Right now I am very argry with the VA. I got of Military back in 1995 after serving my country for 13 years. I am medical retired with a rating of 40% for degentor disk disease. In August of 2001 I had major back surgery in Colorado Springs where they remove 3 disk place robs and pins in my lower back to include 3 herrific scares. I put a claim in to increase my percent, I also put in a request for temporary 100% until I could return back to work. In less than a month I was granted the temporay 100%. I return back to work 6 months later and my temporay 100% stop. A couple month later I was denied a increase in percent because for some reason they rated me on my neck instead of my lower back where I had the surgery. I then fall a Appeal in for that decision and to this day I still have not had a answer and it is going on 6 years. In November 2006 I had my second major back surgery in Richmond, Virginia. I put another claim in requesting temporary 100% but this time I haven't heard anything back from this claim. I put the claim in Roanoke Virginia but they forward in to Colorado because I still had my appeal in. I call Colorado and they said that they didn't have any claim requesting temporay 100%. To this very day I haven't heard anything from Colorado or Roanoke about my claim. When I call both Colorado and Roanoke neither one say they have any claims requesting temporary 100%. I have sent the same claim to both places 3 times. I spoke with Colorado last week and they said that if they did have my claim then they could not work on until the Appeal Board has finish with my claim. What I don't understand is what does one claim has to do with the other. I was under the impression that the temporary 100% is use to help Veterans out until they can return back to work. It does no good to me or my family if I recieve temporary 100% 2 years from now because I will be back to work. So can anyone help and point me in the right direction. I know the process can take some time but one has been in since August of 2001 and another one has been since November 2006. Since then I had to sell my house or have it go into forecloser. My car payment is behind, I have court order to pay child support but I have not been able to because I only receive 706 dollars a month so I risking being sent to jail for non-support. I am married with 3 other daughters living with me beside to the 2 daughters that I have a court order to provide child support.

Smitty, I think one of your problems is " going back to work ". WHY ?? Your either OUT for good, or, this will be your life. Stop with the going back to work idea, re-file your claim with VA regarding your lower back surgery, file a claim for CHRONIC PAIN, file a claim for UNEMPLOYABILITY, each medical problem required a seperate claim. Give up the idea of going back to work, unless you want to end up in a wheelchair. You want some additional help let me know, I will give you email address to contact me, then I will give you my phone number.

Thanks and please give me your email or phone number so I can contact you. My email address is esmith719@aol.com.

I'm with Edc57--go for unemployability and SSI disability. And keep records of everything. Good luck

Hi Smitty
Don't realy no what to tell you; except that I can relate to wanting to go back to work. While It's true enough that you can eek out a living on VA disabilty payments and ss disability.

However,it has it's draw backs too; your paid monthly, and if something unexpected happens, car breaks down, rent goes up, or if your just verily making it month to month there is nothing you can do to supplement/offset the unexspected.

Freinds and relatives tell me "you have it made" they could'nt be any more wrong; my health has deteriorated, and relatively speaking i'm still a young man.

I have worked since I was 14 and I am now 40 and to all the sudden find yourself unable to work and make a living is one of the hardest things you can ever go through.

There is nomore working overtime in order to get something special; like a car, a house, or even working for that rainy day when the wheater does'nt let up; you feel like a geldon put out to pasture who is no longer able to sir a colt, and all of your other abilities or ignored.

keep fighting for your disabilty Smitty, and try to file a motion to modify the child support payments untill you can get up on your feet.I hope I have helped in some way. Talk to you later.

Who is your rep? Is it with the State of Virginia (Virginia Department of Veterans Services)? Or is it with another organization? If your not with the State of virginia, go to
http://www.dvs.virginia.gov/ and select an agent. If you live in the Northern Virginia Area, click on Arlington/Alexandria. Check out the agent there. Give him a call, he is in Monday/Tuesday/Thursday btwn 0830-1500. He is good! He would be your best bet.

I know what your going through. I was Retired Due to disability back in 2002 for 2 surguries that I SHOULDNT have had and now at 27 havent worked for about 5 months because my conditions have significantly worsened. I have bad shoulders, knees, heart, and hips. All except the heart is from an arthritus condidtion not diagnosed in the Army for the problems. Now I have trouble at about anything Ive tried to do in the work place. Back in 04 I ahd a shooulder operation to try to reverse the effects of the wrong op. was supposed to be off for 6 to 10 months but had to return to work 2 months later cause VA took way to long. I even let the VA know 1 month in advance about the surgery but that didnt help. Needless to say 7 months later I got my temp 100% but to little to late. Now I have been waiting a year and month for a unemployability claim that still hasnt moved anywere and the have lost paperwork 6 times. But I guess the VA doesent relize we are people that need help. The Voc Rehab is a joke, my consular wont even return e-mail and said there is nothing he can do to help me work until I go to school. I said well if the VA didnt take 4 months to process my application to Voc Rehab then I could have mabe been enrolled into school by now and get started. His response was well cant help until the fall if you go to school. Well thanks for the help there chief I gess Ill go live under a bridge and eat scraps since you dont do your job. Sure is funny you read about how the County, State, and other organizations help but thats only if you have not lost everything yet waiting for help. I have a son no job and live with my mom so I cant get financial help cause I luive in a household with income. Im begining to see why your asked if you need a mental health eval evey appointment you have with the VA it does drive you nuts going throught this stuff.

I FEEL YOU I'AM GOING THRU THE SAME PROCESS I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET HELP SINCE 1992, IT REALLY HURTS TO KNOW THAT THIS COUNTRY IS TURNING ITS BACK ON ITS VETERANS. ALL THEY DO IS BLOW SMOKE UP YOUR BUTT AND DENIES CLAIMS OF VETS. I AM UNABLE TO WORK NOW AND THEY ARE TAKING THEIR SWEET TIME IN PROCESSING MY CLAIM,AND THE SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICE IS ALSO DOING THE SAME. I'AM ABOUT TO BE ANOTHER HOMELESS VET. THE HELL WITH TAKING CARE OF OTHER COUNTRIES WHEN THE UNITED STATES CAN'T TAKE CARE OF IT OWNS PEOPLE, THAT PAVED THE WAY OF FREEDOM

quote:

Originally posted by smitty:
Right now I am very argry with the VA. I got of Military back in 1995 after serving my country for 13 years. I am medical retired with a rating of 40% for degentor disk disease. In August of 2001 I had major back surgery in Colorado Springs where they remove 3 disk place robs and pins in my lower back to include 3 herrific scares. I put a claim in to increase my percent, I also put in a request for temporary 100% until I could return back to work. In less than a month I was granted the temporay 100%. I return back to work 6 months later and my temporay 100% stop. A couple month later I was denied a increase in percent because for some reason they rated me on my neck instead of my lower back where I had the surgery. I then fall a Appeal in for that decision and to this day I still have not had a answer and it is going on 6 years. In November 2006 I had my second major back surgery in Richmond, Virginia. I put another claim in requesting temporary 100% but this time I haven't heard anything back from this claim. I put the claim in Roanoke Virginia but they forward in to Colorado because I still had my appeal in. I call Colorado and they said that they didn't have any claim requesting temporay 100%. To this very day I haven't heard anything from Colorado or Roanoke about my claim. When I call both Colorado and Roanoke neither one say they have any claims requesting temporary 100%. I have sent the same claim to both places 3 times. I spoke with Colorado last week and they said that if they did have my claim then they could not work on until the Appeal Board has finish with my claim. What I don't understand is what does one claim has to do with the other. I was under the impression that the temporary 100% is use to help Veterans out until they can return back to work. It does no good to me or my family if I recieve temporary 100% 2 years from now because I will be back to work. So can anyone help and point me in the right direction. I know the process can take some time but one has been in since August of 2001 and another one has been since November 2006. Since then I had to sell my house or have it go into forecloser. My car payment is behind, I have court order to pay child support but I have not been able to because I only receive 706 dollars a month so I risking being sent to jail for non-support. I am married with 3 other daughters living with me beside to the 2 daughters that I have a court order to provide child support.

Do you not get anything for medical disabilty, from service?

quote:

Originally posted by EdC57:
Smitty, I think one of your problems is " going back to work ". WHY ?? Your either OUT for good, or, this will be your life. Stop with the going back to work idea, re-file your claim with VA regarding your lower back surgery, file a claim for CHRONIC PAIN, file a claim for UNEMPLOYABILITY, each medical problem required a seperate claim. Give up the idea of going to work, unless you want to end up in a wheelchair. You want some additional help let me know, I will give you email address to contact me, then I will give you my phone number.

All of you, gave very good advise ,This is how va plays,wait-wait-no reply, no evidence -to support your claim, this Is just,what va wants--give- up, NEVER give up , I would, also only fax, va, nevere trust, a letter, every varo, has a fax,number, when I fax, va I state,this, fax, Is accepter, as dated,by va,has full knodledge of this claim, or appeal, then I make, copies of comformation, of fax,date,as received, and accepter by va, just In case,va, tries to state, we never got fax, I send copy of comformation,date, to support my claim or appeal, I then call va, to state I have faxed, you comformation, of proof, of my lost fax, I stat I sent fax,as accepted, on date I sent qriginal fax, maybe, the cleaning lady,picked It up, but once that fax, Is received,at va, this Is their , problem not, mine,

Smitty,

Any correspondance with the VA, you should send it certified mail. Beleive me when you do they dont lose paperwork.

DanW

Leon,

BZ, you've hit on the head!


DanW

I know this is an old topic.... however, for those of you who have had the VA "lose" your paperwork - I seem to have found a way around that - or at least it worked for me.

The last time this happened, I sent them about a 10 page letter, quoting VA directives, rating schedules as pertaining to my injuries, etc..., while asking for an increase and new ratings, and at the bottom of the ltr I cc'd my DAV rep along with my local Senator.

Before I mailed this however, I did contact my Senator and rec'd the typical, "sorry, can't help you, the VA is doing all they can" bullcrap. No biggie, the VA had no idea what he said to me.

So, after I get the letter from the VA that I needed to "submit backup info for my claim", I promptly hand wrote an angry letter back to the person who sent me that letter, that I knew for a fact they had my paperwork or else they wouldn't have known that I had applied for an increase since I had all of it stapled together at least 10 times (literally). I also told them that if I didn't hear back from them in 2 weeks telling me they had all my info and were processing my claim, I would yet again conctact my Senator (by name) and make sure the press found out about this because I had all of the copies of what I sent them - not to mention the copies the DAV and my senator also received.

Shortly thereafter, sure enough they contacted me telling me they had all of my info and would promptly process my claim for increases to my disabilities. Within 4 months I received my award letter, which they increased my orignal rating at 20%, to a full 100% Unemployability rating, temporary of course, but a hell of a lot better than 20%.

I was originally rated only for my back, but I also rec'd ratings for each of my knee's, a mental disorder and they increased my back rating - along with the full unemployability rating.

Keep copies of everything, staple the hell out of what you send them, get in touch with your local Senator - hopefully one who is on the Vet's side - and get a rep with the DAV or other Vet service organization. Send them all copies of what you write to the VA regarding your claim. The VA apparently doesn't like it when you do that because it calls them out on their typical "we never got it" crap.

It worked for me, and it's something I'll continue to do, as for when I need to get re-examined for this temp rating, I have no doubt they'll take it away and I'll have to go thru all this sh*t again. I'll be prepared though, you can bet on that!

Laurie

"Don't realy no what to tell you; except that I can relate to wanting to go back to work. While It's true enough that you can eek out a living on VA disabilty payments and ss disability.

However,it has it's draw backs too; your paid monthly, and if something unexpected happens, car breaks down, rent goes up, or if your just verily making it month to month there is nothing you can do to supplement/offset the unexspected."

Technically, this is not true. You can still something you can do to supplement the unexpected. Veterans who are rated IU can still earn up to the poverty level through part-time work.

The classic example is a veteran in Illinois who has no legs. He's also fat, white haired, and has a bush beared. He goes out every December and plays Santa Claus -- a very good one at that! He makes about $4,000 extra each December which he uses to buy his 6 grandchildren presents.

Poverty level is $12,000 a year. I don't recommend any veteran on IU makes anything over $10,000 to prevent any issues from arising, however, a couple thousand selling woodburned signs or repairing guns is acceptable.

Also, if you are rated IU due to a 60% back condition, you probably don't want to make $9,999 per year operating a jackhammer.

How this affects SSD is another issue.

I'm posting on an old issue. For help on this topic check out www.jimstrickland912.com. It's full of great info on how to help yourself beat the VA at its own game.