VA Disablty

[mjarrels]

Just had my va disablty raised from 10% to 70% due to PTSD took about one year to do. Now most of my Navy retirement will be state and federal tax free along with a big reduction on personal property taxes. Took about 6 weeks to get into the VA for health care but all my meds are free now and no medical bills at all.

mark, USN Chief Petty Officer retired

 

[deserteagle71]

Just had my va disablty raised from 10% to 70% due to PTSD took about one year to do. Now most of my Navy retirement will be state and federal tax free along with a big reduction on personal property taxes. Took about 6 weeks to get into the VA for health care but all my meds are free now and no medical bills at all.

mark, USN Chief Petty Officer retired

Good luck! I signed up for VA medical in 2017 after retiring from my job where I had excellent medical insurance. It took about 3 months of snafus just to get the VA medical card. Getting an appointment to see a doctor was another story...took forever. But now they have a new way of getting set up for an appointment wherein I had to go on line and request the appointment. Then 3 weeks later someone called me and made the appointment.

Brown Water Navy veteran!

 

[ultrarunner]

Just had my va disablty raised from 10% to 70% due to PTSD took about one year to do. Now most of my Navy retirement will be state and federal tax free along with a big reduction on personal property taxes. Took about 6 weeks to get into the VA for health care but all my meds are free now and no medical bills at all.

mark, USN Chief Petty Officer retired

As retired military can you access VA healthcare outside the country?

I'm thinking Germany, Philippines, Japan?

Some countries have retired US military populations and I've wondered if VA healthcare helps making overseas retirement possible?

 

[Darth_DMack]

I just retired on 01 MAR 2023 after 36 years in boots. I was not pleased with the VA assessment process, not in the least bit. I was given a 90% rating as my initial assessment, from 49 claims, and out of those 49 claims, 14 of them were "Service Connected - 0%".

I have 7 boots on the ground combat deployments since 9-11, and a few before 9-11. I have two complete medevac's out of country, but the VA assessment was a joke. No range of motion exercises, no point of pain discussion, nothing. I'm deaf in my left ear from IED overpressure, TBI, the works.

I have elevated it to a higher level, hopefully I can have a re-evaluation.

I chose to retire with Tricare Select (formerly Tricare for Life) and I have the vast majority of our providers in my area are in the Tricare network. I have not used the VA for any medical services to date.

Best of luck to you all, if you are battling with VA Compensation Benefits. I hope your experience is better than mine. Combat Wounded Veteran, Service Connected Disabilities don't carry the same weight as it used to... seems like.

 

[JeepHead]

I am presently waiting a determination on my VA disability decision. I was diagnosed with PTSD from a military doctor while I was on active duty over 20 years ago. I have been treated for it ever since leaving them. We'll see what happens.... My son was approved for full disability for PTSD after leaving a Spec Warfare division. He gets a nice check from them every month and is now back working for the gov in an elite sector..

 

[Darth_DMack]

I am presently waiting a determination on my VA disability decision. I was diagnosed with PTSD from a military doctor while I was on active duty over 20 years ago. I have been treated for it ever since leaving them. We'll see what happens.... My son was approved for full disability for PTSD after leaving a Spec Warfare division. He gets a nice check from them every month and is now back working for the gov in an elite sector..

I too, come from the SOF community. Working now doing much the same.

 

[319Quahog]

I just retired on 01 MAR 2023 after 36 years in boots. I was not pleased with the VA assessment process, not in the least bit. I was given a 90% rating as my initial assessment, from 49 claims, and out of those 49 claims, 14 of them were "Service Connected - 0%".

I ended up 100% T&P as a first time go.

You should be able to appeal some of the things you think are misrated and I believe there is a process to discuss the fact they didn't measure range of motion/how far stuff bent in your initial total body C&P upon retiring.

Overall the evals are hit and miss and dependent upon what the contractor feels like doing so they can answer what is on their screen. Not at all impressed with the process which took over a year and travel to four states to complete.

The VA employee who submitted my claim when I was retiring was helpful. This is what you're claiming-review 38cfr for the claimed conditions before the C&P. You don't have to exaggerate anything. You sometimes have to say the right words.

There is also evidence beyond medical records. Mental folks looked at stuff on the 214. A bunch of the injuries could be traced back to stuff on the jump log, so 131 jumps of N/MT/CE and a whole bunch of N/MT/CE/J added to the evidence pile. Some photos of surgery scars, etc.

There are some amusing aspects though:

I was an artilleryman for almost 29 years with documented hearing loss.

 

[Darth_DMack]

I ended up 100% T&P as a first time go.

You should be able to appeal some of the things you think are misrated and I believe there is a process to discuss the fact they didn't measure range of motion/how far stuff bent in your initial total body C&P upon retiring.

Overall the evals are hit and miss and dependent upon what the contractor feels like doing so they can answer what is on their screen. Not at all impressed with the process which took over a year and travel to four states to complete.

The VA employee who submitted my claim when I was retiring was helpful. This is what you're claiming-review 38cfr for the claimed conditions before the C&P. You don't have to exaggerate anything. You sometimes have to say the right words.

There is also evidence beyond medical records. Mental folks looked at stuff on the 214. A bunch of the injuries could be traced back to stuff on the jump log, so 131 jumps of N/MT/CE and a whole bunch of N/MT/CE/J added to the evidence pile. Some photos of surgery scars, etc.

There are some amusing aspects though:
View attachment 868900
I was an artilleryman for almost 29 years with documented hearing loss.

I ended with 134 static jumps, and over 350 freefall jumps. Not an artillery guy, but spent all but the last four years of my career in the SOF world. I'm motivated to keep working it. I'm at 93% (rated at 90%) and I have a few "re-evals" coming up. Fingers crossed!!!

 

[mjarrels]

I ended with 134 static jumps, and over 350 freefall jumps. Not an artillery guy, but spent all but the last four years of my career in the SOF world. I'm motivated to keep working it. I'm at 93% (rated at 90%) and I have a few "re-evals" coming up. Fingers crossed!!!

Just had it increased to 100%, no more personal property taxes, big decease in electric rates, free access to national parks and many other befits. I guess I am part of the one percent class with 100% disability. Life is good except I turned 70 yesterday.

mark

 

[Darth_DMack]

Update on my VA status.

I never filed for PTSD or any Mental Health claims. Working with a Ranger Buddy of mine (VA claims "coach") we just did an "Intent to file".

I have my first session with a VA Psych Doc on 05 SEP 2024 for a Diagnosis and IMO (Independent Medical Opinion). If they give me a PTSD diagnosis, then that with all supporting docs goes to the VA. They may or may not assign me to go to a C&P for it. All I need is a 30% Mental Health Claim per VA "math" and it puts me over the 100% P&T threshold.

I should have done this a year ago when I retired. But, I was raised (like most of us Vets) by the "If you can't see bone, DRIVE ON!" mentality. You know the deal... "Here's a bottle of 800mg Motrin... now, take a knee Ranger, drink water!"

Honestly, the thought of seeing a shrink, and having her crawl inside my head and have me talk about things I have kept folded neatly in a lead box in my mind, scares the hell out of me.

Fingers crossed!