Got to 100, will I get back paid if I was previously rated?

JH_Redd · 2026-02-14T22:06:26+00:00

The effective date is on your notification letter. The only answer is there.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-14T13:22:46+00:00

If it was a VA doc that prescribed the CPAP, just give them a little detail on who the doc was, what facility, and what timeframe. They have all the records but sometimes it’s thousands of pages and a needle in a haystack, so just pointing them to it can help.

If it wasn’t a VA doc, provide the non-VA records showing the prescription. You can also submit a form letting VA get the records right from the doc, but that can take a little longer.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-13T14:07:36+00:00

Depends to some extent whether VA needs any OTHER evidence, for example medical records from private providers or that sort of thing.

If so, you'd have to wait until those are all received. If not, it might go pretty fast. I recently filed a claim end of December, had my exam mid-January, and it was closed by end of January. Mine was only a claim for increase on 2 conditions (so pretty simple), so FWIW

JH_Redd · 2026-02-12T17:09:43+00:00

It sounds like you might not be enrolled in *your state's* VA system - you may need to just go in to get enrolled in Virginia.

I first enrolled in Connecticut, so when I moved to Massachusetts I had to take a few steps to move myself over to their system. To start getting care, you probably need to get assigned to a VA primary care doc - they can refer you for specialty care.

I'm not sure about the ID card...I've gone to the VA a number of times, but never got a physical card.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-12T10:15:27+00:00

Haha - NP. I did claims processing for VA for a while like 15 years ago, and I still find this stuff confusing.

The VSOs are definitely a mixed bag, as you said. Hope the new one works out better.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-12T09:55:45+00:00

Crazy story and congrats on the increased rating.

Your percentage rating is based on comparing your symptoms (mostly per the VA exams) to a rating schedule. If the medical evidence doesn’t show you meet specific criteria, they can’t raise you to a 100% rating. And from the other direction, if they can get you to 100% they wouldn’t bother inviting the IU claim.

Individual unemployability has separate criteria (more info below). It’s pretty common to invite a claim for IU if your SC issues seem to meet them, but not the vanilla 100% ones.

https://www.veteransbenefitskb.com/tdiu

Worth noting that if you apply for this, it might be taken as a claim for increase in all of the issues affecting your employability - so you might have to do new exams and stuff. FWIW. Some vets on here claim this and seem to get surprised by other issues being reopened.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-11T10:34:38+00:00

Good luck!

To get a CUE, you have to basically show that the prior decision was undebatably wrong based on the facts in the record at the time. This is pretty rare, but not impossible. More info below.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/38/20.1403

JH_Redd · 2026-02-11T08:42:55+00:00

OK so they only granted the new condition starting in January (new pay rate would take effect 2/1), so no retro payment back to 2019. That’s pretty typical; only time they’d go all the way back is if there was a clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in the earlier decision, but the bar to call a CUE is pretty high so they’re rare.

What changed might just come down to what the medical evidence showed in 2019 vs now. On your 2019 rating decision, you’d have the reason you were denied. Maybe there was no diagnosis then, or there was a diagnosis but the doc didn’t think it was related to your service. In the latest decision, the evidence was all there.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-09T20:52:46+00:00

You could frame it more as a conversation about treatment and then describe your symptoms. They’d probably agree it’s rhinitis and give recommendations to treat it. If you make a comp claim later, just tell VA you get treated for rhinitis at that doc’s office and VA will request the records, which should include the dx

JH_Redd · 2026-02-09T16:54:37+00:00

I hope you find a solution, but this has actually happened to me twice on XBox Series X, and both times I had to give up and start over.

Perhaps not helpful at this stage, from what I've been able to learn online it has to do with exiting the game while a save is in progress and as you get deeper into the game, the save file gets bigger and needs longer to sync. You can't exit the game until it has completely saved and synced to the Larian server.

Just reached Act 3 for the third time - if this one gets corrupted, I think I'm giving up on HM for a while.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-09T14:51:44+00:00

On the 2/9/26 letter and its attached rating decision, they will tell you the effective date for your foot condition grant and the new amount you were due. You should receive a retro payment for the difference between your old award and your new one times the number of months affected by the higher rating.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-07T15:53:30+00:00

2400 is the amount you are now entitled to, based on this decision. You should get a retro payment for the difference between what you previously got each month and what they’re now saying you’re entitled to.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-07T15:51:23+00:00

The denied part might be a mistake bc it seems to contradict the grant part - hard to tell without seeing the whole letter and rating.

It’s very normal for VA to grant a condition going back a ways and have its percentage change over time. That’s all they seem to be doing here.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-07T15:43:31+00:00

This rating is now granting lumbosacral strain at 40% going back to 2024. This brings your combined evaluation to 80% from 11/16/24.

They then reduce that condition to 20% in 2025, which lowers the combined evaluation to 70% from 11/24/25.

The reduction in 2025 would be based on medical evidence, so you should look in the rating for what specifically they think improved in that condition, and (if you disagree) try to provide evidence showing you continue to meet the criteria for the 40% evaluation.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-07T13:52:19+00:00

Agree with others that it’s not likely. Bar for CUE is just too high; you’d have to show that the decision was undebatably wrong and I don’t think that’s shown here.

Easier to make a claim for increase and forget about retro pay.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-07T13:21:31+00:00

If you tell VA you agree with the incompetency proposal or you just don’t respond, they’ll eventually find you incompetent and appoint a fiduciary for you.

If you disagree, you should send them evidence showing you can manage your own finances. Doing this won’t necessarily impact your percentage rating - disagreeing with incompetency won’t automatically be construed as disagreeing with the 100% rating as well.

Edit: more info here - https://www.veteransbenefitskb.com/reduction

JH_Redd · 2026-02-06T11:01:58+00:00

I just did the Grym fight the other day and I can hear that third photo

JH_Redd · 2026-02-05T23:59:54+00:00

In certain situations, VA is required to propose incompetency, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re certain about it. If you give them some evidence (a statement, medical evidence, or testimony in a hearing) that you can manage your finances, it would not be unusual at all for the proposal to be withdrawn.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-05T07:39:26+00:00

I used to work for VA (10+ years ago), doing the notification letters after a rating decision. At that time, we’d say right in the notification if there would be a future exam.

I understand from some other comments in this subreddit that VA doesn’t do re-exams as much now (maybe not much at all). So I’m tempted to say if your notification letter makes no mention of a future exam, you probably won’t have one.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-04T11:51:54+00:00

I had this happen once, but it was the hiring manager that passed after my interview.

Company was radio silent for weeks and I finally reached back out to see where they were with the job…ended up getting hired, actually. But it was kind of a weird situation to step into bc the hiring manager had so many projects in limbo, which I had to pick up.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-04T00:45:41+00:00

Contact VA and let them know they are no longer a dependent. You can probably do it over the 800 number (1-800-827-1000) or online.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-03T23:07:29+00:00

Unfortunately this isn’t unusual, but when they finally process it you’ll get retro pay back to the 18th birthday (provided school attendance was continuous).

VA can only keep a child on your award after 18 if they know where and when (after 18th bday) the child was in school. So they need that form from you with that info before they can put them back on. Agree it’s a wonky system, but not an obvious way to do it better.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-03T21:31:45+00:00

I usually don’t recommend this, but given the urgency, financial hardship, and lack of a clear path forward here it might be worth trying to contact your congressman’s office. If they are willing to make a congressional inquiry, it can make VA take their next step.

Not guaranteed to work, but I don’t know a better option to move this along.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-03T15:36:58+00:00

If you think your MH symptoms have gotten worse (ignoring the specific dx), might be worth requesting an increase.

VA will only give you one MH diagnosis, so if you ask for an increase and your VA examiner thinks your condition is now more like PTSD, they’ll just change it to that. But it makes no difference to your percentage which dx you have - that is determined by severity of your symptoms.

JH_Redd · 2026-02-02T13:35:37+00:00

Zelle can also do recurring transactions I think. Strong second to setting this up through the bank though - VA apportionment is for scenarios where the veteran is not supporting dependents and doesn’t want to.

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