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I'm confused. I'm in the Illinois NG, deployed twice in 07 and 11 to Iraq. I've been dealing with a lot of poo poo from PTSD issues related to being a medic in a combat zone. I finally decided to get some help and thought the VA would be the way to go (they've been great to me.) My psychologist recommended that I apply for compensation and get out of the guard completely. My ETS is April 2017. I recently received a 70% disability rating from the VA, and I believe, but am not certain, that my unit doc initiated a MEB for me due to a deployment limiting profile for PTSD. AKO is a broken piece of poo poo, and the MEB section is broken no matter what browser I use. I initially enlisted in 1999, had a two year break in service after my first contract. My questions are: What am I supposed to be doing? I have panic attacks on a near daily basis in the 1-2 weeks leading to my drill weekends. I've been dealing with this for almost 5 years. I can't stand going to drill anymore. I can barely handle leaving my house. I had always heard that a rating over 40% gets you out, but from what I understand that is not the case? Are they going to drag this MEB out for the rest of my enlistment? Do I have to tell them not to pay me for being there? I have more questions than this but I feel like I'm rambling, and I'm sorry if I'm not providing enough info.
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Feb 27, 2016 16:21
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| # ¿ Apr 19, 2024 21:20 |
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I was recently disability retired. I have a 70% rating from the VA, and the DOD. It's all combat related. I've waived my VA pay from my retired pay, and am getting a little extra in retirement each month to make up the difference. Am I eligible for CRSC? How exactly would that benefit me? I'm not sure I understand if I would be getting extra money or not, and of course I'm far away from any support center to speak to an RSO. The retirement paperwork had a number I can call that goes to a voicemail box that is perpetually full.
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Jan 4, 2018 15:48
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Mr. Nice! posted:CRSC means you get 100% of your pension (as taxable income) plus your VA compensation. That seems like great news, but you say taxable income and I was made to believe that I would not be taxed due to my disability percentage? Regardless, I'm happy about extra money, just trying to understand everything I can. I'll have to get an appointment at my state VA office.
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Jan 4, 2018 15:56
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Anybody have experience with National Veterans Legal Services Program? I submitted an application to have them represent me for CRSC but it's not too soon to back out and go a more traditional route like VFW, or DAV.
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Jan 4, 2018 16:48
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Mr. Nice! posted:They're going to probably refer you to a VSO because you're not at the stage yet where you need a lawyer. You can call up and possibly walk in to a local VSO today and get things started. I'm in central Illinois. I thought the NVLSP helped you prepare your case, putting together a strong packet, so you hopefully won't have to appeal later. I guess it won't hurt to at least see what they say, but I've got a pretty decent amount of veteran's organizations nearby to talk to if necessary. So far in my MEB/PEB and VA claims, I've been successful in what seems like a record time from the horror stories I hear about. VA claim took 60 days or so and my MEB/PEB was done in less than 6 months. Hoping my lucky streak continues.
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Jan 4, 2018 17:38
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Thanks, I appreciate your help. I think I'm going to see what my VFW can do for me, since I've already got all my claims paperwork together, and I can probably meet with somebody tomorrow, instead of waiting for who knows what the anonymous online lawyer will need.
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Jan 4, 2018 18:11
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Where do you get your medical records? I got sent a copy of my entire personnel files after I retired, but I don't think that included my medical record. I know the VA has access to them, but I highly doubt they're going to cross check the lot numbers for me, and I'd rather know now whether or not I've been given super AIDS.
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Mar 29, 2018 18:51
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I lived there for two years. Only thing to do is go fishing.
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May 13, 2019 01:32
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How nice of a suit do you need? I don't know where you are, but if you have JC Penney around they will measure and fit you for free, and they have a lot of affordable suits. You'll probably still have to do some tailoring if it's for a nice event or something. I've had some success at Men's Wearhouse too, but it's a bit more pricey. The quality is definitely better and they do in house tailoring for any suit you buy there. They always have sales happening so make sure you check before you go.
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Jun 1, 2019 03:07
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https://suitingwarriors.org/
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Jun 1, 2019 03:30
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Has anybody ever had a reduction in their rating and had a successful appeal? They're proposing to reduce my rating from 70 to 50, and I have 60 days to appeal, because I am definitely not better than I was five years ago. The rating is for PTSD and apparently in my 1 hour C&P session with the psych I didn't mention enough of the criteria to remain at 70%. The doc just asked me vaguely about my condition and I tried my best to explain as much as I could, but now in this explanation letter I'm finding out that I failed to mention some significant criteria because it wasn't at the top of my mind while I was in there. This process is dumb as gently caress and I can't explain 14 years of my feelings and emotional stress in an hour. I've quit two jobs over this since I was medically retired, and I'm currently struggling with my current job. Is it pretty simple to request another exam, and can I just go in there with a bullet point list of all the ways I meet the criteria? I swear to god the VA is trying to make vets commit suicide.
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Jul 15, 2021 23:32
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I just left a message for DAV. Thank you. Is there any way for me to see the report this doc sent in? He wasn't even a VA doc, just some doctor contracted through logistics health inc. I'd like to see if he even sent in an accurate exam report. I'm honestly surprised they didn't just look at my VA record. I've been seeing a psych there this whole time and just recently had all my medications changed. It's pretty obvious the VA system is so convoluted they can't even keep track of their own poo poo.
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Jul 16, 2021 14:23
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I got a proposal to reduce from 70% to 50% and I just went to my state VA office and requested a hearing. It paused all action on the reduction while I got another exam and made sure to remember to discuss all the points that the first psychiatrist apparently failed to write down. I think they do reevaluate mental health claims at least after the first five years. But if you're just asking them to add a rating for mental health they probably won't try to reevaluate your heart condition unless you specifically ask them to raise your rating for it. If you're happy with the rating for a specific condition just don't ask to change it. I think Crusty is saying to have a VSO reevaluate your files to make sure you've filed a claim for everything you should have. Not to have the VA reevaluate your heart condition specifically.
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Nov 3, 2021 21:56
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I used to tell myself that if I filed a claim that I would be "gaming the system" or "taking from the vets who really need it." You gotta get out of that mind frame. This is money and help that's there specifically for you to use. I got my head all hosed up from this poo poo, and I would've gone on that way until I killed myself if my wife didn't tell me to wake the gently caress up and get help. I ended up going to VA for mental health just to get my wife off my back, and I ended up realizing that what I was going through was not normal, and I really wasn't handling it in a healthy way like I thought I was. I was assuming that because I was a medic and I signed up for this poo poo that I wasn't entitled to anything. Just part of the job. My life since I received my rating back in 2017 is a huge upgrade. It's not just the money or the healthcare. It's the validation that my issues are real and there's an entire government agency that agrees. I get the counseling I need, I get some money for bills, and it all adds up to just the slightest bit of relief from financial anxiety, which in turn contributes to lowering my general anxiety. It took me 10 years to make this decision and I'm kicking myself that I didn't do it in 2007. There's literally no risk, and potentially huge rewards. Anybody reading this who is wondering if they should file a claim, even if it's just for something little, just get it done.
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Dec 15, 2021 23:27
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I think it depends on the rated condition, but if it's for anything that's not like amputated limbs, I would say the odds of a reevaluation are pretty close to 100% after 5 years. You should in the meantime, establish care with a physician or psychiatrist or whatever and make them fully aware of the fact that you will need documentation at some point in time to support your claim. The VA sent me for a new evaluation to a psychiatrist that I had never seen before, and within a 45 minute session this guy determined that I should be reduced from 70% to 30%. I appealed the decision with notes from my own psychiatrist and my rating actually went up to 100% after appeal. Now I'm permanent and total and from my understanding, I will not be reevaluated in the future. The other thing that I would advise you on is that you should never go into a VA C&P exam thinking about the last few months of your condition. Many of us go through highs and lows. You need to report your absolute worst days to the VA as if they happened yesterday. They will not take into account that your condition can go from good to bad at any moment, just exactly what you tell them about what you report at that exam. We all have good days and bad. They only need to know about the bad days.
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Sep 1, 2022 19:29
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If your retirement is due to a disability you probably don't have to pay taxes on that either.
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Feb 11, 2023 20:44
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| # ¿ Apr 19, 2024 21:20 |
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When I was reevaluated for my 70% rating for PTSD they sent me to some guy 80 miles away that I had never seen before. I was nervous as hell and un-prepared; uncomfortable and unfamiliar with the process and with the evaluator. I was apparently supposed to sum up the last 5 years of my life in a one hour session, and check all the boxes required to keep my rating. I inevitably missed some of those boxes, and about a month later received my letter with a notice to reduce my rating to 50%. I appealed the reduction and asked my own psychologist that I see from outside of the VA system to fill out a DBQ form. Since this guy had been dealing with me for several years, he knew how to appropriately evaluate my condition. Within another month I received the appeal decision and my rating was increased to 100%. If you have a private psych doc go ahead and find the DBQ form for your claimed condition and get it filled out ahead of time. You may not even have to do the VA evaluation if you get this turned in. If you don't currently have a private psych doc, start getting your condition documented within the VA system itself. Schedule some mental health appointments and tell them about your worst days, and leave out the details of your good days. Look up the rating conditions for PTSD and make sure you hit all the salient points. They don't coach you what to say in my experience, so if you have trouble in crowds or sleep disturbances or intrusive memories or any of the rating conditions, make sure you speak them aloud and they get written down. If you prepare all this ahead of time you'll have nothing to worry about. It's a really lovely system that makes you rehash terrible memories several times with several different people. I eventually stopped using the VA system for counseling because I had to start over with 3 different therapists in one year because they kept quitting.
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Jun 7, 2023 14:04
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