The future is unwritten, but I'm illustrating it now.
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Talk to a lawyer right off the bat - they'll tell you you don't need one, and they'll mislead you after the disability assessment. They'll try to get you to delay taking action by confusing the issue until whatever decision they make becomes final. Whatever you do, don't get discouraged and ignore the paperwork that comes in the mail or get frustrated and give up on it. Also - if you are able to get in to see a doctor of your own choosing, either out of pocket or on the cuff, you're almost always better off getting an opinion from a doc that doesn't work for them. I haven't actually done a VA case, but with Social Security, Railroad Board and just about any other federal system, there's a medical determination regarding what you're able to do physically, then there's a vocational determination made regarding how your physical abilities translate into employability based on your age, physical and psychiatric condition, education and work experience. The more restrictive the physical limitations, the more restricted the employability.
Physically, I'd focus on abilty to sit/stand/walk/lift/carry being limited. With severe limitations in those areas, you're basically precluded from doing most sedentary and light jobs, making it awfully hard to argue that you're employable. Same with the mental side of it - you want any depression/PTSD/anxiety well documented by a doctor in your corner so that you can counter what their docs say.
That's my two cents. Good luck.
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I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling kids!
Last edited by el_victorino : 04-27-2010 at 03:58 PM.
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What really sucks is the fact that some guys get out physically healthy enough to continue living the normal life, but they know how to work the system enough to get their 100% disability!
Don't get me wrong, PTSD and TBIs are a bitch, but some people really don't deserve to be 100% disabled when there are Vets like yourself who have lost their ability to do basic shit like walk, stand and sit comfortably!
You better get your 100%! Everyone I know tells me I need to get rated because of how I am since I've been back, but I leave the disability for those who need it...
Good luck to you Sir!
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"I only came here to do two things tonight: drink some beer and kick some ass. Looks like we're almost out of beer."
Last edited by AngryManny : 04-28-2010 at 02:13 AM.