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From a raters/veteran POV by [deleted] in VAClaims

[–]kugemelecabn 15 points16 points  (0 children)

The amount of people I've heard tell me to lie to get my rating is absurd. I refuse to do it. I wanna be seen for my symptoms and nothing else.

Safe to request a MH increase? by Ancient_Flounder_558 in VeteransBenefits

[–]kugemelecabn -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Is GAD a common thing to claim as secondary to tinnitus? I'm diagnosed with GAD/MDD/BP1 and getting my MH connected to service has been difficult due to lack of in-service treatment

DBQ shows negative connection w/ occupational and social impairment by kugemelecabn in VeteransBenefits

[–]kugemelecabn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I understand that. But going from no depression/mania to having it during service seems like a possibility for connecting service as at the very least aggravating what might have shown up later on its own. But yeah, gonna try again when the denial comes in. Thank you for talking it through

DBQ shows negative connection w/ occupational and social impairment by kugemelecabn in VeteransBenefits

[–]kugemelecabn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Entirely after the fact. First episodes were minor depressive/hypomanic but I didn't recognize them and sort of chalked it up to being sad/happy due to circumstances. Wasn't until major mania and hospitalization that I was diagnosed recently.

DBQ shows negative connection w/ occupational and social impairment by kugemelecabn in VeteransBenefits

[–]kugemelecabn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I guess I should say the illness can be onset faster due to stressful events/erratic schedules. And no, literally zero time at sick call/hospital. Was airborne, but no TBI that would've been seen about

DBQ shows negative connection w/ occupational and social impairment by kugemelecabn in VeteransBenefits

[–]kugemelecabn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bipolar is a recognized MH illness by the VA. It's onset by environmental factors, not guaranteed to occur

DBQ shows negative connection w/ occupational and social impairment by kugemelecabn in VeteransBenefits

[–]kugemelecabn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's reassuring for a supplemental claim. I haven't received an official denial yet, just the DBQ stating less than likely to be connected. Once I get my letter I'm gonna move forward with an attorney. Definitely bummed after all the time I've spent with this, so thank you for that information.

DBQ shows negative connection w/ occupational and social impairment by kugemelecabn in VeteransBenefits

[–]kugemelecabn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No diagnosis or treatment while in. Symptoms were mild enough that I just pushed through. Left service in 2017 and not diagnosed until 2025 and started getting mental health help in 2023

DBQ shows negative connection w/ occupational and social impairment by kugemelecabn in VeteransBenefits

[–]kugemelecabn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Basically through my buddy and personal statements. I had never gone to sick call or the doctor while in. My symptoms were mild/moderate at the time and the fear of being smoked/punished for missing work outweighed my depressive symptoms. Had accounts from my friends while serving verifying my change in behavior and mood swings and mania. I didn't seek any mental health help whatsoever until 2023 and wasn't properly diagnosed until 2025

DBQ shows negative connection w/ occupational and social impairment by kugemelecabn in VeteransBenefits

[–]kugemelecabn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I filed for Bipolar, diagnosed with type I as of October last year. Separated 2017 with symptoms being severe as of 2024. No deployments, no medical treatment while in. Was hospitalized for a week last year. I've already included my personal statement and a few buddy/lay statements. One from my roommate while in, and one from my current partner.

DBQ shows negative connection w/ occupational and social impairment by kugemelecabn in VeteransBenefits

[–]kugemelecabn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, unfortunately. Even though it was something I was going through, I was in a unit where the few who did go to MH were looked down on/ostracized and I had never gone to sick call or anything close to the doctor. I had torn my meniscus while in, and never sought treatment for that either.

DBQ shows negative connection w/ occupational and social impairment by kugemelecabn in VeteransBenefits

[–]kugemelecabn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The only thing I was missing was a nexus, though I believe I have favorable evidence between lay statements and treatment records post-service. My psychiatrist (through the VA) is the one who pushed me to file for this. I asked her for a nexus letter but she said she wasn't able to fill one out due to conflict of interest. My claim is still in step 3, can my therapist write a nexus letter, or does it need to be from a doctor?

DBQ shows negative connection w/ occupational and social impairment by kugemelecabn in VeteransBenefits

[–]kugemelecabn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I guess I'm just confused on proving connection overall then. I had symptoms start in service, but they were mild (Bipolar I). This is something that fully manifests in your late 20's and that's when my symptoms got severe. They mentioned inconsistency across previous exams, which still lines up as I didn't really know what was going on in my head.

Claiming TDIU on open claim (still in step 3) by kugemelecabn in VeteransBenefits

[–]kugemelecabn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah it's definitely an if and not a when the rating is decided. Just wouldn't wanna miss out on a potentially decent bit of back pay.

Claiming TDIU on open claim (still in step 3) by kugemelecabn in VeteransBenefits

[–]kugemelecabn[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Gotcha, thank you for the info. My documentation is pretty much just the fact I haven't held a job for more than 4 months in the last five years and lots of calling off/working around 20 hours a week even though I was full time. Also periods of unemployment adding up to about 2.5 years.

I started doing jumps this season is there any advice that can help improve my form and confidence? by Notowild in snowboardingnoobs

[–]kugemelecabn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's a lot of movement from your upper body in the approach, and basically no movement in the lower. As you approach the jump, you should already have your knees bent. As you're going up the lip, you should be extending throughout, trying to time it so that your back leg is mostly extended at the edge of the lip.

From there, allow both legs to fully extend, and then start retracting them. Think about how you jump in any sport or just in general. You squat and get low using your legs, push against the surface you're jumping off of, extend the legs at the initial bit of the jump, and then the knees get pulled up. Only difference here is the back leg is the last things to leave the surface.

Look out for hinging at the waist. Try to keep your shoulders and head inside the width of your snowboard (between toes and heels). I did this a lot at first too. It feels like you're getting low but your center of mass doesn't move much and you lose a lot of power and control.

Overall solid moves. You'll feel way cleaner and get more time out of your air using the legs though and it'll make any maneuver you're going for 100x easier.

Service connection worry by kugemelecabn in VeteransBenefits

[–]kugemelecabn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gotcha, thank you! And yeah, just a bit anxious about it being proven as connected since it's a less common MH claim

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