First Timer

[Tunnel Rat]

Thank you OldDoorGunner I jumped on that link and wow it's full of info needed to help me. I appreciate all who have served and come home to the mess of a nation and to those who can never come home You will NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. I am a firm believer in Karma and paying it forward. Please help me in this mission. If you see a VET remember he is a brother or sister that might need a helping hand. That change in your pocket could be for a hot coffee on a cold day or a dollar menu item because he has not eaten in days. Never turn away from them we are all they have our nation has abandoned them with red tape and politics.

 

[Deleted member 43454]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[BaMuoiBa]

Welcome brother,

Keep up the good fight they will "delay' deny and hope you will die" so strap yourself in for the ride of a lifetime for it just may take that long.

I don;t know why it's taking so long everyone has stated those two words SERVICE CONNECTED

You'll grow old waiting for the VA. I've been service connected since 2009 and they just decided my PTSD claim for retro. Had 3 other NOD decisions remanded back to the RO that the VACA did not agree with. I have also have one that I NOD'd in 2012 that is not in the electronic system yet.


BA

 

[Army Doc]

Watchdog? They are a major part of the problem. How to "win" your claim? Oh and for diabetes. Never saw a diabetes bullet. Fakers get the duck out of here. Warriors need help. Oh and diabetes, don't get fat you pig.

 

[Tunnel Rat]

I think the VA raters should be dropped into a war zone with there pen and paper.Then they would know how angry vets get with the red tape. Our country needs someone in office who can help the people not themselves. What exactly does the VA get bonuses for it sure is not from work. I called my medical team two weeks ago about my knees. The message I got was the nurse would call and triage my knee over the phone. Still have not heard anything yet. I think it's time for people to get fired.

 

[Grizzly]

Watchdog? They are a major part of the problem. How to "win" your claim? Oh and for diabetes. Never saw a diabetes bullet. Fakers get the duck out of here. Warriors need help. Oh and diabetes, don't get fat you pig.

Brother I'm not sure where you are going with this post.

Please correct me if I'm wrong. One of the presumptive conditions for many Vietnam vets is diabetes. This disease has been linked to exposure to agent orange. Its not necessarily a condition of obesity.

Also realize realize that many of the prescribed meds to treat PTSD and other combat related trauma slow metabolism and cause weight gain along with the depression itself. Weight gain and the health effects associated with it become secondary problems. It all has a cascading effect.

Watchdog is trying to help people who have been buried by the beuracracy of the system. Sure there will be some who exploit it. But there are legit vets who are getting denied because of either raters who do not know the law and doctors who do not know about certain war related issues and illnesses.

Explain why a TBI which has similar symptoms of PTSD yields a maximum rating of 40% while PTSD can yield a rating of 100%? But if you have evidence of a TBI in your service records they can deny your PTSD connection. How does the average vet know this? Many VSO's don't even.

 

[Deleted member 43454]

For sure Grizz.
Also I explained multiple times I WOULD like to get my brain f*cken scanned.
Their response is always, "Ah well PTSD and TBI the symptoms are so alike, you're already with PTSD."
I'm sitting there thinking of a nice way to put it, because I'd like to give em a dose of concussion.
I realize now after the fact, the mentality I had of not admitting weakness.

I have like 6 f*cking knots on the top of my skull. They grew over time like the damn Silvester cartoons.
So many times I have banged the shit outa my head. Sometimes even after the military which only made things worse
I'm sure.

 

[Grizzly]

@DrBlack . I know what you mean. Sometimes I wonder if my issues could be TBI. I never was close to IED's like you guys, but I recall several times being danger close to cuncussion grenades during MOUT school. They were strong enough to knock my Kevlar off and black me out temporarily. Who knows?

The video you posted drove the point home brother. Now I wonder.

 

[Deleted member 43454]

No joke man! P.S those concussion grenades thrown at the right time... could pass as a possible RPG attack over the radio. LMAO.
I didn't realize how powerful those were.

 

[Army Doc]

GRIZ I failed to express myself clearly. Your rebuttal to my post has given me the opportunity to educate myself. Firstly, I hate the language "Win your claim". This implies that a "claim" is something competed for, not something earned. A benefit was promised once services were rendered. Everyone here, with an Honrable Discharge, have rendered services promised. Why do we have to "win" a claim? If you worked for Target or Sears and contracted Diabetes from the floor wax used. And floor wax has been scientifically proven to cause/link diabetes 2 (told you I learned something today) would it even be a question? Of course not, it would be a no brainer, somthing OWED to the employee. Many here have been injured during their employment to their respective employers. I took offense with the above site that emphasized the point of "winning" a claim. The site was also sprinkled with advertisements for lawyers who will "help wounded Vets win their claims". In my mind these claims are something owed not won.

 

[Grizzly]

@I will come for you

Your right. That site has a lot of attorney ads I agree. But in a way it's good I guess. Do a search here in regards to some VSO's @OldDoorGunner posted a while back.

There are some people that are fighting for some type of service connected disability. At this time, Gulf War vets are denied at an 80% rate for symptoms related to Gulf War Illness.

I'm bored...I get your rant and understand the anger. VA benefits should be cut and dry. It isn't. If the government runs it you can guarantee you'll get screwed.

 

[OldDoorGunner]

Well young man I am sorry to tell you this and I am NOT being a smart ass. I am one of the old Nam vets here....I left Nam in Oct 70, out of the Army Jan 72.......In dealing with the VA, it is very adversarial in dealing with us vets, always has been!!! You walk in the door at the VA, you are considered a F U C K ing liar........

When I enlisted for 3 years, I was told I would have FREE medical for life.....Well that got changed!!! Also an 06 took it to the Supreme Court and lost.........

What you have said above is correct, but only if you have the constitution on your side.....As Vets we do not have that right!!! We are not under the constitution when it comes to the Dept. of VA!!!!

Now as to the the web site I posted VAWatchdog......The VA hates this site and you can take that to the bank. Now as to getting a lawyer to help you do your claim. It has not been that far in the passed, us Vets could not get and use a lawyer!!! And guess who was trying to stop us from getting the right to use a lawyer??? It was all the big VSO's!!! Now why would they not want a vet to have a lawyer??? I will let you do your own research on that, (and remember everything on the net is true.) :) You can find the real truth, but may take you some time.....

I used DAV as my VSO and they f*cked up my claim some what. By the way, I am a life member of the VFW, (I have told them to shove my life membership it up their ass) so why did I not use them. Easy, I did not want a drunk doing my claim......You get what you pay for.......Same goes for the DAV and all the others.....

If I knew what I know now, I would hire lawyer to deal with the VA........

Side note: My wife has severe RA, she put in a claim for SSDI and got turned down, just like 99% of everyone. So she got $0.00 I got her a lawyer and he Won her SSDI claim, back to the opening date... We are talking some good money here, that she paid into for over 40+ years. The lawyer got 25% set by law, it was the best money ever spent. And a lot better than getting $0.00 per month.

Lastly, when it comes to the VA.......you can and will find a lot to hate.....Like killing vet's for one and for some reason it's not called MURDER!!!!

Me thinks you have a lot to learn about the VA and the real deal........(n) "Lies, damned lies, and statistics" that is the VA.......

J R