DO I need a VSO or not?

[LKF0508]

I'm currently rated at 80% by the VA, medically retired by the Navy in 2011 at 30%. My husband just retired a few weeks ago and his VSO informed me I should be reevaluated by the VA because several of my conditions have gotten worse over the past 12 years and one of them was never rated and should have been.

1) Do you feel you are likely to have better success filing for an increase if using a VSO?

2) Which VSO organization do you recommend and why? We were using AMVET's, but our representative was fired in the nationwide layoffs that happened in Aug/Sept so now we are on our own again.

3) 100% VA disability rating vs TIDU? Any thoughts/experience with this? It seems like TIDU would be the faster/easier route to 100% because I have been unable to work since I was medically discharged in 2011. The thought of putting together all of the paperwork and scheduling appointments to make a case with the VA to increase my ratings and establish Service Connection for my left knee feels so overwhelming.

Thank you for any advice on this.

 

[DaveK]

Yeah, I would agree that it would be a lot of work and some risk you would need to evaluate for yourself.

Being rated over 10 years means those rated medical conditions will always remain on your record. However, the % can change from 0% to 100% if opened for review.

At 20 years all the rated items and rated % become permanent short of fraud. So, if you were to wait till then and apply, the existing rating would remain.

Before you open a case I would want to show a history of these new potential rated items being in regular treatment. And I would also want to be able to show a history of treatment for the currently rate items.

I would then seek out an experienced doc to complete the VA DBQ and an acceptable to the VA medical opinion showing the diagnosis and a nexus to the military. Even if the VA makes you complete the same DBQ again under their provider, your existing one will make it very challenging for them to disagree with its findings. The DBQs must be less than one year old to be used as current exams in the VA process.

While I tend to build my own case, I utilize the DAV due to their computer access. The portal they can see tends to have more information than when I log into the VA portal.

The Vet Center has also proved helpful as they put letters together for me that were also used as evidence.

I'm sure the experts here will catch what I missed.

Forgot to add... yes, unemployability would definitely be a good option based on you stating being unable to work since 2011. I would get a doc to write down that your medical conditions preclude you from working. Again, this is opening your case for review so that bit of risk is there. It could lead to IU as PTIU or TDIU.


Good luck,

Dave