| As its summer and I spend most of my time in the garden, I notice a corresponding decline in Veterans seeking help. Could it be others are similarly occupied doing the same? Regardless of the reason, I always like to peruse the site early in the day before tackling the chores and putting the horses out to pasture.
For extra entertainment I have taken to looking at other sites, something I had no time for while researching and filing all the motions for my appeal. One site in particular is unique. I notice the Vets who post there have a habit of listing each and every ailment and rating (even 0%ers). This wouldn’t be a eyeopening list here as we all suffer from a rather narrow vein of diseases which seem to never vary too much. I was amazed at the variety and number of diseases/injuries some of the Vets listed. One seems to be the loss (or claimed loss) of sexual abilities. This rating (SMC-K) used to be granted only when a Vet lost all or part of his/her plumbing and was thus “incapacitated” and unable to perform. Nowadays, if one simply states it or convinces a doctor to state it as fact, he/she is entitled to an extra $95.00/mo. even if Larry, Curley and Moe are all present and accounted for,Why not just prescribe Viagra? Another rating I see a lot of is tinnitus. What I had no idea of was the apparent pandemic of flat feet, bunions, acne vulgaris, acne militaris, hallux valgus etc. It would seem that a lot of these Vets entered service in pristine condition (in peacetime, no less) and somehow fell apart in the service to their country. I will get flak over this and deservedly so. Vets do have incidents that provoke injury/disease processes little understood by the medically unschooled. I doubt that more than half of these are legitimate, though. No one could have so much go so wrong with them in such a short period of time. The Military is not for the weak of heart or body, but let’s be serious. One’s body doesn’t immediately go into decline upon induction. We go through strenuous exercise and good eating habits-often better for us than our previous lifestyles. This is where the dichotomy of health diverges. Why is this? Do you think some Vets might be gaming the system? I do. I have been involved in the VA/VAMC process for 22 years. No, I am not a frequent flyer. I have legitimate, documented claims for a bad back, my hep, AO and tinnitus. My hearing measurably declined while in service. I came down with Hep after a transfusion following a run in with an errant bullet. My bad back is attributable to landing in a forest rather than on a runway one morning and the AO issue is from eating too much Orange and Blue. With those narrow exceptions, I led a rather uneventful existence for 4 years. No hemorrhoids, flat feet, DM2, sexual dysfunction, PTSD (now), bunions, ingrown toenails (preexisting), preternatural athlete’s foot, dyslexia- all in all, a rather boring life during a war. Apparently, some of these disease processes are more prevalent during peacetime.
So bear with me if I fail to empathize with some of these Vets whose problem list runs on to two pages and has more 0% and 10% ratings for diseases I had no idea existed. My empathy is reserved for Vets who are seriously disabled or dieing from incurable diseases. I’m sure they all wish their problems were so mundane.
Back to the garden in pursuit of flat feet (and service connection for same).
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asknod
Bethanie Spangenberg
kcraveiro
robinhoodesqvetsatty
Wesley McCauley
Veterans Claims Help 