All Veteran EB owners

[bronco italiano]

VA Disability is totally different and independent from any insurance. If you don't mind watching Youtube videos, check out the ones by a guy called Combat Craig. He goes into pretty good detail about the process to start a claim and what you can get rated for, especially for someone who has been out for a while. Your local VFW should have a rep for the VA who can help, Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is another very helpful organization. I think any veteran who is suffering from an injury or illness they were treated for in the military should be getting compensated for it. Don't wait until closer to retirement, the sooner you get the process started, the sooner you can start getting compensated. And any VA Disability compensation is non-taxed.

And the County Veteran Service Office (VSO) is paid to help any veteran with filing a claim. The paperwork may look easy, but one little mistake and the reject it.

 

[bulletpruf]

Thanks for the info. I'm about to retire about 26+ years of Army active duty. I got the anthrax series of shots, spent 15 months in Iraq, and only had malaria once (caught in Korea)! I'm in the burn pit registry already.

Also going through VA disability process now for a few decades worth of dings and dents.

 

[dmoses42]

Thanks for the info. I'm about to retire about 26+ years of Army active duty. I got the anthrax series of shots, spent 15 months in Iraq, and only had malaria once (caught in Korea)! I'm in the burn pit registry already.

Also going through VA disability process now for a few decades worth of dings and dents.

You probably already know this, but make sure you get a complete copy of your medical records before you retire. It should be a seamless transfer of documents from military to the VA, but Government happens, so... Better safe than sorry.

 

[bulletpruf]

You probably already know this, but make sure you get a complete copy of your medical records before you retire. It should be a seamless transfer of documents from military to the VA, but Government happens, so... Better safe than sorry.

Already done. The VFW has been helping me with my disability claim and they had me get all my records so they could go through them and highlight the issues that are relevant to a disability claim.

 

[distended]

I have yet to try and get signed up for some Vet insurance, to get that going towards when I retire..

I remember shots too like you got no choice lol (not gulf)

You're right, I haven't done anything yet either. Don't know where to start really.

 

[hyghlndr]

IMHO every Veteran should reach out to their VSO and help them through the process. My dad went in the 1970s and wasn't eligible for anything... the world and the VA has changed Dramatically! My dad waited a while 30+ years, he was eligible for a ton and VA was remarkable! Both service connected benefits and the health care team was outstanding.

 

[dmoses42]

You're right, I haven't done anything yet either. Don't know where to start really.

You should probably start with your local Veteran Services Office, local VFW, or DAV office. AMVETS can probably help too but I don't have any experience with them. Which ever one you decide to go to, just tell them you want to look into a VA disability claim. As Don said above, VSO is paid to help you through the process. If you watch those Combat Craig videos I referenced above, they will give you an idea of what you need and what you can seek a claim for, but definitely have someone like your local VSO file the paperwork for you so nothing gets missed. If you miss one little thing they will deny your claim and you will have to start over. There are others than the Combat Craig on Youtube, but I thought they were too much legal speak and repetitive, but that's just me. If you go to Youtube and search "VA disability" you will have tons to choose from, but like I said, just use them for reference.

 

[distended]

You should probably start with your local Veteran Services Office, local VFW, or DAV office. AMVETS can probably help too but I don't have any experience with them. Which ever one you decide to go to, just tell them you want to look into a VA disability claim. As Don said above, VSO is paid to help you through the process. If you watch those Combat Craig videos I referenced above, they will give you an idea of what you need and what you can seek a claim for, but definitely have someone like your local VSO file the paperwork for you so nothing gets missed. If you miss one little thing they will deny your claim and you will have to start over. There are others than the Combat Craig on Youtube, but I thought they were too much legal speak and repetitive, but that's just me. If you go to Youtube and search "VA disability" you will have tons to choose from, but like I said, just use them for reference.

Thank you so much.

It's not something I ever thought to consider. My wife's uncle who's not much older than me is a SEAL. I'm 52, he's maybe10 years older than me but he got some pretty bad injuries from whatever he was involved in. A good friend was helicopter air crew in the Navy and survived a crash during Desert Storm. I always felt that this was for guys like them. Both of them have encouraged me to look into this so I did request my service and medical records, then I requested them again and got them so I'm ahead there I suppose.

Maybe I'll go to the VFW with my air crew buddy and do a little more investigating.

 

[dmoses42]

Thank you so much.

It's not something I ever thought to consider. My wife's uncle who's not much older than me is a SEAL. I'm 52, he's maybe10 years older than me but he got some pretty bad injuries from whatever he was involved in. A good friend was helicopter air crew in the Navy and survived a crash during Desert Storm. I always felt that this was for guys like them. Both of them have encouraged me to look into this so I did request my service and medical records, then I requested them again and got them so I'm ahead there I suppose.

Maybe I'll go to the VFW with my air crew buddy and do a little more investigating.

Basically, if you went to the clinic for it while on active duty, you can probably get a claim for it. Everything from broken bones or surgery to allergies and acid reflux. If you went to the clinic or hospital and had a diagnosis, and still see a doctor for it, or conditions related to it, you can claim it. VA will verify it all, so if you are being honest, odds are your claim will be approved. I will say it is harder after you get out. Like I said, you need to have been diagnosed on active duty, a current diagnosis, and a nexus letter from your current doctor linking your current diagnosis to your active duty injury or illness. And your nexus letter just has to say that your current diagnosis "is as likely as not" to be caused by your active duty service. I did a lot of my research during the COVID lockdown before I retired.

 

[distended]

Basically, if you went to the clinic for it while on active duty, you can probably get a claim for it. Everything from broken bones or surgery to allergies and acid reflux. If you went to the clinic or hospital and had a diagnosis, and still see a doctor for it, or conditions related to it, you can claim it. VA will verify it all, so if you are being honest, odds are your claim will be approved. I will say it is harder after you get out. Like I said, you need to have been diagnosed on active duty, a current diagnosis, and a nexus letter from your current doctor linking your current diagnosis to your active duty injury or illness. And your nexus letter just has to say that your current diagnosis "is as likely as not" to be caused by your active duty service. I did a lot of my research during the COVID lockdown before I retired.

That right there helps.

Thanks again.

 

[dmoses42]

Glad to be able to help!

 

[bronco italiano]

Trying ro upload the paper Crawlin68. Not sure how to do it from cell.

 

[bronco italiano]

Here it is Patrick:
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp19.pdf

 

[bronco italiano]

IMHO every Veteran should reach out to their VSO and help them through the process. My dad went in the 1970s and wasn't eligible for anything... the world and the VA has changed Dramatically! My dad waited a while 30+ years, he was eligible for a ton and VA was remarkable! Both service connected benefits and the health care team was outstanding.

Yep. My Uncle left Vietnam 50 years prior to becoming eligible to apply for Blue water Navy. And then it took another 3 years to be granted for benefits. Always us the VSO/VFW/ETC and then after 6 months take your file (make 3 copies) to your U.S. representative to act on your behalf. In Stockton we are lucky to have Josh Harder. His grandfather died from agent orange so he gets it and has a great staff to advocate for his constituents.

 

[77BRONKOTN]

I wonder about exposure to DU from places like Ft Knox. I know DU tank rounds were used here along with other types of uranium. We would have bonfires and Im sure it got inhaled. The DU sabot rounds are painted but not after they hit the dirt or an old 114.

Back in the 70s/80s this stuff was tested at a lot of different places in several different weapons systems.

Glad to see a starting point from the VA. But the damage has been done, there is never a hurry in this system.

The VA insists my blown out hearing isn't from 8 years of tanks either.

 

[bronco italiano]

Basically, if you went to the clinic for it while on active duty, you can probably get a claim for it. Everything from broken bones or surgery to allergies and acid reflux. If you went to the clinic or hospital and had a diagnosis, and still see a doctor for it, or conditions related to it, you can claim it. VA will verify it all, so if you are being honest, odds are your claim will be approved. I will say it is harder after you get out. Like I said, you need to have been diagnosed on active duty, a current diagnosis, and a nexus letter from your current doctor linking your current diagnosis to your active duty injury or illness. And your nexus letter just has to say that your current diagnosis "is as likely as not" to be caused by your active duty service. I did a lot of my research during the COVID lockdown before I retired.

That is exactly how to do it. No VA doctor will do a Nexus letter usually. So it must come from an outside Doctor if you get denied and then appeal.

I wonder about exposure to DU from places like Ft Knox. I know DU tank rounds were used here along with other types of uranium. We would have bonfires and Im sure it got inhaled. The DU sabot rounds are painted but not after they hit the dirt or an old 114.

Back in the 70s/80s this stuff was tested at a lot of different places in several different weapons systems.

Glad to see a starting point from the VA. But the damage has been done, there is never a hurry in this system.

The VA insists my blown out hearing isn't from 8 years of tanks either.

VA considers the DU used as armor and it had to be smoldering from damage. The fumes from DU, CARC paints, PFAS and who knows all the other stuff we don't know about. I am sure RF signals and certain radars are not healthy either. A former co-worker's dad was a RF genius that developed "The Duke" black box in the Humvee's that went operational about 2007. It was the "signal jumper" so cell phones couldn't detonate IED's. Bob Stoddard (the inventor/patent holder) said it took over a year of testing to make sure the RF's didn't harm the soldiers.

 

[dmoses42]

I was in the RF Transmissions career field for about 22 years. Every time we got a new piece of equipment, the guys from Bioenvironmental would come over with their sniffer thingy and tell us how far out from our equipment the hazard barrier had to be. Most of the equipment we used was new to the military and didn't have tech manuals developed yet. If we got something that had been around a while, the hazard barrier size was listed in the tech manual. That only works if the people seeing the signs can read English though. We went to Egypt in 1997 for an exercise and the locals would just cross the barrier and walk right in front of our equipment. We had to get someone who spoke their language to tell them the RF Radiation Hazard sign literally said Death Ray before they stopped crossing our barriers.

 

[bulletpruf]

Basically, if you went to the clinic for it while on active duty, you can probably get a claim for it. Everything from broken bones or surgery to allergies and acid reflux. If you went to the clinic or hospital and had a diagnosis, and still see a doctor for it, or conditions related to it, you can claim it. VA will verify it all, so if you are being honest, odds are your claim will be approved. I will say it is harder after you get out. Like I said, you need to have been diagnosed on active duty, a current diagnosis, and a nexus letter from your current doctor linking your current diagnosis to your active duty injury or illness. And your nexus letter just has to say that your current diagnosis "is as likely as not" to be caused by your active duty service. I did a lot of my research during the COVID lockdown before I retired.

To clarify a bit -- the VA is really only interested in those service-connected medical conditions that occurred while you were on active duty that you're still suffering from.

Example - I got malaria in Korea, but it was cured. No claim. Broken bones? No claim unless it is still an issue - didn't heal properly, associated with a chronic condition, etc. Arthritis that started during your career? Compensable. Hearing loss suffered during service is a valid claim, and that's quite common. We all took hearing exams during our military service, so it's pretty easy to show that hearing got worse as your service continued.

 

[dmoses42]

To clarify a bit -- the VA is really only interested in those service-connected medical conditions that occurred while you were on active duty that you're still suffering from.

Example - I got malaria in Korea, but it was cured. No claim. Broken bones? No claim unless it is still an issue - didn't heal properly, associated with a chronic condition, etc. Arthritis that started during your career? Compensable. Hearing loss suffered during service is a valid claim, and that's quite common. We all took hearing exams during our military service, so it's pretty easy to show that hearing got worse as your service continued.

You are correct. I thought I made that clear enough in my post, but maybe I didn't. Either way, you are correct.

 

[sprdv1]

You're right, I haven't done anything yet either. Don't know where to start really.

from talking with buddies, start with one instance/claim, then you have to work your way up in %% from there.

How I understand it as well is you're not taking someone else's $$, it's there for the Vet, just needs to be claimed "over time"