which have been rated. Due to these issues, I am not able to maintain a job. Does anyone have any suggestions on what they would do if in my shoes?

  24. I just recently received Individual unemployability……i am living in the philippines now….. i got out of the army in 89, and was rated at 20% and i got vocational rehab and finished my degree as a high school science teacher, which was so stressful, i could not handle it…..but now after years of depression, not sleeping well, and not getting along with bosses, i am now receiving the IU.My . I took the medical school admissions test for the philippine medical schools and got accepted in one, that is schedule to start this coming Monday…..can i lose my IU by going to medical school, and paying for it myself??? i dont want to lose it, but at the same time, i always dreamed of being a doctor….
    thanks for your time
    David

  25. The first time i saw Rambo i cried at the end.Because i had the same symptoms i though i was crazy and wanted to go to a insane asylum. Reluctantly in went to the VA for the first time i was diagnosed with PTSD.Asking for helps not keeping it inside isolated away from family dont do it.But also i couldn’t go to my officers when i needed help when i was active.Imagen cutting your face with a nail clipper going to a officer to stich you up.Calls you a dumbass takes 3 picture and tells you hes going to put it on hes fb.

  26. The Regional office in Winston Salem just moved my claim off of ebenefits and from the 18008271000 call center they just put it out of the system now what in the world are they doing with my claim somebody must answer to the file play thats going on with the Veteran Affairs Winston Salem North Carolina Regional Office 2/32 armor outlaws we go first the ROCK germany charlie company drill private

  27. I’m Linda Wilson from usa. My husband left me for no reason on 13th of June 2010. He moved in with another woman, I felt like killing myself and I’ve tried so many spell casters but all to no avail.You can reach him on hisemail:[email protected] My life was very bitter and sorrowful. Then one day, a friend of mine told me about this spell caster called Great Aliyu who helped her on her own situation when her husband left her. But at first i didn’t believe it because i’ve tested so many of them and it didn’t work. she begged me further so I decided to try this spell caster called Great Aliyu. I contacted him and i told him my problems and gave him all the necessary information he required. He just laughed and told me never to worry that my husband will call me back in less than 6 days and i believed with faith, and after he has finished casting the spell my husband called me and started begging. He apologized and came back to me crying for a second chance. Today i and my husband live happily like never before. I can really say that this spell caster is powerful because of his work my husband is home again. I’m now a very happy woman and ever since he has shown me love like never before. Thank you Great Aliyu I will forever be grateful to you. You can reach him on his email: [email protected] he will solve any problem you are facing now. Just contact him and see his work. once again thank you Great Aliyu.

    1. Wtf! Really! This a Forum for Veterans like my self who appreciate any Help we can get. Not for Nut jobs like you.SpellCasters my ass. No wonder he left u. Crazy B*tch. He is an even bigger idiot for going back to you.

      1. you do not sound like a nice person at all..have you ever been so desperate you would be willing to try most anything to survive..i am a marine Vietnam vet with a lot of problems allso you never know what may work unless you try..you heartless bastard.

      2. Maybe we should all get together and contact this Great Aliyu and have him put a common sense spell on the VA. It would be nice to wake up and find that after a week all the back log was cleared up at VA and all the legitimate claims were processed.
        Maybe for a little extra he could fix the VA hospital system, also,

  28. Question. My husband will receive his benefits next month, his x wife (divorced11 yrs) just told me she got a letter stating he was getting 55 for their son, does she get that? That’s all I know as she wouldn’t read the letter to us. Thanks for your input

    1. Yes, but she is not getting the money. The money is suppose to go to the dependent child. It is the extra paid by the veteran because he claimed with child.

  29. Much of what is written is very dated. The article for this thread was written at the beginning of 2011, about 3.5 years ago. Now there are different ways to submit claims, and online is one of them. The VA is adversarial let there be no doubt about it. If you file a claim use a VSO (veterans service officer). but if you are just hustling money and are healthy, too bad you did not step on that mine back in AFG — don’t steal from others who actually have disabilities. Stay TF away from VA benefits if you’re a grifter. Far far away.

    1. Im a disabled veteran. Served 15 years in Navy before medical discharge for various issues. I am rated 90% by VA. I have a disability placard and lisence plate. People almost make me cry because I am only 34 and they judge me for my disability parking as outside I almost appear healthy and normal. But inside the pain is so bad I have wished for death some days. On strongest oxycodone 10/325 with 30 mg of morphine twice daily.

      If you sir saw me walk you would assume I am howdid you put it ” hustling the system” when in fact inside life is hell.

      Who gave you the right to judge others like me and what credentials do you have for those comments? What are you thinking those of you who argue that we veterans are abusing a system, which is actually abusing us.

      Do not argue, just research the facts before you assume. It is what you cant see that makes the difference in why you think you are right and how I know you are wrong.

      This abuse of system claims made wildly and without facts is as sad as the dirty looks I get every other day for using a parking space my neurologist told me I needed to use. How very sad for you I feel.

  30. The only thing proved is a handful of young vets are lazy and will do what it takes to get free money. Sinusitis? Are you fkn kidding me? Apnea? Sleep issues? Goddamn you kids are pussys. Grow some nuts and take charge of your life. Just because you were in the rear with the gear and got a paper cut doesn’t entitle you to free money. Try working.

    1. For an idiot like you to say people are lazy want you go to some of the PTSD classes and see what real vets are dealing with are ask spouses whom loved ones committed suicide cause it is at an all time high. Want you go eat shit and sell your bullshit elsewhere

    2. Hey, shitstain, you got a medical background? Yeah, didn’t think so. Sleep apnea, aside from being potentially lethal can cause persistent fatigue, brain damage, and a multitude of other issues secondary to sleep deprivation. Sinusitis is sinus inflammation, it’s not simply a mild or moderate cold. Moreover, it’s a condition he suffers because the government couldn’t be fucking bothered to give him proper living quarters. Stop with the fucking bootstrapping bullshit. No one gives a shit what you have to say.

  31. Great advice!! I have a compensation board to connect my 50% rating of my signs and symptoms of my back injury, tailbone (know arthritis from recent x-ray) and constant headaches, ear problems, dizziness and was seeing a counseling and she said PTSD and MST combined. I will go against them on April 23 2014 at 1:30pm in Milwaukee WI.
    I have wrote the connection of how the symptoms are part of the PTSD but there have been more since I started talking about past. I avoided because I was working on getting my licensed counselor and I was afraid of having a stigma on my record but over time realized I am not ashamed to talk about my diagnosis.

    I also connected when I employed my symptoms increase.. I want to continue to work but the job opportunities are very limited.

    Thanks for the Article.

    Lynn Geiser
    Green Bay WI
    920-471-2119

  32. The navy is very good at covering up safety violations but in my case my medical record has abestos exposure stamped right on the cover of it in about 2″ letters. I had the VA do a lung xray when I first started using the VA Medical Care for all my health needs and they say there is no asbestosis.

    1. Lung abnormally found on an X-Ray! Way too late for treatment. Either high resolution computed tomography or low-dose computed tomography. Reference: It Took My Breath Away [author A. Robbins] pages 108/109. Also check out: Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization.

  33. Over 50% of Veterans Benefits Administration employees are veterans. Should they be fired too?

    1. Yes, if they are derelict in their duty. Being a vet doesn’t automatically make you a good person or we wouldn’t have military prisons.

  34. left shoulder surgery 30%,left hand 40% secundary of left shoulder,ptsd 70% and iu to100%. can i apply forSMC for loss of use of left shoulder and lefr hand

  35. I am at 50% diablity with Irr. Bowel, knees, degenative disc disease in my neck and sciatic nerve in my hips. I still work full time. No way can I survive off $800.00 a month. I want to try to get an increase because my sciatic in my hips have gotten so much worse but been told as long as I am working that going more then 50% would be very hard to get and there is a chance they’ll reduce what I am getting now. Any suggestions or advice please?

  36. When you joined the military, did you think you might be hurt or killed??? Sleep apnea? are you serious? get off your lazy a**, start taking responsibility for your life, we all go through some kind of biological changes that have nothing to do with military service. Many of you are trying to get money for illnesses that millions of people suffer with everyday. You are lazy, looking for daddy taxpayer to support you. Poor babies.

      1. I am in complete disgust after reading your posts! People like you give the Veterans Administration a bad reputation. You are a true hustler and a pimp. Why don’t you pull up your dress and man up! Maybe an AA meeting would help clear your beer- fogged mind and give you something to be grateful for. If you can bitch and complain and go through the drama
        of getting online to teach other people how to hustle the VA system, than you clearly are not disabled. Hustlers like you are the reason why bedridden service-connected
        veterans like me, have to wait years to get our claims through the system. That backlog in the system creates a life-threatening situation for those of us waiting for an approval, which then would give us some financial assistance to hire a full-time home health aide that we so desperately need. I would bet money that you are a deadbeat dad with gambling problem in addition to your alcohol addiction… Hey maybe you can swindle some disability
        from the VA for your alcoholism, you lazy disgrace to our country!

      2. spoken like a true politician…….obviously you have never dealt with the VA..ive been battling them since 1989..for a service connected injury..they give me a disability rating and then take it away…not everyone is looking for a handout…everyone of my health issues is connected to my service to this country.unless you are caught up in the system you cannot know what its like..people like you exist because of the people who are dealing with the VA….the Veterans…

    1. You sir, are obviously a misinformed intellectual and/or academic wannabe, have no idea what the hell you are taking about, and obviously need to experience some time in hell, something my brothers and I are proud to have done for our country. Are all VADC legitimate? Of course not, but neither are all insurance claims. Should the guy who pays his car insurance every month without fail be ridiculed and called a liar because some people file false claims? If not then why should the man who was willing to lay down his life and make the ultimate sacrifice have to endure anything less than unconditional gratitude from anyone, let alone a little two-bit punk like you. People like you disgust me, and are truly the tide the ebbs the foundation of this great nation.

      1. I am 70% 30 mental, back 40, shoulder 20, 10 wrist I was told at last two c $ p by chief ortho I was unemployable twice in year and two months just switched to hunter holmes in Richmond now I am told I do have osteoporosis t score -3 and 34 years old and say move wrong I could break my back and spinal cord already have fractures all this happened in army and was never told any fractures just slight bulging disk and degenerative disk disease what is a diagnosis if they cant find something else I think I got out army in 2007jan and this whole time with back issues severe back going out and just in pain I am on oxycodone 15mg and have done the morphine with lortab and just lortab b4 the morphine since I went to this certain pain meds I have had different attitude my wife says and I can get up out bet in mornings but this new va is writing things in records saying I am saying these things like of course I am dependant on drugs, I take clonazepam which every drug test they give me has come up neg and I promise on my child if I did not take I would be a nervous wreck and I just do not abuse or sell anything I even sent a pill off to manufacturer to be checked to see if is all ingredients I guess. I was told he dr. at Teva where drug comes from make sure she is giving correct urinalysis since I get from my pc out town I wonder if they just write when they look at my chart seeing meds on from va and maybe pulling fast ones since I have been at this va my dr. are all residents this is a learning hospital the person over them in this clinic is crazy and writes drug dependant first day met just from telling her what I take because shots in stomach for osteoporosis and gabapentin and the vitamins calcium, lexapro all this you are dependant on if suddenly stop You know something crazy she wrote when I first visited nurse asked if I mind getting HIV test and said no they did it last va and married 8 years nothing worry about why would she write I told her no and she gave a long talk to me about I am required I think again I do not care this was wrote by dr child resident and these things I am seeing is ludicrous, crazy nuts help give me form what to do besides pt. advocate she likes my dr. so she was no help and rude they make my medicines 1-3 days late I call and on myhealthevet u can read labs and notes and it shows received but will not call back to help you anyone know a good lawyer to get army retirement not va Army I got it raised to 20 where I got out on medical I really need a good lawyer to get my army retirement only 10 more percent they duked a lot of us at ft.hood at time I was injured our medical hold unit waiting on medical discharge papers so if anyone know about a Army Retirement benefit lawyer let me know please need help and how to get those things off record or rewritten that was not said or no reason to be there

      2. John,

        I have the same problems that you do. Back problems and sciatic nerve pain in both legs. I also got 10% from the PEB/MEB and will be going back to the Army thru the physical Disability Review Board – PBDR – look it up and send the forms to them and they will at least review it. Either that or the Board for the Correction of Military Records. Those are basically the two options available. Good luck with all and post on here when you get some movement one way or another.

  37. Some claims are indeed necessary and deserve compensation. But some of you low lifes are clearly trying to scam the taxpayers into paying you for maladies caused by the aging process. Grow up, suck it up and move on.

    1. Jose have you actually lived in the dumps the military keeps troops in? When they actually remove the signs off the doors if there is a door that shows this is a condemned building? That the contractors hired to remodel are wearing full protective gear including respirators and you’re not issued one to live in amongst the mess? Don’t knock a claim if you’re not living it.

    2. I have an idea, this might work for you. I propose that you shut the hell up, and let those of us that have lived and continue to live the nightmare worry about calling-out the unworthy. Trust in me when I say, we know when someone among us does not belong, and we have no problem with giving them the riot act and making every effort to fight them every step of the way (most of love and look for such an opportunity). But we do not need YOUR help. I, and I’m certain most of my brothers, find it unfathomably insulting. Your and idiot, and your ignorance betrays you. I’m 30 years old. I have two knees that can barely take getting me out of the bed in the morning, I have PTSD that has cost me two amazing jobs and a marriage, I have “early onset non-rheumatoid arthritis” in both my hands (not rheumatoid means it was caused by trauma and not disease), I am in constant pain, in fact to a point that would keep most people (so my doctors tell me) unable to function and bed ridden; I however work 40+ hours a week. I live in my own personal hell each and every day, and the one thing that gives me satisfaction is that those whom I sacrificed my body, youth, mind, and “golden-years” for are for the majority, grateful. You obviously are not one them. So do us all a big favor, get the hell off this page, and for the benefit of all mankind and America specifically- please, for the of god, don’t breed.

  38. Brent, I am going through the same thing. I have been in the development stage for 2 1/2 years now. I have only received 2 letters stating that they are still working on my claim. I haven’t even see a doctor. Is it possible to get a rating without being seen? I am manic depressive, surgery on my wrist, which causes pain and limited mobility, and I have inpingment in my right hip, was seen for it the whole 9 years I was in. Is there anything else I can do?

  39. I am service connected at 80%, 70% for ptsd, 10% tbi, and 10% tinnitus. I am currently attending counseling awaiting entry into ptsd program, I have severe anxiety, depression, and other issues relating to ptsd. I was informed that when one re-opens a claim that the VA may increase, maintain, or even reduce disability. I cannot survive on a reduction as my condition renders me unable to work. I am seeking advice about re-opening my current case. I will appreciate any comments

    1. James, you need to file for Individual Unemployability T.D.I.U. and get yourself rated at 100%.

  40. This article mirrors my issues with the VA. You sign up at fresh outta of high school as a hearty, healthy individual and come home completely changed in every way. Then you have to prove what they already have documented

  41. I have the sleep apnea claim but they denied my chronic sinnusitis due to pyramiding. I also have a denied hypertension claim, which can be related to sleep apnea as well. My current issue is the weight gain and I am considering filing a claim for it. Can you advise the direction to take on this?

  42. i JUST WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW LONG IS TOO LONG TO WAIT FOR A TRAVEL BOARD DECISION….MINE WAS 27 NOV 12….HOW LONG DOES IT NORMALLY TAKE TO GET SOME KIND OF HEARING RESPONSE FROM THE LUFGE?

  43. The VA is a joke not only they make you get documents that they already have but also
    question weather or not you serve in Iraq when your DDT14 say that you where in Iraq.
    I am so surprise that they can send you some where and then say we can’t find any orders. The VA is ridiculous and the biggest scam there is . It’s so sad that our soldiers have to go through all of this.
    *A Wife of Soldier

    1. an and will not ever complain about the VA. I was in a routine check up out side the Va but in the same building and one of the workers saw me hobbling through the halls and said come here for a sec. they asked me what was wrong with you I told the my back was had degen. disc disease and then asked if I was ever in the service. I said yes. She filled some papers out for me and said I would be getting a check of $980 a mon. in 2 mon. I have never had any prb. with the VA on getting that compensation or med. treatment.Thank to the VA.

  44. I just want you to know how much I appreciate you taking the time out to build this website to help veterans like me. It’s so confusing trying to navigate the VA waters and your page really enlightened me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

  45. the 100%+ combat disabled vet should get the same salary/benifits as congress the vet did the dieing/bleeding/suffering for life while congress was being treated like royallity the vet paid the price

  46. I been in development stage for two years with no notifications nothing I’m in California Los Angeles. My medical records support my claim. I asked a service officer for help. He said it’s nothing he could do!!!!!

    1. Contact your Congressional Representative and request they submit an inquiry on your behalf.

  47. Yes..out popped $6200 a year, but at 40% they just offset the VA payment from your pension, so you’re right back where you started. What’s the point unless you can get to 50% and receive concurrent payments?
     

    1. the point is steps you will start low yes but the older you get you do rate increases and yes at 60 to 70 you can and will be 100% now try to start at 100% at 60 yrs old you be in the grave first.

      1. Actually not. My wife served in DS1. Last year within a year she was rated 100%. I did the claim. Made sure I had every little piece. VA C&P commented how thorough it was. The 1000 number is a hassle to wait on, but those folks were always helpful and caught a couple of requests messages I missed.

  48. If anyone feels DAV is not doing the job they are not happy with YOU may file a 2122 form. Your claim date will always remain the same as when you first filed. Eight (8) other groups to REP you if you feel the need to jump ship  with your claim.

    1.  @hitthedeckboys THX SO MUCH FOR THE INFO, I’LL PASS THAT ON..HAV BLESSED DAY..

      1. I’m with the “American Legion”. Nothing be great things to say about them, I have gone from two years without so much as a P&C exam, to an approved rating in six months! Now they are advocating that I appeal the decision because they feel it is inadequate! These people are awesome and willing to fight for their warriors!

  49. WHY IS IT WE CANT GO ONLINE AN CHECK OUT THE STATUS OF OUR CLAIMS W/O HAVING TO CALL THE LOCAL REP.. CAN SOMEONE PLZ TELL ME IF THERE IS A PLACE TO DO THAT…EVEN CALLED COMP AN PEN, WOMAN SAID SHE HAD NEVER HEARD OF A WAY OF DOING THAT W/O GOING TTHRU REP..THX FOR ANYONE WHO CAN STEER ME IN THAT DIRECTION..HAVE BLESSED DAY..

    1.  @Buttrfli555
      Spoke to Washington on Monday…He explained ebenefits.va.gov ( premium)is a DOD platform ran by BVA , They use information from BVA, and try to give you updates on your claim using BVA and other inputed information ,Unfortunately the issues with old information is a BUG in the computer code ( programming issues) that has been giving them problems “Updating the system” and they are working now hard to try to corret the issue and catch up everyones cases to now besides prior info… He told me each case is now 10 months so good LUCK everyone and hang in. Im suppose on DECK after 8 years.

    2. you can go to ebenefits. you need to request a code from vro. it will show you what stage your claim is in however, it may not be accurate. i had to call my regional office a few times to get a verification on my status. showed that i was missing evidence and my claim was in the beginning stage when i knew it was waiting final signature. regional rep told me that they were having problems with the site and everything was in order and completed including my claim (which was increased from 30% to 80%). the rep also told me that there were more stages on the site than what va actually uses. this confused me because the site is ran by va. just another smoke screen possibly. on a side not, i did find out what my increase was on the site before i recieved it in the mail. if you check or know that your claim has had the final signature you can click on va home loan certificate of eligibility, found on the right side of website. click on that and follow the directions. mine showed an increase in my monthly benefits, i did the math and figured out i was rated at 80% before va ever told me i was. hopefully yours will show an increase as well. hope this helps and all my best to our comrades in arms

    3. go to Ebenefits.gov sign up and check your status. You can also view Med records and pull Gov Service records,

      1. Problem with ebenifits is if like me you were a spouse after your active time DEERS refuses to acknowledge your active service. I have had one person tell me I just need to fax my divorce papers to PROVE I can use MY NAME and then when I called back to get the number was told that I ONLY show as a dependant that they do not have my active service information. To get my self proven as existing I have to go to the regional office and try to find whoever the secret prove yourself person there is. I just had back surgery (which I STILL 6 months later have not gotten my 100% temp upgrade so I can recover) so drivign 3 hours to try to find out who the secret prove yourself fairy is is a bit difficult to do. To be verified for myhealthyvet I just had to take the signature sheet to the local outpatient clinic Release of information. But DEERS whole ebenifits thing pretty much is useless to get anyone with a straight answer. I was thinking it was just an attack on female service members that were also spouses but in my work as a DOL vet rep I have had a few of my veteran clients also get the “You don’t exist call this DEERs number to be insulted and told your service does not matter” message. If you are not goign to make it avalible to all then don’t make it IMPOSSIBLE to get in touch with the VA by phone if not ALL veterans can have access by eBenifits.

    1.  @hitthedeckboys THX SO MUCH FOR YOUR INFO, I APPRECIATE IT..I WILL PASS THAT ON TO COMP AN PEN,,OUT OF MILWAUKEE,, YOU’VE BEEN VRY HELPFUL..BE BLESSED

    2.  @hitthedeckboys I TRIED THAT LINK AN IT KEPT BRINGING ME TO EBENEFITS.VA.GOV… THEN I HAD TO HAVE  A ( CAC ) A  ” COMMON ACCESS CARD ” ?? WHEN I TRIED TO REGISTER IT KEPT REFERING ME TO THIS CAC..SO NOT SURE WHERE TO GO FROM THERE..SEEMS AS THO IT WANTED ME TO PAY FOR THE ACCT; ?? ANY SUGGESTIONS.?? THX FOR THE HELP

  50. To all VETS remember to try to use the EBENIFITS.COM site to check on your comp and ben cases along with other things…If your name needs to be updated call the Ombudsman listed and also you may check some things by calling the 1-800-827-1000 number…A trick to getting a operator on the 1000 number who will tell you were your case is standing but ONLY call the operator ONCE every six months or your case will get placed on the bottom of others and will take longer…good LUCK everyone and remember BE PATIENCE AND MORE PATIENCE….Cases are going at 16 months to decide…Each case is based on each case and different.

  51. I was living near atlanta, Ga last year an went in to have my service connected disabilities case reevaluated as my back has gotten worse..after standing in line for an hour to get checked in, i did my pprwrk an was seen about half hour to 45 min later… when i told the representative that i waned to reopen my claim for my back he denied me..At that time i stated i thought i was suppose to see medical personnel to be reeval’d, he told me they would be going by his recomendation an i did not bring any criteria in for him to evaluate..!!!  I was pissed… a yr later i moved back to wisc an went in to see my old rep, i explained what had transpired an he explained to me that Atlanta is not following “” Federally mandated guidelines “”  so if you know anyone in this area plz let them kno they are allowed to be seen by medical personnel to be reevaluated not a desk jockey…So thank you for your story on how to file for disability..much luv..Buttrfli555

  52. You know, I think they should fire all the claims people that work for the Veterans Administration and hire all the people that work for the Internal Revenue Service.  Because the IRS has a better record in producing timely claims to people and they do allot more paperwork then our own VA does.  The IRS is more efficient in less time then the VA is.  

  53. the va is a very hard to understand.
    PS JOE theres not one person who gives two S*&TS ABOUT YOUR SO CALLED UNGRATeFUL A&& i promise theres enlisted troops who have done more then your pog a$$ you like to report fraud waste abuse, id like to report how some ncos, officers think they king s&&& when they never did a dang thing in combat but sit around drinking coffee with private females while us real troops are on the fight. dig that mr officer who dont deserve his big pay. and btw more pay dont mean crap most troops are there to fight for country family friends i think people like u with your big ass mouth should be shut up in combat you get my meaning mr officer for ten years guy. and btw im trying to insult you if u were my lt id bust ur ass in da filed..

  54. Derryllee.

    I don’t know all of the specifics of your situation, but I also have duty related cancer. The VA disability rules for cancer state that you are rated at 100% for 6 months after the cessation of any surgery or treatments. After 6 months, you are rated based upon the residual effects of your treatment. In my case, I lost a foot of my colon causing some issues. The residual rating for these issues was 10%. It took VA a total of 18 months after the cessation of chemo to change my rating. That is not a complaint, by the way, I just want to illustrate the difference between what the rules say and what actually happens. When I discussed my situation with others who had gone through cancer treatment, they knew that they were rated 100% for “a while” but they didn’t know exactly how long it was supposed to last according to 38 CFR Book C, Schedule for Disability Ratings. I recommend going to: https://www.benefits.va.gov/warms/bookc.asp. Find the area of the body you are concerned about, “The Respiratory System” in your case, and look for neoplasm to see what it says. Hope this helps and best of luck to you. My cancer is back, so I just filed a Notice of Disagreement to get my rating back.

  55. I’d like to start by saying thanks for your detailed information. And to all you haters out there, lighten up.
    In May of 2009 I underwent surgery for a spot on my left lung which was unresponsive to all tests run previously for cancer. The doctors at the Portland VA hospital removed the upper third of my left lung. Subsequent tests revealed that the mass was cancerous. I filed a claim at Portland VA and was granted service connected disability due to my exposure to asbestos while serving four years in the navy back in the late 60’s.
    I received 100% disability until January 2011. I then received a letter from VA stating that they was going to reduce my disability to 30%. I filed an appeal and as a result was reinstated to 100%. Here it is a year later and once again I received a letter from VA stating that they are once again reducing my disability to 30%.
    What is going on downtown anyway? I have loans I have taken out based on my income and will now have to default on them. Why don’t they state in the beginning, “don’t count on these ratings because we will in all likely hood be reducing them in the future.”
    I need some help if anyone out there can offer some.

    Thankyou,

    Derryllee

    1. you hold on to God unchangeable hand, once you have become a 100%! disable, it should stay@ 100%! simply as that, no bull, there is a computer error, a bug in mankind technology designed systems today, it always has been it always will be, no weapon form against you, shall ever prosper, know that you can still talk and speak, you tell them, you have already been rated for your condition, you have not try to go beyond the very first and final decision. Their is never suppose to be a decrease in your award rating, that should always stay the same, I could see it if you were appealing for an increase of an above-ment! but ur not… what the hell! I rebuke that demon in The Sweet Name Of Jesus Christ! Right now to keep his hands off of all of God Children! You have paid the price of your daily supplication and earned your full entitlement! you certify your congressional, Varo, Vba, The national financial service in your Varo District and tell them, what you are going through over and over again, now if you are at all receive some social sercurity benefits, it has a slight decrease but never military benefit that was granted at a full rating, that ain’t gonna get no higher than that, and your social security benefits want be effected by that much either! There is a serious problem with this picture. Keep others out of your blessing when it comes down to even a copper! someone maybe making falsifying reports on you. May God Blesses You and help your to endurancie forever! social security does medical review periodically and makes adjustment. But once your Disablement rating is approved at this or that, it stays at that and only increases yearly due to the cost of living. I incourage you to fight for your rights, first of all know that nobody wants to see you with something more than they have nor coming in, regardless to your pains and suffering in your daily life! Hold your head up, and take everything to The Lord In Prayer! Your true comforter, provider and leader as well as your healer. Your problem is coming from a someone of envy, All our life are full of surprises, just like the internet, it’s nothing but trouble, the cell phones, its nothing but trouble. Just live your life and know that this too shall pass, its just a storm, you can overcome. never send nothing without certifying something of great importance as this, you have already fault for and received, It’s gonna be alright In The Name Of Jesus, I promise you that! Everybody is not going to lead you in the right direction, ask Jehovan, to grant you with wisdom and knowledge to order your steps, to lead you in your coming and going, you shall prosper, thus said The Lord. Believeth in Him, Trust him and keep the faith

  56. LITCHPAC

    Sir, lighten up…we could do with out all that from you…you haven’t won any war buy yourself and we are all in this together. Just remember everybody didn’t fare as well as you, but we all should have enough respect and character not to criticize anyone that has tried and made whatever out of their military career. I have the utmost respect for anyone that goes to BCT and endure even one day of that experience, you never know who will have to help you out while in combat. I am from Ft Benning and I am ashame of what you or anyone write critical about anyone, that served in the military, if you can’t say anything good, why don’t you keep your comments to yourself? I am sorry for calling you on my carpet but you could use this suggested advice. The greatest hero or soldier that ever lived was Jesus, and they hung him…so until you measure up to that standard, why not get in line with the rest of us and “Hurry up and wait”…I am from Ft Benning so “Follow Me”…”ALL THE WAY”…197TH iNFANTRY BRIGADE….. Respectfully Sir…

  57. I was originally at 100% for TB in 1956 – The VA gradually lowered me to 10% over the years and I was not the wiser due to non disclosure. I am back up to 50%. My VA doctor used my wife’s statements that I had seizures and I lost my edriving license. My wife could not wake me a few times and all due to the illegal medication they gave me. I have been diagnosed with anxiety disorder here in California ansd Spokane, WA. Anyway I have two feet of files. My C&P hearing almost one year ago and was done by a doctor who immediately told me he believed his doctor who sent in the illegal notice to DMV. My wife and I both devasitated and waiting and qwaiting. I have 3 feet of correlated files and all accurate. My credibility is 100%, 760-242-9514 and of course I will not hear from you and this will not go through although I am a positive thinker.

  58. Currently I’m at 10% for astma. However, the medication I’m on makes me eligible for 30%. Which I’ve resubmitted. My astma has gotten worse and doesn’t allow me to exercise like I used to. Now I have high blood pressure and high colesterol. Can these be added. I’m now also border line diabetes. Thank you for your assistance in advance.

    1. yes if one thing causes another thing its a domino affect and can be increased you just have to file and wait

  59. I’m 60yr old vet, I was shot in the leg in vietnam 1970 i recieve 30% and started a new clam back in jan 2011 for my leg again which now effects my hips also agent orange problems, its still pending the DAV said it will take 14 to 16 months to know anything so I will see what happens. good luck to all you vets out there. the people that really helped me on my disability claim in the 70s was the american red cross and today the DAV is representing me they dont push the VA they sit and wait to see what happens after the claim is closed

  60. I’m presently at 40% for knees,20% for osteoarthritis of both knees and 20% for patela femoral syndrome of one and chondro mylasia of other.It has tacken me sinse 1976 to get 40%.I was a medic active duty,an orderly when i got out,and a nurse sinse 1984.In 2006 I tore the cartilage in my right knee and was told I can no longer work as a nurse.I was instantly unemployed.With in 4 months VA started tgreating me for depression(SURPRISE).I filed for service connection of depression due to knee ending my career.VA denied claim,they stated knees and depression not connected!Got SSDI with lawyer(4yrs time ).have appeal for increase in rating of knees and depression connected to knees,have binder & binder law firm ,started claim in 2009.Had 5 yrs of fighting for social security , counting Binder&Binder’s 10 months of help.VA keeps giving psych meds that make me damn near dangerous.Wife afraid of me at times.GOING TO CIVILION SURGEON FOR OUTSIDE EVIDENSE,FOR KNEE INCREASE.Checking on outside psych for same.vets help vets ,VA damn near useless.

  61. @Litchpac.. if you were an officer you where a poor excuse for one with the comments that sputtered out your mouth.You are the reasons we lose wars! Go soldier your own children since you have no more soldiers to belittle with your go army angry little self!

    Sgt.Bethea

  62. My claim was denied because of no medical evidence. I lost my medical records after I separated from the Army. Is there another way I can prove my case?

  63. Hi I just recived partially my VA award they are still working on PTSD, Respitory condition and hearing. the VA granted me 30% for TBI becuase I fell from a Helicopter in Iraq but that is it. I had claimed for Insomia or sleep disorder but was denied becuase their was not enough evidence as well as for back condition, right shoulder, Anxiety and Adjustment Disorder. I understand I am kind of in fault for not going to sick call all that much well better said in my 6 years in the service I went to sick call less then 10 times. But I completly disagree with the VA saying its not service connected. What advice if any can you give me.

    1. i WOULD STILL FILE A CLAIM FOR THE SLEEP DISORDER. I JUST HAD A DC HEARING IN FRONT OF A JUDGE AND ONE OF THE THINGS I MENTIONED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS IS THAT BACK IN MY ARMY TENURE, YOU JUST DIDN’T RIDE SICK CALL…AT ALL…IT WAS SHUNNED UPON BY YOUR PEERS, SO WE DEALT WITH ALOT OF MEDICAL ISSUES FROM THE BARRACKS SO I STILL FILED ALL OF MY CLAIMS AND TRUST ME, IF YOU KEEP PUSHING THE VA, YOU WILL GET SOMETHING…MAKE TAKE TOO LONG, BUT IT WILL COME…OTHER THAN THAT…IF YOU HAVE PRIVATE INSURANCE…GO TO A CIVILAIN AND THEY TYPICALLY WILL WRITE UP WAHTEVER YOU COMPLAINT ABOUT….GOOD LUCK
      SHAUN

  64. I have been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea years after I got out the service in 89. I completed a sleep study here at the VA and was issued a CPAP. What I would like to know is if I can add this to my current disability even though I was not diagnosed while on active duty.

  65. I have a question about secondary condition of sleep apnea. I beleive my apnea is more related to my weight gain, but was wondering if the VA might help with CPAP equipment, since I only have apnea problems when I sleep on my back. I have always slept on my stomach, but in the last couple years, my shoulder injury from service has progressed and my shoulder dislocates and my arm goes numb when I sleep on my stomach. I am currently rated at 20% for the shoulder injury, and am not looking for more money for the apnea, but would like if the VA could help pay for CPap equipment.

    1. @Brian Prelle— I don’t know if things have changed since the inception of Obamacare but the VA will provide the machine at no cost. You must be referred for a sleep study and then obviously test positive. There is an agreement to use the machine and every so often have the smart card read. They offer this because long haul it potentially reduces medical expenses for the VA. Sleep governs all….. If your sleep is bad many other things degrade over time causing more medical expenditures.

      @ the rest of you! It is shameful to pen your hatred for fellow veterans that are simply claiming the benefits promised to them, by the government, for their volunteer service. Focus on putting the blame where it belongs- politicians. They will cut your benefits and I say benefits because you earned them. These are not entitlements! Watch as your elected officials cut from all branches, retirement, and the VA but do not touch food stamps, welfare or any of the 85 other entitlement programs that are true havens of fraud, waste and abuse. Additionaly, entitlement recipients predominantly have done nothing at all to earn there entitlement. Hell they have an easier time getting the various entitlements like cell phones etc. Stand together, support each other, & stop being so bitter. PS. Since it seems to matter to some….I was a warrior at the tip of the spear, however, neither my job or your job has any bearing or relevance to the validity of another vets VA comp & pen claims. Get over it.

  66. Got a quick question.

    I was in the military from 2001-2007. I received an Hon. Discharge. I submitted a claim 6 months ago for scalp acne I started having when I was in the service in 05. Its gotten worse and I have never stopped going to the Dermologist even the one at the VA hospital. Well I just got the claim and I was awarded 10%. I am going to see if they will give me backpay since I have documentation from my time in the service going to the doctors over and over. When I got out I was awarded 0% for this disease I attained. When I checked the evidence portion of my report they sent, they said they looked at my records from May 2008-Nov 2011. I’m thinking what about my time from the military, they didn’t look through those records?

    So my question is about the backpay and also why didn’t they look at my records from my time in service and before I made the claim, I’ve been seeing the dermotologist at the VA since I discharged? Thanks

  67. I have pulmonary fibrosis and COPD. I was on a destroyer (DuPont) during Viet Nam. Just filed a disability claim for asbestos exposure. What are the chances of that being approved. I also have extreme memory loss and I am trying to connect that to the COPD because there is no other explanation.

  68. Joe

    Unfortunately I’ve found this site to troll and plan to stay here as long as I desire.

    If weren’t an enlisted soldier for 10 years I’d take your comments as an insult.

    However since I bettered myself by going to OCS and being ALL I CAN BE I can appreciate both worlds. And YES officers do make more money….why – more education, more responsibility, more butt chewing from the boss, more time at work, etc…..so yes there is a reason officers make more money.

    Since I have ruffled your feathers all I can say is – IF THE SHOE FITS WEAR IT – and I feel it is my duty to prevent fraud/waste and abuse.

    1. You are a real jerk. Get a life and put your “education” to use helping not hurting and antagonizing people who have a whole system against them. I am an Air Force vet with 21 years. I am blessed that I did not experience what some of these folks experienced. Maybe you should consider yourself lucky as well, and butt out. If you have nothing positive to add.

      1. He said it from the beginning that he was just a troll. Had he been properly educated he would realize that a troll is somebody that brings nothing to the table and is only around to cause problems. This self proclaimed mustang is why a lot of enlisted have a problem with officers, I honestly feel bad for the men and women under his command.

        The bottom line, some of us earned the disability we received upon exiting the service. We put our bodies on the line for this country and as a result have live long issues. We were injured on the job, it is not as if we joined to get disability but, we did earn it.

  69. Thanks for the Information, I have worked my claim to 70% on my own but I am still suffering from the effects of my service related condition. I agree, that not all VSO’s are equal and may not have some information that you have.

  70. @ LITCHPAC Go troll somewhere else. Everone knows Officers get a bigger rate then enlisted. That is if you are even an officer, I would be willing to bet your not even military, If you are / were military, your probably one of those that happen to keep getting school options everytime a deployment came up.

  71. Message to Jenny:

    GET A JOB AND THEN YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR CHILDREN AND HAVE A HOME.

    Regardless of what the VA gives you it won’t be enough to support enough income to purchase a home or support 3 children.

    WAKE UP AND HAVE A REALITY CHECK

  72. i have been assigned a case manager from the v a for my compensation and pension what is she going to do? i havent recieved my ratings but they have all the info needed although i havent me my primary care doctor. i am enrolled at the v a and the doctors do know that my case is service connected. how lnog will it take to get ratings and get financial help im really struggling and almost homeless ihave have tbi a cyst on my brain and epilepsy and still have 3 kids to care for and my husband walked out what can i do to get some freakin help?

    1. If you are a vet hun the VA has a help center for homeless and military women in crisis…Ask your VA center…

  73. I am Vietnam vet. 67-68..i was in hospital 24 evc.in long Bien..is it possible to get medical records to show VA. to increase my Benifits for an ongoing condition in my throat..Thanks..Vet….

  74. Is there a way I can get a copy of my Disability rating letter fast? Can I go to the VA office near where I live (Wilshire Department in california) To obtain a copy of it the same day?

    1. Hurry and wait hun…You are not giving complete facts but It will be a no sorry.

  75. Tell the Maj up there to shove it. The burning oil fields of Iraq and an exploding IED left me with 1 working lung and the chemicals and burning oil has given me at least 2 strokes. Don’t you dare tell me what i deserve.

  76. This is to Paul Herrera- and anyone else who does not understand “VA math”. The VA does not add percentages straight- 40 +20 does not equal 60, and here is why: They take the highest single percentage and subtract it from a 100% (a whole person). This leaves a remaining 60% of a whole person. The next highest percentage is taken off of that- so in our example, 20% of the remaining 60% is 12%. This then gets added to the original 40% for 52%, which then gets rounded either up or down to nearest 10%— or 50% combined. Hope this helps.

  77. Most of you are trying to mooch the system. I got 10% for hypertension and didn’t even ask for that. Otherwise I would get 0% from the VA and that would be fine with me. I was raised to work for what you get and not to ask for handouts. I worked VERY hard during my 22 year military career….going from PFC to MAJ.
    Regarding the sleep apnea the military had NOTHING to cause this whatsoever. Either you have it/or you don’t….the military job/duties/sickness/etc has absolutely nothing to do with sleep apnea. Why a person gets disability for that is beyond my comprehension and in my opinion is fraud/waste and abuse as are many of the other things that veterans are compensated for.
    Please let the VA give their money to veterans that deserve it…..soldiers with missing limbs/half their brain gone/severely burned/etc. It was never set up to give compensation for 99% of the things in the VA disibility book.
    Work hard every day and you won’t need any handouts.

    1. Each case is different…You do not know each soldiers/ vets  background and situation.          For you to remark all is fraud is ridiculous. High blood pressure ??? Your rate is high blood pressure??? That is a waiste of our money…

    2. Pompous, self-righteous Mr Litchpac…..I served 1979-1987 and waited 23 years to apply for VA disability benefits….Why did I apply? Because I was hurt while in the Navy and was due compensation…You seem to know it all………

    3. Probably sat in the rear with the gear, I suppose in your eyes with my jacked up back and PTSD I don’t deserve my service dog either? I can’t stand for more than 45 minutes or I collapse can’t bend over can’t sit certain ways or pick up my 6 month son? Yea your right America shouldn’t take care of the ones that took the real burden on our back. Oh yea and if you didn’t want your claim there is an option to turn it down. Better go back and claim your paper cuts………”sir”

    4. Wow, thanks Doctor for your advice on what is compensable with the V.A. and what is not. Oh wait, you’re not a Doctor? No surprise here.

  78. I HAVE BEEN RECEIVING 10% DISABILITY FOR 22 YEARS WITHOUT AN INCREASE. IN OCT OF 2010 I FINALLY PUT IN FOR AN INCREASE, IT HAS BEN A YEAR NOW AND STILL NO DECISION. CAN SOME ONE TELL ME WHAT MY CHANCES ARE FOR AN INCREASE AND WHAT IS THE USUAL AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES TO GET A RULING. ALSO WHAT IS THE 20 YEAR LAW.

    1. You have a awesome chance hun. Bring more evidence of a need for more and you should be okay. As always it can take several times. All cases are behind months because of the over load of men and women returning from OEF, OIF, ECT…It will happen just  s l o w e r.

  79. I WOULD LIKE SOME INFORMATION ABOUT MY SLEEP APNEA AND HOW DO I GO ABOUT PUTTING IN A CLAIM

  80. I may be out of line here but can you please call my husband and help him? When he was in the military while out on stormy seas he fell down a ladder hitting his head and he has suffered every since. He has put in for 100% disability over a year ago. When he put in for this same thing before they denied him. I hoping maybe you can help him more than myself in knowing how to get through to the VA think heads that this occurred and that his migraines, memory loss, also his records show that his T2 levels increased after this fall but they have refused to see that they are service connected before. What do you think his chances are of getting it this time around?

    Thank you Melissia

    1. Patience, Patience … It is a case by case scene… each case is different …It takes 2 to 3 appeals to get through before approved . Also evidence… Any doctor reports report immed to the VA office…  Get a VA special trauma doctor to exam your husband if of importance . It has to show service connected. Each case as stands is taking 16 months….Also you may try to check on your husbands stats on comp and pention on Ebenefits.com and or the 1- 800- 827- 1000 numbers. You must establish a password for Ebenefits by the number on the site. And you may update your case and appeals if needed by calling the ombudsman listed on the site. You will be surprised how much of your information is on Ebenefits and never updated fully though. Good luck and I will say a prayer for your husband.

  81. i need advice on my claim just filed for service connected disability. for severe anxiety disorder Imtermittant explosive disorder,and bipolor II. I have a degree but I have been terminated four times because of anxiety and anger issues as well as inpatient rehab 6 times. I need to do this correctly my family depends on it.

  82. Dear Sir/ Madam, I am awaiting a decision from the rating board. My VA councillor/psychirist who has seen me many times, gave me a GAF score of 43. The VA C&P person who only saw me once at the C&P exam gave me a GAF score of 55. My question is: whose opinion regarding GAF scores does the rating officer customarily give more weight to or do they just average it out? In my case an average would be a GAF of 49. Thank you very much.

  83. Hello All,

    Please read my post and shine some light on a few questions.

    1998
    I am service connected for chronic pain syndrome as the result of a varicose vein stripping at 20%. Additionally, service connected at zero percent of varicose veins that took place where the above mention veins were stripped.

    Also, as a result of the operation I received service connected zero percent right-side prominence penile veins, which hurt at times.

    Today 2011

    I can not take the pain any longer (or the pain meds, just nasty), I should have roughed up the VA years ago, but used my primary care doctor, who was useless.

    This past Friday at the VA, I receive a scan of my leg and was told that the Navy Doctor who did the stripping did it wrong. From what I gathered the Navy Doctor did not address the cross veins, he left dead ends, which balloon with blood causing major pain and swelling.

    Additionally, I was told I have a serious vein problem and require an addtional operation. The Nurse performing the scan said to an intern “wow, no wonder why he’s in pain”. I follow-up with the VA in one week, to discuss an operation. I will get a copy of the information from this exam for my files.

    Questions

    Should I file for an increase before the operation?
    I do not want the VA to do the new operation, the procedure they use is outdated and requires more recovery, is this a problem?
    I am very upset that it was done wrong over ten years ago, is their anything I can do legally other than an increase?

    Thanks, Gents.

    Stay Well, and Bless our young Brothers out their!

  84. Ben, I really need help and have 70% brain damage (possible service connected) and another 10% rating on my right arm/elbow since 1965. I’ve had a lot of trouble with my arm and VA has suppressed all medical evidence they have on record for 6 years now albeit F.O.I.A. have been sent them every year. This is in short.

    Thanking you in advance,

    Paul Woolford
    Philippines

  85. It irritates me that there isn’t an equivalent for PTSD for folk in MI who had to sit there and read dozens of reports every night of atrocities that happened by the enemy. Some people were seriously affected.

  86. After 42 years of military service, I retired in 2008. Served in Viet Nam as well as OEF/OIF. My claim for PTSD was denied because, ” you did not have a plan”. I’m assuming they mean a suicide plan.

  87. I first Fractured my ankle during PT. Then was ordered by the doctor to stay off the ship for 30 days for rehabilitation. But my captain Went against those orders and brought me back to the ship. Then 2 days later I fell down a latter well because I was on crutches and was not supposed to be on a ship. I landed on the fractured ankle And hyper extended my knee And twisted my back extremely bad. Sense then there has been 2 surgeries on my ankle And has not been able to fix it. I have not had time to have surgery on my knee yet. And Im in rehab
    for my back. Because of the constant pain I am unable to sleep at night. Im about to get out of the navy what is my first step i need to take i need all the help i can get. do you think i will get any thing for all this?

    1. Make sure you have all these complaints and/or conditions notated in your medical records. Get a full complete copy of the medical records, including Copies of the X-Rays.
      You can request a “medical discharge” though I can’t remember exactly how to go about it. A medical discharge will give you the opportunity to go before a board which determines and gives you a disability rating for each condition. After your discharge, go straight to the VA or DAV and they’re going to rate you usually higher.
      This is how it worked in my case but that was 40 years ago. I don’t think it will be much different now though.
      Also get written testimony from anyone and everyone who witnessed your accidents, or knows about your medical conditions and how they affect your life on a daily basis. Mentally, physically, emotionally. Nothing is too trivial.
      This is about the best I can do guy. I hope that it helps. Thanks for your service!

      1. I believe that I just replied to a complaint or questions from 5 yrs. ago. Sorry.

  88. To KEVIN ELLIOTT, my DD214 does not reflect my deployment either. All I had was request for orders, but not the actual orders for my awards. When I requested an evaluation for PTSD, I sent the request of orders that I had. The VA used those, along with my counselling, to give me compensation.

  89. I submitted a request for compensation for PTSD……it was denied because a review of my DD214 reveiled that I never deployed anywhere. The trouble is, whoever reviewed it knows nothing about what they are looking at! I have the KLM..SEA Ribbon, and the Kuwait ribbon. Who can I talk to to get this straight??

  90. Finally after ten years of denials and appeals. I!m glad to hear the V.A. is going to acknowledge the fact that I was in a Combat zone. Maybe I should capitalize the C-ombat. The Vietnam Campaign Medal was awarded by the country -Vietnam. These tricky law dogs like to hide behind words,, they told me that since the Communists won Vietnam that it the( V.C.M.) was not considered to be an Honorable citation. How convienient is that.? The good news with that is , the recent pressure from Vietnam Veterans Organizations against Our congress, has made our Honorable Law dogs admit to Hazardous D–Duty!!! The Department of Lawyers is going to start reckognizing The Vietnam Campaign Medal as a CCC-ombat Medal. Also it is going to reckognize the Vietnam Service Medal (issued by our wonderous U.S. Government ) as a legitamate Combat Medal. See,we do have strength in numbers!! I!m open for suggestions,, 24//7. Will volunteer my time for any War Veteran. E-mail [email protected]. Your information will be confidential. John Davis 23d Infantry –Americal Division-Ho Chi Men trail. Republic of Vietnam. Chu Lai.

  91. Filed an appeal over two years ago,have not heard anything.Filed claims for heart disease.ptsd.diabetic nuerothopy,have been waiting almost one yearto hear something.i was told the other claims would go a head of my appeal.what is your take.

  92. i have a question i have a va rating and it got burned in a house fire is there any way i can re get that latter that had my rating on it? thank u

  93. this is for Bev Hi Bev the 280 that you don’t have is due to the Va waiver this in turned devaluated your husbands pension by 280 once the va waiver is gone then the 280 will populate wich should be 2012 when there is an increase
    this is for all retireiess if your primary doctor did not list the conditons or symptoms to your conditons and have your vet rep file them then the claim is no good but lets say you have hyper tension and your claim combacks zero
    then you started to have chest pains and ED and your civilian doctor say this is the result of your hypertension yes you took your meds and increase to dosage has been establish then refile now here this once you get seen by doctors that are contracted out and yes they go by the lowest bidder you have to convice them of these problems then it goes somewhare elese for review
    and they read off the CFR however you can appeal the rating lets say you went from a 10 mg high blood perssure pill which gave me 10 precent rating but if were to go to the max and limited to do phyical actiivity and haveing other issues assiociated with this and file a claim on this and the came back denied or no change in rating of course i would appeal
    me am 60 precent head case 50 hypertension 10 but when I ever go on insuline for diabeates type 2 for now then am going to file a claim for that and if denitedi wll appeal until they get tired seeing my paper work the longer the better the reason being they pay you regardless if you win or loose and you can appeal even further I plan on appealing against the gi bill when they reducice my payment so I can get extra money by the way the va pays its doctors and nurses beyond the moon and they have mega tons I can’t wait for the mass layoffs then the va will have more money for the vets but this what I say do away with the VA they fill there pockets before Yours and congeresss don’t give a SHITE about YOU only them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  94. I recently submitted a comment and about my VA claim. I would like to know if you received it or not so I can resubmit

  95. I recently recieved my reply for an increase for a disability rating, and it stated that I got a 10% increase for my eye vision problem. previously I had a 60% rating for agent orange diabetes and other problems connected problems, I had A 30% FOR DIABETES INSULINE USE, the letter said that I now have a 40% for the diabetes with no explaination for this increase. as I see this situation I should of been awarded a 20% for my claim which would of put me at 80% disability. with this breaf explaination how do you view this situation.

  96. The VA has stated it has lost 90% of my service med records back in 1996. How does the VA get away with denying disability claims when they have lost my med records?

    1. To all  YOU new military members….LISTEN UP to this gentlemen Mike’s problem and learn….This is why YOU always have your own copy of every record and copy of every paper of your military record hun and career. I know it sounds like UGHHH but its importain just incase of this scene. Dont want to carry it around mail it home once a month or six months to a important  family member… Goood luck Mike with your case.

  97. I would like some advise from those who might gone thru what I have. After I retired from the Army in 2000 I was placed on chapter 31 voc-rehap and sent to ITT to study drafting. During the time I was in school I had to support a family and need a surval job. I finally got one as a State Veterans Representive (DVOP). My Voc rehap counslor came to my job and stated ” I guest you found your niche, we are going to stop your training, you have been succucfully rehap”. I was left stunted. I just found out very recently that the reason I was drop from Chaapter 31 was because I was a state veterans rep. which appearently is consisteder a conflict of interest. What recourse do I have, how do I appeal.

  98. Second request 24 April 11

    Amondson Jerry O February 15, 2011 at 5:52 PM
    Ben Krause
    Thank you for this wonderful information on Proven Tips #3: Ace a VA Disability Exam.
    Went back to Proven Tips #2: Evidence, Nexus Letters and VSO’sFebruary 1, 2011
    Your VA Appli­ca­tion for Dis­abil­ity Com­pen­sa­tion: Part 2 of 4

    What was part 1 Some how I must have missed it in previous Veterans Report
    Is Proven tips for higher disability ratings from the VA – Part 1 of 4 ?
    If not what was part 1 of 4?

    Respectfully,
    JO Amondson

  99. I was discharged several yrs ago w/episodes of altered consciousness however, have only had a few episodes since. There is no known cause and I have been advised by many people that I shld still apply for va benefits due to the denial of work. Any thoughts.

  100. This information is very informative. I have 90% and am in the process of doing my paperwork to reopen my claim. All Veteran’s should read this. We have earned it and the Government doesn’t give us anything!

    Good job!

    1. te:As expected my orthopedic claim was denied.

      The orthopedist who did my surgery did not mention the service connection and the two other orthopedists that I saw simply copied his report.

      When I tried to explain the service connection to the VA C & P orthopedist he cut me off and refused to listen.
      On the other hand, my PTSD claim was rated at 50%.

      Several other claims were denied, including the one for unemployability, which was denied because I am not at a 60% threshold.
      So should I try to get the PTSD claim rerated at 60%, or have the orthopedic or other claims reconsidered?

      Also, should I ask for reconsideration, file an appeal, file a new claim, or are there other options for obtaining the 60% rating needed to reconsider the claim for unemployability?

      Thank You in advance ~

  101. My former husband retired from the AF in 1981. We divorced after his retirement. I got a portion of his retirement and he gets a portion of my
    civil service retirement. This year, 2011, my monthly portion of his retirement was decreased by $280.00 monthly due to a VA disability he is receiving; however, he continues to get his full portion of my retirement check. This is unfair to me as my livelihood depends on that $280.00 monthly, yet it has been taken from me. Any suggestions as to what I can do? I have written to Retired Military Pay and sent a FAX; however, they
    have never answered my correspondence. What about me, I was married to
    him 19 years of his 20 years service. He wasn’t disabled then; but now he is
    (30 years later). Something is wrong here.

  102. I had file for ringing , and lost of hearing on both ears. I am a vietnam veteran,been exposed to loud noise. Incoming motor rockets, Gun Firing,Jet Noise Etc. Been help with hearing aid from V.A. Audiologist.
    Was turn down from claim as they say I did not complain or have record while in service. Why do the rating employees in Phoenix,Az. play dummies to find excuse not to compensate a Veteran who lose hearing from a war zone??? Just find out that Diabetes cause damage nerve to inner ear which also effect hearing loss. ” Sensorineural hearing loss ” This is the kind usually found with diabetes. 40% Back Injury,20% Diabetes Total = 50% ?? Pending Heart D. from AO. Past 2 + years waiting!!

  103. I filed for tenatis…above it says 30% I only get 20% when that is combined with everything else..I did 22 years working around and flying in aircraft..WTF? My ears are always ringing….

  104. My husband spent 31 years in the service for his country. When he got sick, he filed for disability. He never received it. We had minor children, still have, that he left behind. I filed for vetrans benifits for us and was denied. He was treated at a non military hospital, all of his medical record were sent. He died of lung cancer, was almost totally death. could not feel his feet and hands at times, before he even got sick. Had night mares about Viet Nam and was a physical and mental mess..I was denied benefits. I sent records for everything I was ask. They said I had to prove he was on the ground in Nam. He spent 3 tours there, flying in and out of jungles, running coast lines, training Nam soilders and received acomadations of all kinds. I have a picture of him in front of a southeast asian school.I have one record where he flew from Guam to the Phillipeans fueling in Viet Nam. They said that was not proof he had feet on ground. Thirty years he gave and denied what was promised him. He told them they were just waiting for him to die so they would not have to pay him, He died on May 30 amd June 1st his case was closed. What can I do? I will take this to my grave also. We are barley getting by on social security and my credit is wrecked, bit they said I made to much money to receive VA benefites. My local va hasn’t helped much, I know she has tried. Several other has tried, but all they say, is there is no records. Someone has them tied up and no one can get into them.

  105. I am a 10% dav with honorable discharge under med. conditions.I’ve been out for 31yrs. and have just retired from the the Post office.I have tried on numerous occations to increase my percentage, but to no avail.It seems the VA was willing to give me a rating out of the service(which I did not even pursue,in fact I told them I did’nt want it!)but they are not willing to follow up on their responsability.Kinda like”thanks for your service son,but we can’t help you any more, sorry, here’s a little doe for your troubles,now get lost” I’m sorry it took me this long to realize that VA will not even recognize your issues unless your 40% or obnoxiously persistant, and I am neither.But my condition is progressively worsening . What can I do, pray tell? Bob S.

  106. Ben Krause
    Thank you for this wonderful information on Proven Tips #3: Ace a VA Disability Exam.
    Went back to Proven Tips #2: Evidence, Nexus Letters and VSO’sFebruary 1, 2011
    Your VA Appli­ca­tion for Dis­abil­ity Com­pen­sa­tion: Part 2 of 4

    What was part 1 Some how I must have missed it in previous Veterans Report
    Is Proven tips for higher disability ratings from the VA – Part 1 of 4 ?
    If not what was part 1 of 4?

    Respectfully,
    JO Amondson

  107. Every Veteran who had a job in the Miliatary, that had a high noise level.
    worked around aircraft, tanks, engine rooms, guns, Etc. need to file a claim for
    service connected disability for hearing loss & if you have ringing in the ears. file for that.
    30% disability rating, free hearing aids & you qualify for all health care.
    Get your foot in the door, then you can work on these other claims. I qualified a Navy yeoman
    for hearing, in boot camp He had to go to the shooting range, & every year He had to go back to the range !!! Gun fire is 140 dicibles.

  108. I wish to thank Sam Riddle for his response to my plight. Not sure if records were kept back in very early 1949 when this occured , but I will mention this to the V.A. rep when I go see them on 2/25/11. I hope there is a record but doubt it as they didn’t know it as being a problem back then. I’ll keep on trying to rectiify my situation until I can’t breathe anymore.

  109. I have been waiting over a year for my claim I just got SSDI I am losing my job WTF is wrong with the va? What is wrong with the NYRO? WHY does it take so long maybe I should check back into the psych ward!!! F*** THE VA!!!

  110. I am trying to get disability from the VA. I left the serive in 1965. I broke my arm and my leg wile in the service in Germany. Now I am 100% diablet with MS and they are telling me I am not able to get disability. What do I need to do?

    1. I would talk with a veteran service officer (google “veteran service officer” plus your state) to work on your claim before the 12-month deadline passes for an appeal after initial denial. You may qualify for a non-service connected disability due to your conditions. The arm and leg issue usually won’t work unless the conditions never healed.

      1. Oh, Ben. I would love to say a lot of things but am afraid of what may happen to us next. 23 years of suffering through this PROCESS now just hurts my feelings. I have been caring for my Vietnam Veteran for 29 years, living at just above poverty level. He has been under constant/consistent VA medical and mental health care for 23 years. Immediately prior he spent 3 years in Vocational Rehabilitation who finally released him due to their inability to help him (he already graduated college with a degree in Psychology. The easiest program in the 70’s).
        We live in rural FL. God bless our present and past VSO’s here. Several years now, our VSO wasn’t available to write anything to anyone for the case because of deployment to Afghanistan or Iraq. She is tough and beautiful. Just not as fluent as you. The RO reps, save one, are of the belief the NAVY didn’t participate in the Vietnam War. All were quite vocal about it, too. What’s a person to do???
        Husband is suffering needlessly because he is carrying around a failed appliance from total hip replacement. Can’t exercise. Mental health meds makes him eat alot. Weight is up. Ortho surgeon listened after no one else did for 7 yrs concerning his level of pain. Um humm. He put him on the way to getting surgery on the failed appliance, told us he needs to have the opposite hip replacement replaced again-he outlived it-and needs 2 or more surgeries on his spine to keep him out of a wheel chair.
        Oh, Ben. I have said so much more than I intended. I hope I do not delete again. To end on a good note, the case has been remanded again!
        Thank you for this treasure trove of info.

  111. Dallas a VARO is Veterans Affairs Regional Office, and VSO is Veterans Service Officer (someone who can help you with you case)

  112. Retired in 75 and am just now trying for disability involving several conditions related to Agent Orange. I hate to sound stupid but the terms VARO and VSO seem important but have no meaning to me. Can anyone translate. I need all the help I can get.

  113. In Sept. 2010 I became unable to work, and have gotten my social security disabilityof which I will start drawing for in March. I have submited my paperwork for aVA pension along with a copy of my DD214 which clearly shows that I had a Med. revue board for back injuries in the Army. Though while I was on active duty my request for medical discharge was denied what do you think my chances will be for my VA compensation.

    1. I think the SSA disability makes your case stronger but may offset the amount of VA disability you can get.

  114. I too was exposed to asbestos after some yeahoo decided to tear all of the lagging off of an obsolete diesel engine exhaust. Needless to say there was big deal made about it in our division in 1989 because the Navy was aware of the dangers of asbestosis. Everyone exposed then had to go through a battery of tests such as breathing through a large hose to determine a baseline for long capacity etc. The navy is very good at covering up safety violations but in my case my medical record has abestos exposure stamped right on the cover of it in about 2″ letters. I had the VA do a lung xray when I first started using the VA Medical Care for all my health needs and they say there is no asbestosis.

    But unfortunatly in your case if there is no record of the incident theres not much to go on, unless you can get a hold of an engineering log or a deck log that may have statements of the incident in it. Theres still Non-Service connected pension thats worth $900.00/Mo for any Vet who cant work. Hope this helps…Sam Riddle

    1. As expected my orthopedic claim was denied.
      The orthopedist who did my surgery did not mention the service connection and the two other orthopedists that I saw simply copied his report.
      When I tried to explain the service connection to the VA C & P orthopedist he cut me off and refused to listen.
      On the other hand, my PTSD claim was rated at 50%.
      Several other claims were denied, including the one for unemployability, which was denied because I am not at a 60% threshold.
      So should I try to get the PTSD claim rerated at 60%, or have the orthopedic or other claims reconsidered?
      Also, should I ask for reconsideration, file an appeal, file a new claim, or are there other options for obtaining the 60% rating needed to reconsider the claim for unemployability?
      Thank You in advance ~

  115. Thanks for the info you provided.I have filed for V.A.disability.Uponreceiving their initial letter I decided it wouldbe to my benefit to write a letter to the Dr’s and deliver the forms along with a copy of their needs highlighted in yellow. I returned all the information within the 30 day period which included copy’sof the hospital record showing a needle biopsy of my left lung indicating I have Asbestosis aka Mesothelial cells with no maglignancy.this was obtained at age 18 on board my first ship when I followed orders to remove the covering(now known as asbestos) and reseat the steam valve. The V. A. is still in tne process of obtaining my medical records which will show nothing other tham my taking APC pills at sick bay.I have researched Asbestosis and it is a slow death sentence,no known cures according to MedlinePlus. What more can I do? I need to get my case jacked up and moving.Any ideas are appreciated.My case# is 20 941 141. I already have Cancer plus many other things an at 80 ,probably little time,

    1. As expected my orthopedic claim was denied.
      The orthopedist who did my surgery did not mention the service connection and the two other orthopedists that I saw simply copied his report.
      When I tried to explain the service connection to the VA C & P orthopedist he cut me off and refused to listen.
      On the other hand, my PTSD claim was rated at 50%.
      Several other claims were denied, including the one for unemployability, which was denied because I am not at a 60% threshold.
      So should I try to get the PTSD claim rerated at 60%, or have the orthopedic or other claims reconsidered?
      Also, should I ask for reconsideration, file an appeal, file a new claim, or are there other options for obtaining the 60% rating needed to reconsider the claim for unemployability?
      Thank You in advance ~

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