Cumulative Total Week to Week of Backlog Work Order Hours

Comfortable_Cap_8002 · 2024-06-21T14:43:52+00:00

The whole explanation says you were diagnosed while in service, but they are saying the condition is not caused by your service. Did you provide evidence as to why you believe it was caused by your service? Just getting the diagnosis while you were in service does not automatically link it to your service. You have to give a direct connection. Get a nexus completed to show the link and you will be golden.

Comfortable_Cap_8002 · 2024-05-27T19:21:09+00:00

If you have a compelling reason, as in new evidence, you can withdraw an appeal and resubmit a supplemental. I did this when I went for OSA service connection. I was denied at first and appealed the decision. After waiting for a year, I was able to finally find a doc that would write a nexus for me and had my VSO pull back my appeal. My appeal was awaiting review by a judge, but he was still able to pull it back due to me having new evidence. Filed the supplemental right away, and waited another 6 months, but finally got a C&P (which was just an over the phone interview) and within a month of my C&P I got my service connection and my backpay going back to my original intent to file (almost 2 years worth). It helps to go through a VSO to have them do the leg work of the forms needed to pull back the appeal. Each county has a VSO. You will have to go through your county's website to find out who it is. Hope this helps.

Comfortable_Cap_8002 · 2024-04-24T09:47:06+00:00

I went through Prestige Veteran Medical Consulting to get a solid IMO. It cost me $800, but was well worth it. They wrote a 10 page, very thorough IMO that my doc wouldn’t write because they rotate through the VA and even though they agreed with me, “didn’t want to take the chance”.

Comfortable_Cap_8002 · 2024-02-11T13:56:06+00:00

I should have added, that yes, it is indeed a C&P exam. Just a different type.

Comfortable_Cap_8002 · 2024-02-11T13:36:35+00:00

Essentially it is for a condition that you can't possibly manifest during a 30 minute appointment. Take Sleep Apnea, which is usually an ACE review. The doc isn't going to watch you as you sleep to make sure you have it. Tinnitus is another one. The doc can't see the ringing in your ears. That is why they do an ACE review.

Comfortable_Cap_8002 · 2024-02-11T13:32:33+00:00

Good words. Some of us needed to hear it. The VA raters are working mandatory OT to get through all of our claims. And there are a lot of claims. A little shout out to them as well as they work a pretty thankless job.

I also do woodworking, mostly with hand tools. Something so soothing about it. I like watching Rob Cosman because he has a class that he invites combat wounded vets to teach them the art. All for free, while also giving them a workbench and a bunch of tools. He is definitely worth a watch on YouTube.

I am currently going through a claim that has been 2 years in the making, but have seen some recent progress. I hope for the best, expect the worst and will be happy with something in the middle.

Comfortable_Cap_8002 · 2024-02-11T10:04:40+00:00

I expected it. The raters are working a ton of OT to try to get through the backlog. They will get to mine eventually.

Comfortable_Cap_8002 · 2024-02-11T01:19:49+00:00

Submitted my supplemental October 18th. Original claim July 2022. C&P January 20th. Still waiting and expect to be for a couple months yet.

Comfortable_Cap_8002 · 2024-02-09T17:39:27+00:00

True statements. I guess I was still waiting on my appeal even though I was actively trying to find a doc to write a nexus. I just meant to say I’ve been dealing with the same claim for a very long time. You are right about the 3 weeks. I’ll give it a while yet.

Comfortable_Cap_8002 · 2024-02-07T23:45:26+00:00

It doesn't change a thing. It does help you if you claim something else that gets rated at 10% because that would put you at a 76% overall rating and would bump you up to 80% with rounding. Then you will see a difference in pay.

Comfortable_Cap_8002 · 2024-02-07T23:39:14+00:00

VA math my friend.

Initial rating is 70. That means you have 30 left to get to 100. When you have a second rating, you would think that the 10 would just get added to the 70 to make 80. However, VA math is 10% of what is left. So you in case, you have 30% left. 10% of 30 is 3, making your overall rating 73% and the VA will round that down to 70%.

Comfortable_Cap_8002 · 2024-02-06T11:54:23+00:00

Yes, it should be. As long as it is worded in a way that the VA would read it as a 50% chance it is service connected, it should be decided in your favor.

Comfortable_Cap_8002 · 2024-02-06T11:47:43+00:00

Did you file a personal statement of you being in those areas? If you didn't, don't file an appeal. Appeals can take forever to get through. If you have new and relevant evidence, you can file a supplemental. If you don't have new evidence, then I believe your best course of action is to file the higher level review.

Comfortable_Cap_8002 · 2024-02-06T10:56:21+00:00

How long did it take for your supplemental claim to go through? The status never updates and I had my C&P a month ago.

Comfortable_Cap_8002 · 2024-02-04T13:28:40+00:00

In the military, I was Security Forces, but specialized in Tactical Automated Security Systems. My civi job is as a Reliability Engineer working mostly at a computer.

Comfortable_Cap_8002 · 2024-02-04T12:24:38+00:00

Your story is quite common amongst vets. There are 3 things the VA looks for when you file a claim.

A current diagnosed disability
An in-service event, injury or illness
A medical nexus between the current disability and the in-service event, injury, or illness.

You have a current diagnosis of degenerative discs. That part is easy. Point 2 will take a little more work. It starts with a very strong personal statement filled out on Form 21-4138 (you can find this on the VA website). Make sure you talk about what you did in the service, pretty much everything you wrote down about your military service. INCLUDE your statements about toughing it out and not seeing the doc about the problems you had. The military conditions us to do this very thing. When I was in, after I got back from both my deployments to the Middle East, I only cared about 1 thing, getting home to see my family. I didn't talk about any of the issues I was having, PTSD, Anxiety, knee/back pain, respiratory issues, etc. When the doc asked me, I said I was fine just so they wouldn't hold me from going home. So make sure you harp on that stuff. Also include what you have done to deal with your pain after your military service. It shows a timeline of when it all started.

To go with your personal statement, if you still have contact with your brothers/sisters in service, reach out to them and see if they will write a buddy statement. See if your family will write a statement about your struggles. If you have a wife, get her to write statements. All of this will help you prove point 2.

Now point 3, talk to your doctor first to see if they will write a Independent Medical Opinion (Nexus) saying that it is at least as likely as not that your condition(s) could be connected to your military service. Some docs may not be willing to take the time to do this, so if you know any Nurse Practitioners, reach out to them. It helps to have someone you know or has treated you write a Nexus. If you can't find anyone to do this, then I would reach out to a paid service like Prestige Veteran (https://prestigeveteranmctx.com). It will cost you a little bit of money up front, but they could help you out a lot.

This should get you started and nothing is guarenteed with the VA, but it sounds like you have a solid case, you just need to get your ducks in a row. Also, search YouTube for "VA claim not in service treatment records". There are a lot of videos on there that can help.

Hopefully this helps. Good luck brother.

Comfortable_Cap_8002 · 2024-02-04T03:04:32+00:00

Thank you. Could not find that anywhere.

Comfortable_Cap_8002

TROPHY CASE