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Spongebob Tampax posted:Anyone else catch wind (see the class action lawsuit commercials) about the VA issuing drugs for 'off-label' reasoning? I'm on blood pressure meds for severe migraines. Don't know if it will work yet. Off label prescriptions are pretty common though and not something exclusive to the VA.
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Dec 23, 2011 03:50
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I suppose the bigger concern is with these nerve meds, though I haven't read that deeply into it. Depakote was one that was specifically mentioned. I'll do some more research but right now I'm not terribly concerned with it. I'm switching doctors anyhow. My last appointment was supposed to be a phone appointment and the loving PCP didn't call at all, not even the traditional week late. Got an old family friend that works for the VA some 6 hours away, where my family has a lake house, so I'll just set my physical appointments to see him around my mini-vacations to the lake. Besides, he's the only one who recognized and mentioned the sclerosis in my MRIs. That's what really has me worried, that no one else is mentioning it, since it's in my lower back and that's where all of my problems are. Goddamn VA.
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Dec 23, 2011 05:13
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Spongebob Tampax posted:... and now depakote for nerve pain (it's really for seizures), and a goddamn anti-depressant, amitryptiline, for nerve pain also (though I'm not so goddamn depressed anymore. Huh. They put me on Depakote for anxiety. Wikipedia says it's for manic stages of bipolar disorder. As for amitryptiline, the TBI clinic at Benning had me on that for headache prophylaxis. Now I understand they're leading yoga classes at Walter Reed. Is it just me, or does everyone have too many prescription pads and no goddamned common sense?
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Dec 24, 2011 01:26
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I've got Wellbutrin for PTSD/anxiety, prazosin for nightmares and trazadone for sleep, plus some naproxen for migraines. Was tired of blacking out and doing questionable stuff on Ambien and Celexa made me empty and hate life. I've actually discovered acupuncture and yoga, along with some breathing/meditating works wonders. The Vet Center is a really good point of contact for that kinda stuff.
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Dec 24, 2011 06:41
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I have a physical therapy appointment on January 2nd, going to ask about yoga. Met a hippy at a party my wifes' friends were throwing, talked about it for an hour (and weed/Ron Paul for the rest). Still, yoga sounds like it could be helpful. I just started venturing off without my cane the past few weeks, still getting used to walking on a half numb leg and foot, though it's been 5 months. I'm a fatass now so I'll have to take it slow, but if they'll foot the bill for it, I'm down. Also, just waiting on one piece of paper before I change doctors. My doctors here in Memphis have been a shade better than useless, but my step-fathers' old high school buddy (that he's still close with) is a VA doc now and looking to help me out. It may be a 6 hour drive to see him once or twice a year, but gently caress it, anything's better than waiting on phone appointments that never materialize.
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Dec 25, 2011 05:34
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Roving Reporter posted:I've got Wellbutrin for PTSD/anxiety, prazosin for nightmares and trazadone for sleep Drug budz When I first tried prazosin for my night terrors/sleep paralysis/waking hallucinations, everything actually got worse. I was too terrified to take it for a long time. I didn't want my girlfriend to see me as the poster child for PTSD, freaking out in the middle of the night. After I started therapy(without any drugs), the night terrors increased for a little while, then tapered off as I went to sessions 1/week for a few months. Now I can take prazosin at night without guaranteed night terrors, but I guess there's not much reason to anymore. I'm in cognitive behavioral therapy for PTSD fyi. I take trazadone as needed these days, but melatonin often works just as well for me now. I want to find something else for anxiety. Welbutrin(I get the generic kind) just makes me feel like a zombie now so I avoid it. My girlfriend is a therapist and she recently taught me some breathing exercises that work well. I have to make a point to want to calm down though. I keep meaning to try out yoga, since the stretches I do for my back are basically yoga moves. Isaac Asimov fucked around with this message at 10:14 on Dec 25, 2011 |
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Dec 25, 2011 10:00
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50 Foot Ant posted:
I had a $14000 backpay check because my old unit pressured me into working up until my last few days, so I never got a physical, didn't apply for anything until a year later. That was nice to see after being a homeless wanderer for a year. I had a bad experience with a RN at the Denton, TX VA clinic. She didn't mind pretending to be a psychiatrist for months before I found out that she was just a nurse that could legally prescribe drugs. She was also a bitch and hardly ever took anything I said at face value, really made me feel like I was at fault for "something". When I told her about feeling like a zombie after taking welbutrin or how I felt like my night terrors were more real than my waking moments, she told me I wasn't taking enough welbutrin and that its up to me to take the right dosage. I'm not sure what to call it, but she would make the facial expression equivalent of rolling her eyes at whatever new thing I had learned about like dissociative memory loss, or derealization. What a waste of time. Isaac Asimov fucked around with this message at 10:48 on Dec 25, 2011 |
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Dec 25, 2011 10:31
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Dantu posted:
My point, does a $50 cash gift as a Christmas present count as "income", which would cause a deduction in his pension? He's convinced it does, and he gets upset when people give him cash. What if he returns the cash, and we just buy him stuff instead? Does that count too?
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Dec 25, 2011 18:16
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It's loving cash, don't report it. Any small amount can be considered a gift and should be treated as such. The money has already been taxed through someone elses' income before they received it and gave it to him. Seriously, that's like lesson #1 of taxes. Unless it's huge sums of cash you can't avoid a paper trail on (bank deposits), don't report it. Especially when it's something as trivial as $50, cause that's cigarette/beer/coffee/weed money. Isaac Asimov posted:I had a bad experience with a RN at the Denton, TX VA clinic. There are lovely nurses everywhere. If you were closer to Lubbock I could probably give my aunt a buzz, she's a script writing nurse but actually cares about her patients. Knows what she's doing and who to send you to for what. If you wind up out there just hunt down a post of mine and let me know, I'll see if she can help. Don't be afraid to change docs or clinics. Call your health care case manager (OEF/OIF/OND team at the hospital) and pester the poo poo out of them about changing clinics/docs. You will find someone useful eventually, there are good docs in the system.
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Dec 26, 2011 07:43
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Spongebob Tampax posted:It's loving cash, don't report it. But if he wants to get technical, if he returned the money for a non-monetary tangible gift, it looks like it would also reduce his pension because it would increase his net worth. So I think he's pretty well screwed as far as Christmas is concerned.
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Dec 26, 2011 19:40
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So... Can someone tell me about Section 1151 claims? I'm rated 60% for sleep apnea and TMJ, and I had an oral surgery (bone graft to prepare for dental implant) at the Seattle VA last June. I posted a thread about it which just scrolled off into archives. Anyhow, I came out with part of my lip and chin having numbness and reduced sensitivity, and it's still painful to the touch. Will the VA rate me for the neuropathic pain I suffer as a result of surgery there? What do I do? I went to the Seattle regional office and filled out a claim form, but I'm not sure what happens next or what else I should do. Help?
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Dec 26, 2011 22:05
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You have to wait a long, long time before it actually hits the system, and then wait a long long time for whoever to start processing it. And then you will wait a long long time trying to appeal their denial.
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Dec 30, 2011 02:29
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Dorstein, you're in for an uphill battle with that. Best I can tell you is this: Get a good doctor, I mean a drat good one who will organize your paperwork like a CV for the board. Half of the problem is sending in a medical packet either not summarized accurately on a synopsis page on top or with at least an outline as to what complaints/records need to be reviewed. If they just submit your packet with your entire stack of records and no directive references it'll get kicked back. Your doctor is the one to go through this poo poo and assist you in determining what to claim, so don't settle on a lazy doctor who can only see you after a 45 day wait. It's pretty much between them and any representation you choose, like VFW, DAV, American Legion, etc. Make sure you do enlist the help of a rep. DAV is free, VFW I think requires membership (not terribly expense and hey, cheap beer). Get representation and let them do the hard poo poo. This is the most important thing you can do, and I believe DAV is the highest recommended.
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Dec 30, 2011 05:24
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So I just got a call from the VA office I filed my quick-start claim from almost 2 years ago and they just told me they lost my actual claim paper work (again) and need me to fax a copy of the one they gave me. Now I'm almost 100% positive they didn't even give me a copy of my claim paperwork, although they still have my med records and I'm in the computer system. I've kept every thing from TAPS onward in a filing cabinet. So if I can't conjure this poo poo out of ether what the hell is going to happen to my already overdue claim?
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Jan 3, 2012 20:15
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You are so hosed dude. The VA has always been a nightmarish maze of bureaucracy, but now its like a atrocious, convoluted mess of angry workers and desperate vets; the best thing you can do is talk to a veterans service org. Otherwise, you're gonna be re-filing a claim on a system that's so filled with backlogged claims from the WW1 to now. Pretty much the millions of veterans that served in OEF and OIF, mixed in with all the millions of vets that served before that. I filed a claim in December 2010 and I still haven't seen a doctor, seen any progress done on my claim, or even gotten them to tell me what the hold up is. Good luck man, you're really, really gonna need it. I have had a Congressional Inquiry, have tried to get my claim expedited due to serious medical conditions, had many social workers try and help, 2 VSO's try and help, and no-one can tell me how far along or where my claim is. Good luck dude 
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Jan 5, 2012 02:43
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edit: never mind, completely irrelevant
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Jan 5, 2012 06:45
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My story, I was Army but had ear surgery by an Air Force surgeon before getting out. He performed the surgery and I left service a week later. The surgery eventually failed and now I can barely hear out of that ear. This all happened over 20 years ago. Will the VA do anything for me now... hearing aid, new surgery?
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Jan 8, 2012 11:06
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t_bright posted:I filed a claim in December 2010 and I still haven't seen a doctor, seen any progress done on my claim, or even gotten them to tell me what the hold up is. Good luck man, you're really, really gonna need it. Have you tried the DVA? I walked into the DVA office at the Montgomery regional office, explained my situation (needed a C&P exam reschedule), and got a call three days ago with appointments out the rear end. Total time = roughly 40 days, which as you probably know by now is like an hour if you use the same clocks as the VA.
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Jan 12, 2012 22:53
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tacotuesday posted:Have you tried the DVA? I walked into the DVA office at the Montgomery regional office, explained my situation (needed a C&P exam reschedule), and got a call three days ago with appointments out the rear end. Total time = roughly 40 days, which as you probably know by now is like an hour if you use the same clocks as the VA.
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Jan 13, 2012 00:17
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t_bright posted:yea they told me they couldn't do anything. I'm pretty sure the VA is just testing to see how long it will take before I break. I mean. It's been 13 months since I filed. And my claim is still on the first phase. Well apparently they sent my claim in finally because I just got a call from the people physically handling my Quick-Start process and I'm basically getting treated like a king with them hand delivering it everywhere and getting a call every time it changes hands. Only downside is I have to drive 50 loving miles to tampa to get another medical examination. Again. If you haven't called them do so. They actually cancelled my claim initially because where I turned my paperwork in they didn't bother to actually send it out. I called literally every 2 weeks for 6 months before I got this far. Hopefully my rating doesn't take too long. Bolow fucked around with this message at 20:53 on Jan 15, 2012 |
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Jan 15, 2012 20:47
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t_bright posted:yea they told me they couldn't do anything. I'm pretty sure the VA is just testing to see how long it will take before I break. I mean. It's been 13 months since I filed. And my claim is still on the first phase. Sorry, I meant the DAV. (IEDs cause dyslexia.) If you saw them, I'm genuinely surprised they turned you away; while waiting to see them, I got into a conversation with a fella who mentioned that the DAV was helping him get something like 25 years of back pay. I'd find it a little hard to believe they couldn't lean on the VA for some C&P appointments or to get the claims teams' asses in gear. Speed Handle posted:Well apparently they sent my claim in finally because I just got a call from the people physically handling my Quick-Start process and I'm basically getting treated like a king with them hand delivering it everywhere and getting a call every time it changes hands. Only downside is I have to drive 50 loving miles to tampa to get another medical examination. Again. Travel pay, my friend. Travel pay.
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Jan 16, 2012 00:25
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Speed Handle posted:Well apparently they sent my claim in finally because I just got a call from the people physically handling my Quick-Start process and I'm basically getting treated like a king with them hand delivering it everywhere and getting a call every time it changes hands. Only downside is I have to drive 50 loving miles to tampa to get another medical examination. Again. Make sure you're getting travel reimbursement from the Veteran's Service Center.
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Jan 16, 2012 18:26
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Showed up for a routine QTC physical and they handed me a check for $21. Pretty awesome.
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Jan 19, 2012 17:53
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Did they give you that for travel reimbursement? Every time I go to my VA they tell me to hit the travel office for mileage reimbursement but I live a whole 15 miles from the hospital so it seems pointless. It was even more pointless when I still lived in Murfreesboro, TN and was maybe 4 miles from the hospital.
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Jan 19, 2012 23:20
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Today I found out the VA can reimburse me for making me miss work. Whether I will actually get a check, see a doctor, or receive treatment is a different story all together. I really really hate my regional office. But the nearest one is about 4 hours away. It's been 9 months since my surgery and I still haven't gotten through. Good luck to the rest of you.
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Jan 19, 2012 23:24
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Spongebob Tampax posted:Did they give you that for travel reimbursement? Every time I go to my VA they tell me to hit the travel office for mileage reimbursement but I live a whole 15 miles from the hospital so it seems pointless. It was even more pointless when I still lived in Murfreesboro, TN and was maybe 4 miles from the hospital. Yeah, it was for travel. I never ask because I live maybe 25 miles from the VA hospital. But the check was just waiting for me at QTC without asking.
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Jan 20, 2012 01:45
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I only live 10 miles from the L.B. VA but I get at least, over $60 a month for travel. Now it is direct deposited and I only have to fill out the form for the dates I want. That is silly since they have a computerized list of when I was there but they are getting there slowly. I went in yesterday for some help with my disability claim appeal and none of the VSO's would help. They said that they will not get involved in something I started on my own. I am going to go the path solo! Today I have an appointment for possible ECT treatment. This will be interesting.
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Jan 27, 2012 15:25
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Spongebob Tampax posted:I suppose the bigger concern is with these nerve meds, though I haven't read that deeply into it. Depakote was one that was specifically mentioned. I'll do some more research but right now I'm not terribly concerned with it. I know I am responding to an old post here but as a veteran of many different mental health drugs, I have learned that the drugs are initially tested for a specific disorder. They maybe effective for many other disorders and maybe mixed together with other meds for different effects. Gabapentin is used for nerve pain, sleep problems, anxiety, it is known as a drug looking for a disorder. Abilify is an anti-psychotic that helps depression. As far as I know, all SSRI's help with different forms of anxiety and some sexual problems. They are labeled based on what they were originally tested for.
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Jan 27, 2012 15:31
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Wooty posted:
DAV 4 lyfe brah I guess I don't really have any quantifiable results from them yet, since my case is still processing; but the lady handling my stuff is on point. She knew a ton more than the clowns at the VA hospital, cited actual cases about precedent, and had actual references to VA policy. The two guys at the VA hospital couldn't agree on what VA policy was.
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Jan 28, 2012 01:02
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rockamiclikeavandal posted:DAV 4 lyfe brah He just said the VSOs turned him away. DAV is a VSO.
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Jan 28, 2012 01:42
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Yeah, you're right. I was thinking of the position title. I thought it was "veteran service officer" or something, which doesn't exist apparently. The folks at the hospital said that they were also certified to act as a VSO. So basically, I messed up my acronyms. Disregard my previous nonsense.
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Jan 28, 2012 01:59
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I am appealing for a higher % so I did the first part myself, no real problems. It was suggested to me that the fact that you are competently handling your issue can be used against you for mental health. I went into the VA and 3 VSO's said their agency would not take me on because I was in the middle. The guy did help me understand something in the paperwork. I think I have enough Dr. stuff on my side I just need to make sure they understand how bad my depression is. For mental health you have to display symptoms to the QTC Dr. and I didn't do enough. When I did the QTC, I tried to be friendly and polite when I should have gone the other way. I have seen the list of symptoms that each % level represents, I should be at least 50% if not higher.
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Jan 28, 2012 02:02
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I'm really confused about what just happened. After about a year of confusion and therapy, the American Legion helped me submit a claim for PTSD a few months ago. I got the decision letter today. Not only did it exclude any records from the Vet Center (where I received my treatment and included a release of information form), they rated me "Service connection for psychosis..." What the gently caress is psychosis and why didn't they assign me a percentage? I've never seen or heard of this before. My buddies just got ratings for "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" and I thought they assign a percentage based on the diagnosis, implying service connection.
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Jan 28, 2012 05:49
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FooGoo posted:I'm really confused about what just happened. Did you have multiple conditions? Was this a preliminary letter? Physical conditions that are noted in your military history are pretty easy for them to at least acknowledge, mental health is tougher. For me I have a thyroid condition. It is in my Army medical notes and I am on meds for it with the VA, that was easy. When you get a rating (at least this is how mine went) you get a letter and in the letter, there is a table that shows the disorder and the % you get. Then there is an attachment saying how they made the decision. It is mostly a summary of the QTC reviewers notes. I maybe completely wrong here but from what I can tell, the VA does NOT look into your VA medical records. You make a claim that something happened to you in the military that made you ill (or that you became ill), you then tie that event to a current condition. It is up to you to tie it all together. (PTSD does not have to have 1 specific event) What I did was make claims about my situation. I told them when and where I was first diagnosed in the Army and then listed all the treatments I have had. I then had my psychologist write a letter about how hosed up I am. You can get your VA medical records and pull out some stuff there to and submit it but I really don't think they make much effort to look into your medical records, you need to do that. The QTC then helps them decide how severe your disorder is. The VA has a set of criteria for each disorder and this is what they use to determine your %. You have to have certain set symptoms of a certain level, to reach a certain % Maybe someone else can add more or correct me. Edit to add: You can get service connected and get 0% I think they used to do that to Viet Nam vets who had personality disorders. Wooty fucked around with this message at 08:44 on Jan 28, 2012 |
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Jan 28, 2012 08:41
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FooGoo posted:I'm really confused about what just happened. Look at it again. What it sounds like is that they service connected "psychosis" for treatment purposes. Under a statute (38 U.S.C. 1702) VA can service connect a "psychosis or other mental disorder" solely for treatment purposes for veterans who served in a wartime period if a pyschosis or mental disorder is diagnosed within 2 years of discharge. From the sound of it, if they did not assign a percentage, they likely denied service connection for your PTSD for compensation purposes. The rating should provide the reasons as to why they did so. My guess would be that the examiner said you did not meet the full diagnostic criteria for PTSD and diagnosed something else instead. If that diagnosis is related to your military service, then you should be able to get that service connected. Look over what they gave you and go talk with your American Legion rep to either get it reconsidered or start an appeal.
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Jan 29, 2012 01:46
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Wooty posted:
VA has a duty to assist veterans in developing their claims for benefits. This consists of providing the veteran notice of the evidentiary standards required to grant the benefit sought, pursuing all pertinent federal records, making reasonable efforts to pursue identified privately held records, and scheduling an examination if one is deemed necessary. But you have to meet VA half way and the ultimate duty of providing evidence lies with the veteran. If VA doesn't know about it, they can't request it. This means responding to letters. When you receive a letter saying "what we need from you" it's not for information purposes, it's because VA is telling you the evidence you need to submit to prove your claim. If you say "I was seen by Dr. joe at South Towne Snake Oil and Chiropracty", you need to submit a signed release form (VA Form 21-4142)so VA can request those records on your behalf. Due to confidentiality issues, Vet Centers also require a release form before VA can request the information. Also because they are federally held records, they do look into your VA treatment records. One word of advice though, be organized. Claims files can be thousands of pages long and treatment records can comprise hundreds of pages of literally the same information with a single pertinent sentence hiddden among a book of text. Anything you can do to make it glaringly obvious that you're entitled to a benefit will make it that much easier to have a favorable outcome.
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Jan 29, 2012 02:00
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cult_hero posted:VA has a duty to assist veterans in developing their claims for benefits. This consists of providing the veteran notice of the evidentiary standards required to grant the benefit sought, pursuing all pertinent federal records, making reasonable efforts to pursue identified privately held records, and scheduling an examination if one is deemed necessary. But you have to meet VA half way and the ultimate duty of providing evidence lies with the veteran. If VA doesn't know about it, they can't request it. The VA will not automatically go in and look at his VA medical records
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Jan 29, 2012 03:57
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Thanks for the responses. When I was submitting my claim, both the Vet Center psychologist and psychiatrist said they will submit a letter supporting my claim, but the VA had to request it (via a consent to release my records, which I included). Although I looked again and my letter says "VA Healthcare System" and I'm wondering if the Vet Center is lumped into that... I may have screwed myself on this one. I initially submitted a claim for PTSD based on the advice of the DAV three years ago. I had just returned and was stubborn and hardheaded (even moreso than I am now) so knowing that I was manly and superman, I basically told the QTC examiner "Nope, nothing wrong, I'm great" and received an expected 0% rating for PTSD. Over the course of two years or so, I started settling in an recognising what PTSD symptoms were and how I wasn't quite right and that's when I began treatment. When I explained all this to the American Legion advocate a few months ago, he had me submit the claim along with a descriptive letter in hopes of reopening the claim. I didn't get another QTC appointment, and now I have this service connection for psychosis. Do I have any option now other than an appeal? I've also attempted to appeal a denied claim for my back, which I've heard absolutely nothing from the VA about. Thanks. EDIT: I just checked my eBenefits (which is a surprisingly good resource) and it appears that this letter was an "Administrative Review" and that my Claim for Compensation is still under review. However, it also shows that my original claim was to "Reopen PTSD, Reopen thoracolumber (back issue)" and I've gotten no notice or anything regarding my back pain claim. Sorry for this fragmented story of my life, having to deal with two VA entities and three advocates have gotten me really confused. FooGoo fucked around with this message at 06:59 on Jan 29, 2012 |
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Jan 29, 2012 06:49
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All I can tell you is my experiences. I also volunteer doing group meetings for vets with mental health issues, mostly PTSD and then the co-occuring disorders. I know a lot of Viet Nam vets who have gotten high percentage ratings so I know how they do it. I have found (and was told by VA PTSD staff) that getting OIF/OEF vets to participate in their own healthcare difficult, especially for their mental health issues. Get help if you need it, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Learning what your disorder is and what the treatments are is very important. You can ask for your VA medical records and pull out that letter that the psychiatrist put in there and send it as a separate attachment. Also pull out any thing that supports you and send it as an attachment. The letter you got may be an agreement that you have a mental issue but your own QTC evaluation showed you are not disabled. I wonder if you can make a new claim and just complain of "anxiety disorders" or whatever symptoms you have. Look at the symptoms of PTSD that you have, make a claim for those and never say PTSD. I had my psychologist write a letter and hand it to me so I sent it in via VonApp and mail. I also sent her evaluation for my Voc Rehab counselor and what she wrote to the disability counselor at the college. If you are struggling with PTSD, get into the system. At the hospital I volunteer at, (Long Beach, CA) they have an entire department and staff just for PTSD. They have tons of meetings, anger management, group therapy, and specialized one on one therapy. I don't know what your situation or medical center is like. I will say that when I talk to the Viet Nam vets, they are greatly concerned about the newer vets and express a great desire to see them participate. I suppose it is tough to go in there with "grandpa" but they are nice guys and have a lot of life experience (long after the war) and they can help.
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Jan 29, 2012 07:35
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Wooty posted:All I can tell you is my experiences. Thanks for the input. I typically go to West LA, so I'll hit you up in the future (if you don't mind) for more info.
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Jan 31, 2012 07:15
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