Hi all:
Thank you so much for all the support over the past year. I just wanted to post a note of encouragement that sometimes it all works out. Initial ratings were 60%/90% but they didn't rate the most severe condition.
Filed recon through MEB attorney December 9, and it was completed 4 days later!! By having the attorney connect all the dots for them, the rating went from 60/90 to 100/100 plus SMC. Permanent retirement plus VA Permanent and Total. My daughter asked if this was good - I said it depends - its a fair outcome, but I would trade it for my lungs back any day of the week.
Anyway: lessons learned:
1) Be patient - sometimes you just want to sign and run. Use the process. Think long-term.
2) Document everything. If a doc has an opinion about something, ask them to document it.
3) Don't minimize. Don't whine, but if it affects you, get some help. And they can only help if they know.
4) Know what outcome you want. If you don't know what you want, someone else will decide for you.
5) Inform yourself. The attorney was surprised about what I knew about the process, and the VARR request was a 50/50 effort. I was surprised at the knowledge gaps various "officials" had in the process, and what you don't know can hurt you. This board is a wealth of knowledge and ha served me exceptionally well.
6) Use all the resources available - especially the MEB attorneys. They are the only ones in the process who are formally "on your side".
7) Plan for your future while you wait. The rest of your life is a long time.
8) Friends and Family. Little else matters in the long run.
Didn't mean to sound preachy, but I went through every emotion imaginable during this 16 month process. These are things I learned, forgot and had to relearn. Your list is hopefully better. I plan on sticking around to help where i can, and i also want to see how some of the others issues turn out.
Happy New Year, everyone. Bob
Thank you so much for all the support over the past year. I just wanted to post a note of encouragement that sometimes it all works out. Initial ratings were 60%/90% but they didn't rate the most severe condition.
Filed recon through MEB attorney December 9, and it was completed 4 days later!! By having the attorney connect all the dots for them, the rating went from 60/90 to 100/100 plus SMC. Permanent retirement plus VA Permanent and Total. My daughter asked if this was good - I said it depends - its a fair outcome, but I would trade it for my lungs back any day of the week.
Anyway: lessons learned:
1) Be patient - sometimes you just want to sign and run. Use the process. Think long-term.
2) Document everything. If a doc has an opinion about something, ask them to document it.
3) Don't minimize. Don't whine, but if it affects you, get some help. And they can only help if they know.
4) Know what outcome you want. If you don't know what you want, someone else will decide for you.
5) Inform yourself. The attorney was surprised about what I knew about the process, and the VARR request was a 50/50 effort. I was surprised at the knowledge gaps various "officials" had in the process, and what you don't know can hurt you. This board is a wealth of knowledge and ha served me exceptionally well.
6) Use all the resources available - especially the MEB attorneys. They are the only ones in the process who are formally "on your side".
7) Plan for your future while you wait. The rest of your life is a long time.
8) Friends and Family. Little else matters in the long run.
Didn't mean to sound preachy, but I went through every emotion imaginable during this 16 month process. These are things I learned, forgot and had to relearn. Your list is hopefully better. I plan on sticking around to help where i can, and i also want to see how some of the others issues turn out.
Happy New Year, everyone. Bob
