For all U.S. Veterans

[Zaphoon]

I'm confused (normal state of mind for me...).

I read Jeff's DNFTT remark to Beth and I can't seem to put my finger the "T" he was referring to.

I'd like to be compliant with DNFTT but need help with the identity of the entity.

PZ

 

[sisgldnhr]

Jeff,

We're not expecting them to pay back to his DX date. His award letter DX him at January 09 (not March 08 ). So they didn't back pay him to October 08 (when the law went into effect). We're just giving them the correct DX date (back pay should be for those 3 months). Which would put a nice dent in my husbands DX medical bills.
sis

 

[dralmiller]

Dnftt

Looked up DNFTT on Wickipedia- that was not my intention.

Explanation:

My Daughter-in-law was diagnosed with ALS. This diagnosis was confirmed by Two

Senior Neurologists at Harvard and another Neurologist at the Mayo Clinic.

As a physician I asked all three Neurologists if they ruled out Lyme Disease as the

possible cause of her ALS.

All three Neurologists told me they performed the ELISA test on her and it was negative.

After considering the fact that the ELISA test results in false negatives in 50% of

Patients with Lyme Disease I ordered a Western Blot Test. The results of the Western

Blot were 3+ positive for Lyme Disease.

Researching the medical literature I found many cases of ALS that when treated for Lyme

Disease recovered
.
I also found the various facts stated in my previous Post- specifically that the incidence of ALS is higher in Military Veterans.

That is what prompted my posts on this forum. NOT DNFTT.

Good intentions are often misinterpreted.

 

[ZenArcher]

So far today there have been 5 phone calls to my home from one Alfred Miller. Oddly enough the phone number also turns out to be the contact number for a 24-7 Car Wash in the San Antonio area. You said you were a physician so I guess that's a side business. This of course was followed by an email of the post above.

Lyme disease does in about 5% of patients cause neurological symptoms. It also causes joint pain, numbness, tingling, headaches, flu-like symptoms all of which point away from ALS. In addition it acts to reduce reflexes which again points away from ALS.

You post this in a thread for veterans claiming that military personnel are more likely to be exposed to ticks. First let me say in my 5 years aboard aircraft carriers I never saw a tick. Let's for arguments sake say that individuals in the Army and Marines are more likely to get bitten. In a study done by Harvard University guess which two branches of service had the lowest relative risk of developing ALS. Yup, Army and Marines. As a matter of fact after correction the Marines were less likely than the general public.

Whether you were intentionally trolling or not a simple search of these forums would show that Lyme disease has been talked about again and again and again and again ... ad infinitum. Should people be checked of course but in my experience almost every PALS I've spoken with, myself included, has had a Western Blot.

Beyond that stop calling my home. I have no wish to speak with you and considering I'm experiencing bulbar symptoms you probably wouldn't understand me. There is no need to email me, I am perfectly capable of reading these forums.

 

[dralmiller]

1) The interval between Tick bite (which may not be noticed) and the manifestations of CNS Lyme Disease may be several years.

2) All military personnel (including me) undergo basic training upon entering the military- and are in fields - regardless of their ultimate career

assignment.

3) Currently the CDC requires at least 5 positive bands on the Western Blot for a positive interpretation. These guidelines are to be

revised in 2010. If a patient only has 2 bands on a Western Blot it is interpreted as negative - even if those 2 bands are specific for the Lyme

Spirochete - they could only appear if that patient had been exposed to Lyme Disease.

4) Most military personnel are exercise enthusiasts and very athletic. The incidence of ALS in Pilots is high - not because there are ticks in

planes but because most pilots are great joggers/hikers and enthusiastic outdoor athletes. The same holds true for those on ships.

I am a retired physician - I was brought to this forum by a "Google Alert"- My comments are to increase awareness - there is no other motive.

 

[indigosd]

JimStrickland912 This is huge. ~Puh-Leeze~ take 30 minutes to learn about this and then tell your Congressional Reps that you expect their support: S. 1963: Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009. Then, educate another veteran about this. The fact that you're reading my message says that you're one of the informed, involved veterans. Encourage others to do the same.Read The Bill: S. 1963 - GovTrack.us
Source: GovTrack.us: Tracking the U.S. Congress
Text of U.S. federal legislation on GovTrack.us

Another FABULOUS site for information about the VA is;
Home Page

 

[ZenArcher]

Just FYI, S.1963 passed the Senate vote and has been sent to the House VA subcommittee. The issue is it only applies to veterans who served on or after 9/11/2001.

 

[indigosd]

Jeff, I actually emailed and phoned my representatives and asked "why" it only applied to those Veterans-no answer as of yet. It is going in front of Congress shortly and although it doesn't apply to Veterans with ALS it does address the needs of caregivers of Veterans.
I am so sad that such critical funding does not recognize the need to support all caregivers of Veterans...my foolish hope is that there may already be something in place-right... How are you doing these days? Thank you for all that you do for our Veterans!

 

[piperl4]

Can anyone explain to me about the term I have been seeing "Tiger Teams" I now have my letters from Johns Hopkins, My local neurologist , as Johns Hopkins is a 3 hour drive and my primary care Doctor. They all 3 say the same thing that I have ALS and then citing a ton of reasons and all the test that were done to arrive at that Diagnoses.

I have heard the term Tiger Team as someone who does the paperwork. I have the DAV as my rep currently. Does anyone know how much more testing the VA will do as quite frankly after $400,000.00 worth of test I am tired and not sure just how much more testing I can take. I also have very badly damaged nerves from dioxin poisining and they have operated 5 times and now on the 11th will cut the Periformus muscle in my butt to take pressure off the sciatic nerve. They will do that on both sides. Each time they have found the same thing my nerves are bright red, swollen and some have blisters on them. I have pictures that the Doctor took as he said he has never seen such extensive nerve damage in a living person.
But back to my point now that I have my paperwork how long does it take to process a ALS claim, is it the years it takes for other claims. I am already at 70% so if I only got 30% that would be around 80 or 90% rating but with the amount of problems I have and reliance on mechanical devices to get around I would hope they wuold be more like 40 or 50%. I am worried about my wife as not having any insurance when I go it going to be tough on her. I do not know how much it would take if you were currently at 70.00 to reach a combined 100% I know thats darn near impossible.
Thanks for all of you and have a happy Thanksgiving
Dave

 

[ZenArcher]

A Tiger Team is a group assigned to completing a specific task.

I've said this a thousand times before and will probably say it a thousand more but if you're diagnosed will ALS you should be using PVA. PVA deals only with "paralyzed" veterans and they have worked closely with ALSA.

Unfortunately, getting to 100% and beyond is not difficult with ALS.

 

[piperl4]

I have a letter from my GP and from my Neurologist and John Hopkins all saying the same thing that I have been diagnosed with ALS)Amyotophic Lateral Sclerosis) Then it spells out all the test that were done and essentially the state I am in. Who is a good PVA as I do not know anything about whats getting ready to happen to me. How long does it take to process this if they have all the info the first time.
Right now I am to scared to think much but know I have to deal with it sooner or later. I see the mininum is 30% and I was confused when you said that unfortunatly 100% was not hard to acheive. Did you mean it is hard to get 100%. In order for me to be at 100% as a 70% already I would have to get a 90% rating to get an overall 100% rating. 50% will give me 80%. Sure does not seem like much considering the consiquances.

Anyone out there been rated yet?
Dave

 

[ZenArcher]

PVA is Paralyzed Veterans of America. To find a number to call in your area take a look at this page. How long it will take depends on your regional office.

30% is for some who has the diagnosis but otherwise shows no symptoms which since ALS is diagnosed mostly by its symptoms is no one. To have it done right the first time you need to apply not only for ALS but also all secondary symptoms.

Unfortunately, getting to 100% and beyond is not difficult with ALS. By that I mean as the disease progresses the loss of use of hands and/or feet makes 100% simple. To me the ability to walk, hold my wife and kids or speak are infinitely more worthwhile than that 100% rating so I say unfortunately.

 

[Marti]

Hello , my name is Martina. I am a veteran and was just diagnosed with a rare case of ALS Tuesday 12/09....what is weird is that I have had a very slow progression. It started 1997 while I was still in the ARMY. It began in my hips then really in my left leg. For years my leg got weaker. getting off the floor and going up stairs was a chore. I didn't think of anything, because I was a little overweight. Then 2005 I had a little girl I noticed my left hand was weak, thought it was carpal tunnel. Never went away! I fall, trip have a hard time dressing and getting out of bed. I went to see a neurologist...2 matter of fact....did all the test blah blah...the doctors said you have signs of ALS.....come back in 6 months. Finally I found a doctor that had balls to diagnose me. In the beginning of 2008 I put in a disability claim not knowing what I had.
YES I have a great DVA that called me....30% off the bat. WOW!

 

[sesl]

I'm in Australia, so apart from being delighted on behalf of all you US Vets, I am not so involved in this news. EXCEPT that one tiny sentence in the article that says that it is unkonwn why Vets are more likely to get this disease than the rest of the population.

My Dad was in Vietnam in Australia, and worked in the Australian Navy for most of his career. He didn't get ALS, but his wife (my mother) has it.

Now I'm really curious.

The plot thickens.

sesl

 

[indigosd]

Jeff, I was roaming around the Social Security web site today trying to find some place to get help and I found this! WHAT DOES THIS MEAN and have you ever seen it? I am going to enter the link after I post the article.



Answer ID
454


Print Answer

Email Answer How do I get Social Security credit for my military service?

Question
How do I get Social Security credit for my military service?

Answer
Earnings for active duty military service or active duty training have been covered under Social Security since 1957.

Social Security has covered inactive duty service in the armed forces reserves (such as weekend drills) since 1988.

If you served in the military before 1957, you did not pay Social Security taxes, but we gave you special credit for some of your service.

Your Social Security benefit depends on your earnings, averaged over your working lifetime. Generally, the higher your earnings, the higher your Social Security benefit. Under certain circumstances, special earnings can be credited to your military pay record for Social Security purposes. The extra earnings are for periods of active duty or active duty for training. These extra earnings may help you qualify for Social Security or increase the amount of your Social Security benefit.

NOTE: Social Security will add these extra earnings to your earnings record when you file for retirement or disability benefits. You may be asked to provide proof of military service at that time. You do not need to take any action prior to applying for your Social Security benefits.

If you served in the military from 1940 through 1956, including attendance at a service academy, you did not pay Social Security taxes. However, we will credit you with $160 a month in earnings for military service from September 16, 1940, through December 31, 1956, if:

· You were honorably discharged after 90 or more days of service, or you were released because of a disability or injury received in the line of duty; or

· You are applying for survivors benefits based on a veteran’s work and the veteran died while on active duty.

You cannot receive credit for these special extra earnings if you are already receiving a federal benefit, e.g, military retirement, based on the same years of service. There is one exception: If you were on active duty after 1956, you can still get the special earnings for 1951 through 1956, even if you're receiving a military retirement based on service during that period.

If you served in the military in 1957 through 1977, you are credited with $300 in additional earnings for each calendar quarter in which you received active duty basic pay.

If you served in the military in 1978 through 2001, you are credited with an additional $100 in earnings, up to a maximum of $1,200 a year, for every $300 in active duty basic pay. After 2001, additional earnings are no longer credited.

If you began your service after September 7, 1980, and did not complete at least 24 months of active duty or your full tour, you may not be able to receive the additional earnings. Check with us for more information.

NOTE: In all cases, the additional earnings are credited to the earnings that we average over your working lifetime, not directly to your monthly benefit amount.