Hysterectomies qualify for 80%, my mom was a GS Nurse at BAMC for a while and yea female officers would get a Hysterectomy right before separating.

NM

JT05 said:

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And the system covers many things it shouldn't.

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And those many things are?

What is your medical background to make that charge?

What is your military backround?

Medical background is none. I have 10 years of service in the military, a year in Iraq and a year in Afghanistan, I've been on multiple BN/BDE staffs and gotten to know numerous PAs, Docs, and others related to the medical field and listened to their thoughts on these issues. I've been a platoon leader and a company commander. Seen plenty of abuse, mostly though with PTSD claims. Plenty of other examples in this thread that qualify as unreasonable disability claims.

JT05 said:

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74OA said:

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VA applies very specific requirements set down in law when determining disability compensation. If you don't like it, then work with your Congressional reps to get the law changed, but quit *****ing at those who execute the law or apply for benefits under the law. For every anecdotal cheat, there are thousands of deserving vets.

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There are plenty of people abusing the system (way more than anecdotal, sorry). And the system covers many things it shouldn't. Not sure how any of that is debatable.

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Of course it's debatable. Just because you believe the law is more generous than it need be is merely one man's opinion. Again, if you don't like the law and believe many are abusing it, work to get it changed.

74OA said:

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JT05 said:

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74OA said:

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VA applies very specific requirements set down in law when determining disability compensation. If you don't like it, then work with your Congressional reps to get the law changed, but quit *****ing at those who execute the law or apply for benefits under the law. For every anecdotal cheat, there are thousands of deserving vets.

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There are plenty of people abusing the system (way more than anecdotal, sorry). And the system covers many things it shouldn't. Not sure how any of that is debatable.

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Of course it's debatable. Just because you believe the law is more generous than it need be is merely one man's opinion. Again, if you don't like the law and believe many are abusing it, work to get it changed.

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I mean, I guess anything is debatable. IMO if someone takes advantage of the crap way our VA handles disability ( ie you applied for disability because of sleep apnea, c section, etc) you are a disgrace to the service.

CT'97 said:

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FYI, sleep apnea has been tied to mTBI in a recently published study, confirming what many neurologist have believed for a while now.

I never snored or had apneas prior to being blown up in Afghanistan, now have to sleep with a c pap. You rattle your brain around inside your skull and a lot of things can change.

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Being blown up in AFG is certainly a valid reason for a disability claim. Happy veterans day and thank you for your service!

Amen!

I have been actually debating whether or not to make a VA claim. Since I have gotten back I have had several issues diagnosed by different doctors all related to not being able to handle stress as well as I used to. I am prone to panic attacks, get a periodic heart arrhythmia, and get eczema during high times of stress. I know it is minor in the grand scheme of things compared to people who lost so much, but I never had these problems prior to deploying.

But my issue is whether or not I should make a claim now or just wait and hope they don't get worse. It's been going on for 10 years now and I better understand how to control myself to prevent panic attacks. But that in and of itself is a problem. I had an uncle that fought in Vietnam that warned me these issues for him started small and got progressively worse.

I really scoffed at everyone trying to get their 10 percent, and frankly thought they were all trying to abuse the system. But these are real issues for me and now I am in a quandary. If I wait until I can't sleep and need more
Medical care, will they question why I waited longer than I had? If people find out I am getting ten percent for these type of issues, will they look down on me? I have waited a decade and these things aren't going away for me. I just don't know.

I don't disagree with you, and anyone who's listened to the retirees in the locker room on post discuss what the correct description of symptoms to increase disability, wouldn't either.

The problem with you logic is the 24/7 nature of active duty, especially when physical fitness is part of the job description. Do you differentiate between basketball played during PT and a pickup game after work? Where does O-day activities fall...recreation or duty? How about a pickup game in a COP in some backwater in AFG? Does military healthcare now require co-pay for non-duty medical issues and injuries?

You may not be at work, but you are always on duty. 4am phone call...sorry top, I don't clock in till 0630. I'll talk to you then. Not an option. Unless the DOD wants to start paying overtime to the military, then they will have a hard time not covering issues that arise in or out of uniform.

The chronic disease portion is harder to wrap my head around, but the the injury component is not.

Disclaimer: I get 20%...10% for a deviated septum that was successfully repaired, and 10% for a tinnitus developed after a year living with constant artillery fire (mostly outgoing). I didn't ask for it, they reviewed my records when I REFRADed and came up with that.

Dated a JAG in the air force a little while back. She said active duty miltary females were claiming "sexual assault" and PTSD for someone attempting to kiss them on the cheek. They were walking away from the VA with a 50 grand check no questions asked.

Also, I know this is the exception to the rule, but I see LOTS of vets and active duty EXPECTING a discount from a business for their service. Even to the point of throwing a tantrum at the register when they dont get it. Service is voluntary, and those people ruin it for the good ones IMO

Our son while in the navy was told during a physical that his minor heart murmur would qualify him for partial disability pay for life, if he claimed it.

He had the murmur all of his life, played HS football and track with it, without problems. Now the NAVY Doc told him to file for disability. He said no thanks. Came home, spent 4 years in the Corps, then went back into the USCG. He still has the heart murmur, but simply chooses to ignore it...

I've been fighting the VA for almost two years. Over 18 years flying fighters (active duty and ANG) with flight line noise exposure. VA won't provide hearing aids unless service connected. I am not even seeking financial compensation, I just want the HA's. There is such thing as a "zero percent disability" which would allow me to get them, but the shoe clerks deciding this say there is no service connection. (Ten minutes near a running F-4 might change their minds).

The good news is I was able to find my former flight surgeon/clinic commander/astronaut. He wrote me a letter stating that in his opinion, my hearing loss was attributable to flight line noise exposure. The bad news is my veterans advocate in New Braunfels (she's been very helpful) says it can be up to three years before I hear (no pun intended) anything back.

With such "success" on something that should be straightforward, I'm not even attempting a claim on my back from an aircraft ejection from 39 years ago with sketchy medical records in ANG.

What you see in this thread is the huge shift in how benefits are given out now versus in the past.

When I've had friends ETS, they've told me how the Doctor advising them told them all the ways to game the system. Most have been offered the 10% for tennitis and some odd % for knee tendinitis/back pain.

In my opinion, since the system is so broken right now, the responsibility is on the individual service member to be honorable and honest about their VA disability claim.

I was enlisted, I served 14 years in the Infantry and received "not service connected" for an injury that caused me to get a medical discharge. I'm in the appeals process and I'll probably get it but damn.

Compensation would be a plus but if I can at least get 0%, I'll be satisfied. I get a little for PTSD and tinnitus but I got "not service connected for my back that I spent a year rehabbing(and I'm 2" shorter than I was when I enlisted) "not service connected" for nerve damage surgery from an injury that happened in training, and other things.

When I'm 65 and need a hip replacement because I dislocated it on a 25mi road march, I want the Army to own up and pay for it. When I need new knees from over 100 jumps, I want the Army to own up and pay for it.

The fact that they give percentages for ED, IBS, and hair loss is just flat out stupid. But the fact that I can't get 0% for serious crap that happened in uniform just blows my mind

Ag fan grunt said:

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The fact that they give percentages for ED, IBS, and hair loss is just flat out stupid. But the fact that I can't get 0% for serious crap that happened in uniform just blows my mind

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That's my point as well. How can they say my 18 years of flight line exposer was not service connected to provide hearing aids but all these other things are? What is equally frustrating is how they are slow rolling me for years to make what should be a simple ruling.

F4GIB71,
Do you have copies of your yearly flight physicals while on active flight status. They could show the deterioration of your hearing, especially at high db's. Mine showed it, but it improved over time.
I see the F4GIB, I have about 4K hours in the F4B,J,N,S. But I was a Platoon Commander with 3rd Marines my first 13 month tour in Vietnam (1968). Returned to SEAsia/Vietnam twice flying the F4, Carrier tour aboard USS Forrestal, Top Gun, then 3 Squadron deployments to the far East.
My wife called the Phantom my Mistress. She was a WWII/Korea Navy flyers daughter. We are on our 50th year. Married her and 2 plus weeks later was off to Vietnam for 13 months.

Thanks Bufrilla,
I have copies of all my hearing tests. My hearing did not show any loss over my six years of AD. The first VA review referenced that. I flew another 12 in the ANG which I guess they thought was just one weekend per month for drill. As you probably know, Guard/Reserves had to meet the same Flight training requirements as AD but they did not seem to consider the further deterioration by the time I stopped flying (we got F-16s).

I found one of our flight surgeons (also clinic commander) who was an Astronaut payload specialist. He is on faculty at Vanderbilt Medical school. I sent him copies of the hearing tests, he even visited the VA office in Nashville, and wrote me a letter stating that "in his opinion, my hearing loss was directly attributable to flight line noise exposure". My Veteran Coordinator in New Braunfels says that was what we needed. My point is that any VA claim is a roll of the dice. Some, as alleged in this thread, are abusing the system. We are all at the mercy of bureaucrats, many who have never served.

Still waiting but not holding my breath.