Newly separated veteran family with boat load of Q's
Hello!
I am new to this site, and am very glad that such a resource exists. I also think my husband will be excited to find that such a community exists. Additionally, I have several things I need to help my husband and I have read literally hundreds of pages of information on benefits and what to expect post-discharge, and all the informational veteran sites are frustratingly and strategically ambiguous. My husband and I finally have an appointment to see a patient advocate at the VA on finding general "stuff" out, but after dealing with IPAC and DEERS, I spent the first 6 months of my new marriage in the office at IPAC trying to convince them through mypay that my husband had never seen a penny of BAH. Therein lies my anxiety of having to deal with these agencies. Thank you very much for sitting through that, now here is my actual problem.
My husband was recently medically and honorably discharged from Camp lejeune after 3 years and 8 months of service. This was not a shock, but it also wasn't entirely expected, as we had a week, then ten days to drop our lives and pack(I mean I had a week and ten days to pack=) ) and move 2000 miles home. However, They didn't medically analyze him and therefore did not assign him a percentage. I find this a very precarious situation because I want him to be taken care of for the things he has gone through. I have postponed going to med school to help take care of him and help him get through school. I believe this is the best decision, and this need not be addressed, I am citing it as to how important succeeding in this mission is.
Basically, he needs to be assigned a percentage, and he needs to utilize his GI bill, and I am finding it difficult to find thorough information on the former. As to receiving benefits, he wasn't assigned a percentage at Lejeune, which is the hospitals mistake, but how do I amend that? I know I have to send some forms to Waco, TX to apply for benefits, but how does he, euphemism aside, not get ripped off? I made 3 copies of his 4 inch thick medical history, and I know I give a copy to the patient advocate, but should I try and get him an appointment with a civilian or VA doctor or both? What questions should I ask the patient advocate? Is there anything I could do or look up prior to our appointment that would help him? I also was told not to be surprised at a 6 month long application for benefits process, yet I know quite a few marines who left medically discharged and received their benefits immediately. How do I speed the process up and make the benefit committee make a well-researched decision about my husband? Has anyone ever left the service without a percentage that was supposed to have one? Is there a chart somewhere on how much my husbands body is worth to this committee? Finally, to dig up a whole new dog, I read here ( http://www.*************/benefits/mi...compensation#1 ) that a veteran can receive benefits for a disabled spouse. I don't know what counts as disabled. I was diagnosed with some abnormal cancerous cells some months before he was discharged, but surely that doesn't count? I also have heinous asthma, and does the committee need to know that? I know this is long, and I've never actually belonged to a forum before, but my husband and I are going into this process blind and ignorant and any information anyone can give us will be greatly appreciated.
About the GI bill- which GI bill is better? Does he receive the benefits year round, or only while he is in the classroom? Do the benefits change if he takes fewer classes? He has looked at getting some homeland security certifications, and does the GI bill cover that? If he does an online certification at one institution and real classes at another, will the GI bill cover that? Or could he take classes during the school year and then a certification course in the summer? If he uses a GI bill now, gets a job, and then wants to go back and do some stuff when I get out of med school, can he still use it or is it gone? What if he uses his GI bill to get certified for a few things, then gets a job with the government that he's been looking at, can he go back to school on the GI bill 4 years later?
Does anyone have any particular good advice that may not address any of my questions? Thanks!
Sincerely,
Autumn, partner in crime to a USMC vet :flag:
ps- every day is independence day when the people I care about are defending my freedom! Happy Independence day!