airforce plane mechanic with 8 yrs in. diagnosed 2 yrs ago with a a1c of over 1400. went from 8 shots a day to the insulin pump with a BG sensor. MEB came back with 20% disability. of course i am appealling it. have medical records from my inital diagnose from off base, the reports from my diabetic consoler, and reports from my DR. with a letter. according to the guidelines, i should recieve 100%. more than one injection a day (pump is 24/7), regulations of activities, (even says on my profile that expires 11/24/11) cases of ketoacidosis or hypoglycemic (highest since pump was over 400, lowest was in 30), restricted diet, and i am currently sending the data from my pump to my diabetic doctor in another state EVERY week. the loss of weight accurd in the beginning (over 30pds in one months). i am currently waiting my appeal date. til than can anyone help me? i am getting no help here and doing all research myself. thank you soooo much in advance.
type 1 with an insulin pump
- Thread starter jasonkmoss
- Start date
Not sure what kind of help your looking for? BTW I would keep copies of the data that you send to the Doc that is out of state.
You need to get your paper work together right now. You must match you actual physical conditions to your paperwork and know your case inside and out. There are people out here who have gone to FPEB's for type 1 and have been awarded 40% after the got 20% with an IPEB but that was only because they did their homework and put a lot of effort into their case. I'm sure they would be glad to help but you can't screw around with this. It's way too important for your future.
Also, Jason is a DES attorney who has handled these type of cases and won. I recommend you contact him ASAP to represent you at the FPEB.
Also, Jason is a DES attorney who has handled these type of cases and won. I recommend you contact him ASAP to represent you at the FPEB.
thanks guys i appreciate any input. i believe i have all my paperwork together. medical records from when i first got diagnosed to the reading on my pump from this week.
just got my appeal date. feb 18th. i have letters from both my Dr. and my diabetic consulor stating specifics on the insulin pump and serverity of diabetes along with "regulations of activities". kinda nervous. any last minute advice?
I would walk them through the your pump process. I would also make sure you tell them this is an autoimmune condition that has destroyed your pancreas's ability to produce two hormones essential for breaking down sugar in your blood insulin and amylin. Also as soon as you begin to talk about your pump, start out by explaining it is your "prosthetic pancreas" and continue to refer to it as a prosthetic organ. Pumps are actually classified a prosthetic even though many medical plans refer to them as durable medical equipment. YOu must make them understand that it is nothing like type-2(the PEB has no idea what the difference is) and your body has no physiological way to regulate blood sugar. You Beta cells have been destroyed. Those beta cells are responsible for monitoring your blood glucose level(BGL) and then either initiating the production of insulin by your pancreas if you have high BGL and they also communicate with the liver when your BGL goes low to initiate secretion of glucogon (stored sugar in the liver) to raise BGL to a safe level. Your body can do none of that as a type 1 which is why you will always battle high and low BGL. Good luck and if you have any other questions before you go in I would be happy to talk with you direct.
so meet with my lawyer and he said the letters from my doctor and diabetic consuler were b.s. pretty much and wouldnt help. that it would be almost impossible to get 40% because of my age and that i am saying that im almost half disabled and basically saying that i cant do a desk job in the cilivian world for 8 hrs. than he goes on comparing my pump to eye glasses.. saying without the glasses he would be disabled but with it on he is not disabled. and relating that to my pump. Even though i have both my doctor and diabetic consuler stating that i should "avoid strenous recreational activities to avoid hypoglycemic episodes" he said the board would laugh at that....now what?
So how does your MEB address your need to regulate your occupational and recreational activities due to diabetes? Does it address this issue at all. If not, it needs to. This will be the issue that will determine if you meet the criteria for a 40% diabetes rating - you must demonstrate your diabetes requires you to regulate both your occupational and recreational activities.
jason, how did the process go for you? your case sounds a lot like mine and I would be interested to learn from your research.
I went through he same process, I finally got PDRL at 40% but not without out many conversations with my endo. You can contact me at jbmmac1@yahoo.com and I can give you the things I learned and how I approached it with my Dr's. The glasses reference is total BS. Just because you are on a pump does not change the need to monitor everything you eat, exercise and unforeseen physiological changes that vary every single day.
You need to go to your VA, DAV, or your state veterans rep. They can give you the help you need, unfortunately you won't get the 100%, you will get it in time, diabetes is one hell of a cruel disease, you need to take GREAT care of yourself, your body will wear down, but no reason you can't enjoy life. B.C. texasorange1@hotmail.com.