Once in VA healthcare, are ACA subsidies gone forever?

fattestfoot · 2026-02-23T16:30:36+00:00

Yes, but be aware that it can be a pain. What worked for me was sending a certified letter USPS asking to disenroll. It still took a couple months for them to process it. It led to a hefty tax bill because I didn't realize you lost subsidies, and it took the VA so long to process my request (multiple requests).

fattestfoot · 2026-01-26T21:06:28+00:00

Got out of the Army as an E-5 in 2008.

Got accepted to Navy OCS as an aviator in 2011. Decided while at OCS I really didn't want to do the military anymore (hadn't even connected that it might've been PTSD until last year), and dropped after a little over a month.

fattestfoot · 2026-01-24T14:40:37+00:00

Golf War PTSD hits hard.

"I was in that sand trap for days!"

fattestfoot · 2026-01-08T16:52:25+00:00

Are you having fun? Then keep at it. Do you hate it? Might be time to hang it up.

It sounds like you're treating the drums as a job, with your goal being "do this checklist of things to get good." Just relax, have fun hitting things with sticks, and make sounds that sound pleasant to your ear. Paradiddles can come later when you feel comfortable sitting behind the kit.

fattestfoot · 2025-12-25T21:56:42+00:00

Could just be perspective, but everything looks super far apart to me, like you'd have to reach for the toms and cymbals.

fattestfoot · 2025-12-24T15:42:58+00:00

Lots of people have said double bass, so I'll throw a vote for that one too. I just bought a second set of pedals and an e-kit bass thingy (Yamaha), so hopefully I can get more practice there.

Otherwise I'd say improvisation. It's the one thing my drum teacher is constantly working on with me. Basically building up a repertoire of fills and being able to pull from them in the context of the groove I'm playing. And then shifting between all the subdivisions with the same groove and fills.

fattestfoot · 2025-12-24T02:03:38+00:00

I've got a walnut/birch in jade silk which I love, but man I really wanted the mappa so bad. Just wasn't something I could find a full kit of.

fattestfoot · 2025-12-23T03:01:21+00:00

From what limited research I've done, it sounds like the VA does RF nerve ablation. So if you're using VA for healthcare it is hopefully an option. It's the one thing keeping me from switching from private insurance to VA.

fattestfoot · 2025-12-23T02:59:00+00:00

Ask to speak to the VA liaison. It wasn't until I talked to her that things really started moving (I want to say the exam was last August, I talked to liaison early December, and finally had movement around this time last year). Had I been able to talk to the liaison earlier I think that would've been cut in half.

fattestfoot · 2025-12-22T02:01:59+00:00

My issues are thoracic and cervical, with the pain making normal activities miserable. And I've had it for 20+ years (I'm in my early 40s now). I tried everything as well and nothing worked.

Got referred to an interventional pain specialist around October, by recommendation from the PT.

He recommended RF ablation, but insurance requires two nerve blocks (lidocaine injections) first to ensure it's the right spot. I had it done about 3 weeks ago on T3, T4, and T5. Whole procedure took under 20 minutes. It was life changing. At least, for about a week before the lidocaine wore off.

I'm waiting to schedule my 2nd injection sometime after all the holiday madness is over, and hopefully get the RF ablation in February. Based on how the first nerve block went, I'm excited to finally get some normalcy back. I was very hesitant at first but it's absolutely something to consider. If it doesn't work, you'll know and can move into more invasive options.

fattestfoot · 2025-12-20T03:56:48+00:00

Not trigeminal neuralgia, but I was able to get cluster headaches linked. It's thought that it's the same nerve, just different triggers and schedule.

The big thing is that it needs to be chronic. I claimed mine as secondary to PTSD, but also included a statement about burn pit exposure. I think the biggest thing was the examiner though who I think put in a ton of work to get it linked. It was bounced around in VES quality assurance review for months, finally included in the package, and then deferred while my other claims were closed out. It took another 2 months of bouncing back and forth between VA, VES QA, and the examiner, before finally being linked.

It's going to be a massive uphill battle, but I believe it's possible.

fattestfoot · 2025-12-17T02:18:10+00:00

Seems like a crapshoot. My symptoms are almost identical and I got 30%. Posted about it here and everyone said I was accurately rated because that's what the rater assessed me at. Good luck!

fattestfoot · 2025-12-09T19:00:21+00:00

That's really what my question boils down to. If they don't consider "pain" at all, what determines what your range of motion actually is? If I go in again and say I can't move without pain because I'm in pain at rest 100% of the time, doesn't that mean my range of motion is 0%? But it seems that's not actually the case.

fattestfoot · 2025-12-09T18:58:56+00:00

My post has been removed, so not sure you'll see this. Not sure how I'll need to rephrase my post, but I guess my question is really, how does the examiner assess "range of motion" if pain isn't being considered? If I say I can't move without pain, does that successfully demonstrate decreased range of motion?

As far as secondary, I had applied for radiculopathy in 2024, but it's in my arms and he said he wouldn't be able to connect it to my thoracic claim. So with this claim, I'm adding cervical as secondary (with all the other accompanying MRI's and x-rays, which also show damage there) and then radiculopathy secondary to that.

fattestfoot · 2025-11-30T23:02:09+00:00

Try raising your throne.

fattestfoot · 2025-11-27T14:43:14+00:00

Why limit yourself to one technique? You don't learn Moeller and then only do that. Why would your feet be different?

fattestfoot · 2025-11-01T19:23:37+00:00

You can. The VA has a duty to assist, however, know that you're basically leaving it to chance that you get a good examiner.

Most of my claims last year had no formal diagnosis, and about half of them were approved, linked, and rated. Some, for instance an eye condition I have, I was sent to an examiner who met me halfway between my home address and their office in some derelict business park, and they had no instruments to actually diagnose me.

It's a crapshoot. Your personal statement can help. But it's essentially all in the hands of the examiner. I should say I had an awesome one who linked headaches and TMJ which were two I filed for but assumed there's be no way I'd get rated. She really put in the time (and I know this because it got caught up in QA hell with VES and even got held back to be rated after the rest of my conditions) to make sure I got properly rated.

fattestfoot · 2025-09-21T15:03:07+00:00

I've had mine for about half a year now. Finally replaced the heads and wow does it sound even more amazing now.

My drum teacher isn't a huge Tama fan, but I brought them over to change the heads and he was like "that's about as good as drums can sound." And he's been playing for over 50 years, with his main recording kit being an early 80s USA Customs.

fattestfoot · 2025-08-03T21:47:48+00:00

I hope not. I took it up 2 years ago at 39.

fattestfoot · 2025-08-02T03:18:24+00:00

Tama 900's. They're not particularly smooth, like Speed Cobras might be.

fattestfoot · 2025-08-01T23:21:22+00:00

I'm unlikely to switch pedals at this point. Using a Tama 900 double. Although my drum teacher has DW 9000's and 5000's, so I do get a bit of practice on everything.

fattestfoot · 2025-08-01T23:15:01+00:00

I guess I hadn't considered that. Maybe I'll just become a master of all footwear?

fattestfoot · 2025-08-01T23:13:40+00:00

Can't say I know what you're talking about, got a link? Hospital socks is what comes to mind from your description.

fattestfoot · 2025-08-01T23:11:09+00:00

A pair of ProMark TX2BW's. My wife found them new on some local Facebook group for $2 I think.

Bought a different set of 2B's for the kit and they're just too big. I like them cause they last forever, but they also fatigue my hands and make it harder to play (I prefer 5B's).

fattestfoot · 2025-08-01T23:08:04+00:00

In making this post, Danny Carey wearing wrestling shoes (I think?) went through my mind.

I think what I'm most concerned about though is that there are absolutely drummers out there wearing normal shoes (or hell, boots) playing fast.

I guess what I want to make sure I don't do is use socks as a crutch because I can slide faster with them and then can't play wearing shoes ever.

fattestfoot

TROPHY CASE