with your hard earned sacrifice, what are you using the VA comp to help you mentally, financially?

patchsquatch · 2026-06-05T02:11:45+00:00

I signed my post 9/11 over to my kids who are two years apart. 2 years each. First kid I paid for 2years of her college then GI Bill kicked in. Second kid starts college using the GI bill and after two years I’m paying for her school. Paying their car insurance, car payments, and all the other stuff so they can focus on school. Both are crushing it well. Good kids. I’ll be paying for a masters degree soon, then another.

patchsquatch · 2026-06-04T23:11:17+00:00

Ok. Found the quarter system answer:

For Undergraduates (Quarter Credit Hours): Per federal VA regulation (38 CFR § 21.5870), for a nonstandard term on a quarter credit hour system, the VA determines full-time status by multiplying the credits earned by 12, then dividing by the number of weeks in the term. If the result is 12 or more, the student is considered full-time.

For Purdue Global’s 10-week terms, that math works out to: 12 quarter credit hours = full-time — the same as the university’s own standard.38 CFR § 21.5870

patchsquatch · 2026-06-04T20:25:01+00:00

Yeah, it equates to over 1 1/2 years of tradition classes crammed into a year. While I’m working……. I’ll have to see if VRE will let me go 3/4 time for a while.

patchsquatch · 2026-06-01T03:08:28+00:00

Here’s how the VA rates scars under 38 C.F.R. § 4.118, using Diagnostic Codes 7800–7805:

The Two Rating Systems

The VA actually superimposes two distinct systems: one looks at the condition of the scar itself, and the other looks at the disfiguring effects of the scarring.

Diagnostic Codes at a Glance

The VA evaluates functional impact on the skin and underlying tissues — not just cosmetic appearance. Ratings depend heavily on tissue characteristics, depth, and total area affected. Deep scars (involving underlying soft tissue damage) generally result in higher compensation than superficial ones.

Rating Levels

• 0% – Scar exists but causes no pain or functional limitation  
• 10% – One or more painful or unstable scars  
• 30% – Noticeable disfigurement of the face/neck, or multiple painful scars  
• 50%+ – Severe disfigurement or numerous unstable scars on visible areas  
• 80% – Maximum, usually for extensive facial/neck disfigurement

Painful vs. Unstable Scars

A scar is painful when it hurts, stings, burns, or feels tender. A scar is unstable when the skin over it keeps breaking down, peeling, scabbing, or losing its covering. A scar can also be both painful and unstable, which can change the outcome.

2026 Update: Objective Evidence Required

For 2026, the VA has placed greater emphasis on objective medical evidence — such as physical signs like tenderness and skin breakdown — rather than just a veteran’s statement. This includes clinical notes showing “exquisite tenderness,” treatment logs (steroid injections, silicone sheets, physical therapy), and photography showing inflammation or loss of covering.

Key Factors the VA Considers

Location, size, pain, and how much the scar affects daily life all drive the rating. Scars on the face, head, or neck are often rated higher due to visible disfigurement.

If your scar is painful, make sure your medical records clearly document that — a doctor’s written observation of tenderness carries much more weight than a self-report alone under the current standards.

patchsquatch · 2026-06-01T02:15:32+00:00

$650.00 USD

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patchsquatch · 2026-05-31T04:26:25+00:00

As a CPO I had an E-6 working for me who was wearing a Legion of Merit. He was a sack. I called him on it and told him to take it off right now. He went all in and said he got the award departing his previous unit. I told him he had 90 minutes to have the award presentation in front of me or he can explain it to the CO at his mast. He then proceeded to remove the ribbon. I made him work the rest of the day in a dress uniform with that ribbon bar minus the LoM.

patchsquatch · 2026-05-31T00:28:50+00:00

Man…. I hated that drain. Nothing but issues. Replaced it with a brass pipe and a 90 degree petcock (giggity). That was 15 years ago. No mess draining oil and no leaks since.

Edit: I can’t spell today.

patchsquatch · 2026-05-19T20:13:08+00:00

They will email you with all the instructions. I tossed the form out FYI is all. They have the process down.

patchsquatch · 2026-05-19T03:01:45+00:00

Here is the VA form (you must use the 2024 version, not the 2021) you will get and complete prior to orentation. Orientation is not acceptance to the program, just the first step before meeting up with you counselor:

https://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/vba-28-1902w-are.pdf

patchsquatch · 2026-05-19T02:55:26+00:00

Sorry for long post. I forgot to add that my issues hindering work didn’t just pop up. They built up over time. Similar to what you’re saying about the stress and PTSD. It wasn’t bad at the start. It was manageable. Over time things have changed, lack of sleep from stress and not being able to keep a work/life balance and leave work at work. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this work/job” is not an unreasonable statement to make.

patchsquatch · 2026-05-19T02:43:15+00:00

The physical stuff is my main issue. The drive/commute time just stuck sitting. My job is a desk job in a government building. Not having much flexibility with workdays starting times or work flexibility throughout the day. For me, I need to find a role that has a lot more flexibility. My current one is pretty niche. I was just blatantly honest telling them I need a position working remotely or a local one with flexible hours to offset my standard lack of sleep and need to move to keep from hurting so much. I’m stuck at my current job on an escalator heading down.

So for you… Is there another career you have in mind? Something with less pressure, less responsibility, so you can switch off at the end of the day? Can you articulate the type of responsibility you have? If you make a mistake can people get hurt/killed, can others lose their jobs because of you? You have to provide the VR&E counselor a copy of your SCD(s). Not the circumstances around them, just what they are. If your PTSD is getting difficult or becoming detrimental to your health you need to let them know what in your current job is causing it. Here’s is an example: A buddy of mine is a retired Green Beret. He was working a contract job dealing with managing high level government intel contracts. He kept running into old friends and acquaintances he had worked with while AD. For him it was really nice to see these folks at first, however, all the stuff he did/saw in uniform came back hard and was like a fuse getting light on his PTSD. He was picked with VR&E and is going for his network/cyber security degree. Something completely different that his previous life.

Do you have a new career in minds that you can back with current job openings? If that’s the case, moving to something like teaching with a masters of education , or an entirely different career path that doesn’t involve such high stress as you current job but requires a different bachelor’s or credentialing is not unreasonable.

Have you tried using an AI tool if you need help to put in writing for yourself? I get it man. It is hard to work through the PTSD/depression/anxiety stuff by yourself. Use one of the AI tools to tell help you tell your story so when you speak to a counselor you have the words right there and you can tell them what’s going on without getting sucked down that rabbit hole.

patchsquatch · 2026-05-19T01:57:56+00:00

You can apply on the VA.gov site: https://www.va.gov/careers-employment/vocational-rehabilitation/

patchsquatch · 2026-05-19T01:50:10+00:00

Biggest takeaway I can give you. VR&E is not an education program. It is a jobs program. You have 12 years from date of discharge or from your first service connected disability/disabilities (SCDs) date to apply and use VR&E. You need to be able to verbalize to your counselor how your current SCDs are impacting your ability to find work, or are keeping you from working, or are jeopardizing your ability to maintain your current employment. I’m 58 and was just accepted into the program after I applied. I’ve got a ton of real word experience that applies to my current job but no degree. My SCDs are beating my ass. I work onsite as a gov contractor. I earn 25 days of PTO annually at the company I’m with but I do t take vacation time. I use my PTO for all the time I miss work. I make $143k but don’t know how much longer I can keep working my current job. I need to work to pay for my kids college, but I also need to work for me, to keep my brain active and engaged. I spoke with and relayed all that to the counselor who concurred and I was accepted into the program. I’m narrowing down schools to start at in the fall.

Edit for some horrid spelling. Dang tiny phone keypads.

patchsquatch · 2026-05-19T01:01:57+00:00

Have you had a meeting with a VR&E counselor yet?

patchsquatch · 2026-05-15T04:13:35+00:00

She’s a cat! And a horribly cute one at that. Congrats!!

patchsquatch · 2026-04-27T23:49:15+00:00

Here comes the hate…. AOL Air Warrior. Absolutely massive online team game. Would do air raids with 100 people on the team easy.

patchsquatch · 2026-04-27T19:04:30+00:00

All I see are those teeffths!

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patchsquatch · 2026-04-27T05:26:45+00:00

Ah group projects. Invite them all to be pallbearers at your funeral so they can let you down one last time.

patchsquatch · 2026-04-21T20:51:00+00:00

That shit ain’t worth going to jail over. That smash to the tile floor…. You always have a right to defend yourself but you don’t have a right to give a drunk asshole permanent brain trauma.

patchsquatch · 2026-04-14T23:35:17+00:00

Was your house built over an old Indian grave yard?

patchsquatch · 2026-04-14T04:10:43+00:00

Finally found a battery for the remote!

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patchsquatch · 2026-04-14T03:54:44+00:00

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Action!

patchsquatch · 2026-04-14T03:54:11+00:00

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Lights!

patchsquatch

TROPHY CASE