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BigRob1966
09-16-10, 08:03 AM
I was discharged 2003 with severance disability pay. I received a rating of 0%. I just received a letter from the Department of the Navy stating that my disability was changed to 10%. They are...

Lynn2
09-16-10, 09:13 AM
No expert on this. But 10% means money as far as I know. Somewhere around 120 USD a month. Maybe with back pay?

I have never heard of 10% or above not come with money.

But again its not an area I spend much time on even though I should. No doubt I am missing out on money I could get.

oldtop
09-16-10, 09:59 AM
You are now elligable to receive VA compensation at the 10% rate (possibly higher, as the VA does not rate the same as the military)...here's the part that sucks...#1 it's NOT automatic..you must...

NoRemorse
09-16-10, 10:13 AM
Get yourself to a VSO and gather all your medical records. You at the very least rate medical care for the condition that qualified you for disability severance pay in the first place.

spotts
09-16-10, 12:11 PM
Everyone has given you good information. If you need help with the VSO or what paperwork to fill out IM me. I work for the VA in Philadelphia. You can get the paperwork to print out or fill out online at www.va.gov (http://www.va.gov)

Camper51
09-16-10, 08:09 PM
According to my VSO they will not back date to your discharge date. The date you file for the claim is all the further they go back. If it takes a couple of years to get the claim accepted then you...

larry99
09-17-10, 12:12 AM
i'm a vet nam that is i justput in for ptsd bennies all i hear is it takes forever and the va messes with you, this has messedup my life for years and it gets worse with all the paper work they demand .at least they can't say no', got a combat V.all i can say is stick with all claims and fight for whats yours -- larry

SSD0326
09-23-10, 11:29 PM
I am not sure I even know enough to ask an intelligent question, but here goes...

My Dad served as a Force Recon Marine in Vietnam. He contracted Hep. C as a result of the diving he did in the Rivers of Vietnam (we think). He was seen by the VA back in 1971 (I believe) but those medical records are MIA. NO ONE seems to know where they are...and my Dad was NOT a responsible person back then so he had saved nothing. They have a record of him seeking medical attention, but they have NO records of the results.

FAST FWD...after 30+ years of alcoholism as a result of trying to self-medicate due to PTSD...he had stage 4 cirrhosis. He was in a VA treatment for PTSD and while in treatment died of sepsis.

My mother is trying to get his disability classified as service related....but is that even possible since his medical records have magically disappeared?

spotts
09-24-10, 05:57 AM
Has your mother contacted a VSO such as the American Legion or VFW to help her through the paperwork process? Was your father alreadt rated for PTSD and receiving either compensation or live pension when he passed away?

SSD0326
09-24-10, 08:19 AM
Has your mother contacted a VSO such as the American Legion or VFW to help her through the paperwork process? Was your father alreadt rated for PTSD and receiving either compensation or live pension when he passed away?

Thank you for taking the time to respond....

She has a representative from the VA (he has helped with filing appeals and such). No he was not rated for PTSD (that I know of) because he basically just suffered in silence for YEARS. I know that the VA treatment facility DX'd him with PTSD but that was less than a year before he died.

What is nearly impossible to prove is that the HEP C that he contracted was service related...without the medical records from 1971 there's no real proof that he was DX'd with Hepatitis right after his return from Vietnam. I just find it odd that they HAVE his current address and a record of him being in a VA hospital at that time, but there are NO records of his diagnosis with Hepatitis.

oldtop
09-24-10, 09:35 AM
Did your dad get wounded in VN?? If he was awarded the Purple Heart, that is another route that can be pursued for establishing Hep C...sadly, many of the troops that were wounded in Viet Nam received tainted blood and ended up with Hep C. Check his DD 214 for the PH award. As for the diagnosis, if it was made by a private physician, then it is entirely possible it has been destroyed, private docs usually only keep records for 5 years...the VA on the other hand, should have a record of the diagnosis and treatment. Submit a written request to your local regional office for a copy of your dad's entire C- File, and a copy of his entire VA medical record file. Be prepared to wait several months before the records will be supplied.

SSD0326
09-24-10, 10:57 AM
Did your dad get wounded in VN?? If he was awarded the Purple Heart, that is another route that can be pursued for establishing Hep C...sadly, many of the troops that were wounded in Viet Nam received tainted blood and ended up with Hep C. Check his DD 214 for the PH award. As for the diagnosis, if it was made by a private physician, then it is entirely possible it has been destroyed, private docs usually only keep records for 5 years...the VA on the other hand, should have a record of the diagnosis and treatment. Submit a written request to your local regional office for a copy of your dad's entire C- File, and a copy of his entire VA medical record file. Be prepared to wait several months before the records will be supplied.

Thanks Top...He WAS wounded...a couple times...but no purple heart. I questioned him about that and all he said was that he was a Marine, they didn't hand out purple hearts for scratches in the Corps. I am not sure what the extent of his wounds were (he didn't talk about it AT ALL, until about 4 months before he died). I do know he was wounded though because his mother remembers writing while in a hospital in Danang (?)

I will pass along the info on the C-file...thanks!

larry99
09-24-10, 01:32 PM
ok-duh here's my thing-the marines keep records for 50 years get his c file medical go see the right people if you were in vegas i could point you to them----where are you ?---e mail me lreoch@yahoo.com