Are you a Reservist or Guardsman who was injured while on ...

If you get injured, go to a military medical facility or TMC. Make sure they document the details of the injury and the treatment you received and ask for ... PostedonSep11,2015 AreyouaReservistorGuardsmanwhowasinjuredwhileonactivedutyoradeploymentandwanttofileaclaimwiththeVA? CW4(Jointosee) 63K 68 54 14 14 0 Here’ssometipsonhowtofileaVAdisabilityclaim,especiallyifthisisyourfirsttime.Ifyougetinjured,gotoamilitarymedicalfacilityorTMC.Makesuretheydocumentthedetailsoftheinjuryandthetreatmentyoureceivedandaskforcopiesofthedocumentation.NotifyyourlocalcommanderandtellthemyouneedaLineofDutyinjuryreport(forArmy,it’saDAFORM2173).Theywilllikelytellyouthatyoudon’tneedonebecauseyou’reonactivedutyandyourmedicalrecordswillsuffice–doitanyway,youwillthankmelater.Iftherearewitnessestoyourinjury,trytogetthemtowriteupastatementaboutyourinjuries.Ifyou’recomingoffadeployment,makesureyoureportallinjuriestothemedicaloutprocessingstationandgetfurthertreatmentasnecessary–again,getcopiesofallreports,x-rays,therapy,etc.Dependingontheseriousnessoftheinjuries,theymayaskyouifwanttostayandreceivetreatmentorgohomeandgettreatment.Iknoweveryonewantstogohomebutseriouslyconsidergettingtreatmentattheinstallationyou’reat.Again,thekeyisgetdocumentation.Onceyougethome,youshouldlookintoenrollingatyourlocalVAhospitalformedicaltreatmentofserviceconnectedinjuries.OEF/OIF/ONDreturningvetswhoenrollbeforeFebruary12,2016canobtaintreatmentofserviceconnectedinjurieswithoutgoingthroughtheVAdisabilityapplicationprocessandwillbeplacedinprioritygroup6orhigher.Youshouldreceiveabriefingonallthiswhileout-processing.YoushouldbeginyourVAdisabilityapplicationprocessassoonaspossible.Ifit’syourfirsttimeapplying,collectallyourmedicalrecordsandgetthemorganized.Ifyouwenttoadoctoronthecivilianside,getallthoserecordstoo.TherearetwothingsIcan’tstressenough:ReviewtheVA’sWARMSwebsite,38CFRBookC,ScheduleforRatingDisabilities,http://www.benefits.va.gov/warms/bookc.aspandgetanadvocate!YouwanttoreviewBookC,whichdescribesallinjuriesandtheratingforthatinjury,becauseyoumayfindaninjuryyoudidn’tthinktoclaim–Ifoundthree(ofcourse,you’llneedtohavedocumentationtosupportanyclaim).Anadvocateisapersonororganizationwhoiscertifiedinassistingveteranswithsubmittingdisabilityclaims.Youwantanadvocatebecauseyoudon’twanttotakeontheVAbyyourselfandanadvocateknowshowtocutthroughredtapeandensureyourclaimissubmittedcorrectly(youdon’twantyourclaimreturnedforerrors).Therearemanyadvocatesoutthere–IchoseDisabledAmericanVeterans(DAV)butmanyotherorganizationshaveadvocatesaswellsuchastheAmericanLegionandVeteransofForeignWars(VFW).Whensubmittingyourclaim,youwillneedtofilloutrequiredformsbutIalsosubmittedaWorddocumentasthereisn’talotofroomtodescribeyourinjuriesonthoseforms.IalsoreferencedtheverbiageusedinBookCsomyclaimmirroredtheVA’slanguageindescribingmyinjuries(thiswasrecommendedtomebysomeonewhousedtoprocessVAdisabilityclaims).Youcanalsosubmit“buddyletters”thatdocumentaninjury–ifyougothurtandthereisnomedicaldocumentation,buddyletterswillsuffice(youusuallywanttosubmitatleasttwoperinjuryifpossible).The“buddy”writingitneedstobedetailedandtheyneedtoswearoraffirmtheyaretellingthetruth–kindoflikeaswornstatement.Onceyoucompletealltheformsandgetyourstatementsandrecordstogether,photocopythewholething.You’llneedtocompilealistofalldoctors,hospitals,imagingfacilities,therapists,etc.,plustheiraddressesandphonenumbers(youhavetosubmitareleasewaiverforeachnon-militarydoctorandfacility).Makesureyoustateifyou’reanOEF/OIF/ONDveteranonyourclaim(you’resupposedtoreceivepriorityoncesubmitted).Afterallthisisdone,revieweverythingwithyouradvocate(ifyouneedhelpwithanyofthisprocessyouradvocatewillhelpyou).Nextcomessubmissionofyourclaim.Giveyourclaimtoyouradvocate–theywillsubmititonyourbehalf.Theyalsobecomeyourrepresentativefortheremainderoftheprocessandaresupposedtoadviseyouonanythingduringtheclaimprocess.Theywillbecc’donallcorrespondencebetweenyouandtheVA.Also,don’tsubmitanythingonyourowntotheVA,submitanyadditionalpaperworkthroughyouradvocate.Itgenerallytakesaboutayeartogetadecisionbutitalsodependsonhowcomplexyourclaimis.Ifyoudon’tagreewiththedecisionyoureceiveyouhaveayeartoappealitbutIsuggestsubmittinganyappealassoonaspossible.Additionally,youwillneedtosubmitevidencetheVAhasn'talreadyseen.AtsomepointintheprocesstheVAwillscheduleyouforphysicalexams-thelastonesIhadwereperformedbyacontractorandnotattheVA.Thisremindsme:Becarefulwhatyousaytotheexaminer,theyarenottheretobeyourfriend.Infact,youwillsignpaperworkthatexplainstheyarestrictlytheretoperformanexamandnottreatyou.Imadeanoffthecuffcommentaboutshootinga.357withnohearingprotectionwhenIwasakid,tryingtoemphasizethatIhadlearnedtheimportanceofusinghearingprotection.Hewroteitdown.That’saboutit,otherthanthishint:Ifyouhavebeenexposedtoloudnoisessuchasgunfire,explosions,mortars,orartilleryandyouhavehearingdamagethatcausesyourearstoringorhiss,that’scalledtinnitus.It’sanautomatic10%ratingandcan’tbedisproved(atleastfornow).Ifyoudon’thavetinnitus,don’tclaimit.Lastly,pleaseknowI'vebeendealingwiththeVAandmyownclaimsforabout10years.MyVAfileisaboutatwofeetthick.I'vebeencompensatedat100%since2007-Ihad80%plus20%individualunemployability(meaningIcouldn'tworkandtheyfeltIwasnotcapableofobtaininggainfulemployment).Irecentlywasawardedatrue100%rating.Iamalsodrawingsocialsecuritydisability.Andyes,itispossibletoberetainedintheArmyReserveprovidedyoumeetatleasttheminimumretentionrequirements,whichIdo(I'vebeenmedboarded)andIamnotpaid(pointsonly).Butthat'sawholeotherstory.Also,pleasereadCPLDavidSalazar'spostbelow,hemakessomeverygoodpointsandhasadditionaladvice! Postedinthesegroups:DeploymentDisabilityReservesInjuriesDepartmentofVeteransAffairs(VA) Edited5yago Posted>1yago Followthisdiscussion Respond Responses:27 SortBy Newest Oldest Votes 8 8 0 MAJ(Jointosee) Posted4yago BLUF.inmyopinionasamedicalofficertheentirelineofdutysystemneedstobescrapped.Itisimmenselydisrespectfulandcompletelylackinganyunderstandingtowhatitmeanstoserveasaprofessionalsoldier.Thewholeideathatyouonlygetcoveredforeventsthatoccurspecificallywhileondutydemonstratesacompletelackofunderstandingforwhatitmeanstobeandmaintainyourphysicalfitness.Itisnotisifyoucanturnonorturnoffyourfitness.Howisitthatanactive-dutysoldiercanbeinjuredtrainingafterhoursintheeveningorontheweekendandthatiscoveredbutiftheguardsmendoesthesamethinginordertomeetthesamephysicalfitnessstandarditisnotcovered.Theyget1/20ththepaidtimetotrain,havetomeetthesamestandardbutdonotreceivethesamecarewhentheyareinjuredmeetingthatidenticalstandard. Voteup (8) Comment Votedown (0) SFC(Jointosee) 4y Actually,ifyouaretraininginbetweenBattleAssembliesyoucouldbeconsideredinadutystatusifyouareona1380forpointsonly.Theseareeasytocompleteandturninanddon'tcosttheArmyadime.ThePointsacruetowardyourretirementandifyouareinjuredtheycansubstantiatebeinginadutystatusIAWAR600-8-4.Thechalengewillbegetingyourcommandertosignoff.MostcommandershaveboughtintotheLiethatthisisjuststufagoodsoldiershoulddoontheirowntimealongwithwritingevaluations,preparingtraining,checkinginontheirJoesandmultipleotherthings. Up (0) Reply Down (0) Comment 8 8 0 CPLDavidSalazar Posted>1yago ThisinfoisaVeteransservicereps'wetdream!Aclaimwithinayearfromactivedutydischargegenerallygetsageneralmedicalexam,fullphysical.Ifonewastosubmitallofthisevidencefromthebeginning,claimswouldtakemuchlesstime.Excellentadvice!TheVAconsidersanyclaimolderthan125daysasabacklogclaim.Theminutesomebodyseesalltheevidenceyouhaveprovided,ifit'swhat'slistedabove,anexamrequestwillbesentout.Also,sendingyourownstatementsdescribingtheinjuryinserviceandhowit'sbotheredyoueversincealsohelps.Don'tunderestimatetheweightofyourstatement!!!Lookforvaform21-4138tosubmitanystatementsastheyhavetheswornstatementlanguagebuiltin.TheonlythingIwillsuggestagainsttheadviceoftheoriginalposterisifyoudon'tagreewiththedecision,andhaveevidencethatcontradictsthedecisionbutwasn'tavailableorsubmitesbefore,sendinthenewevidenceandrequestfor"reconsideration"asap.Withnewevidence,thisgoesdirectlytoaratertolookover.Ifyoustilldon'treceiveadecisionyoufeelisfair,requestforadecisionreviewofficer(dro)tolookoveryourcase.Ifthenyoustillaren'tsatisfied,putintheformalappeal.Appealsrightnowisablackholeforclaims.Itcouldtakeyearsbeforeanythingofvaluehappens,soIwouldsuggestexhaustingallalternativeavenuesbeforetheappeal.Don'twait!Therearetimeframesforeverything!Also,takenotethattheVAisnowrequiringallclaimstobesubmittedontheappropriateform.Thisiswhyserviceorganizationsarevital!Theyshouldtellyouwhattosubmittoprocessyourclaimexpeditiously.Seriouslythough,feelfreetosendmeadirectmessagewithanyquestionsyoumayhave.Don'tbeintimidatedbythelabrynthofredtape;getinformed! Voteup (8) Comment Votedown (0) CW4(Jointosee) >1y Thanksforofferingtohelp!Andregardinganappeal,by"new"evidenceImeantsomethingtheVAhasn'tseenyet,notcalendarnew.Gladyoucaughtthis.I'llfixthisinthepost. Up (3) Reply Down (0) Comment 5 5 0 CPLEricVigil Posted>1yago Backin1990IhadbeenthroughBasicTraining,AITandbackhomeattheNationalGuard,Duringourannualtraining,IwasonLightdutybecauseofaKneeinjurythatwasaggravated,Iwasgivenanordertodragcable,HawkSystem,whileIwasrunningthroughthefieldItrippedoveragolferholeandblewouttheknee.IwassenttoWilliamBoamontMedicalHospitalforanevaluation,theysaidmykneewasnogood,andkickedmeout,IbeggedforadeskjobbeingthatitwasnotthatbigofaninjurythatIcouldnotperformofficeduties,theygavemeanhonorabledischargeIfiledaclaim,butwasdenied.ItwouldneverhadhappenedifIwasnotgiventhatorderwhileonLightDuty.IwasyoungthenandlovedmyCountryandStateandwasabletoperformandworkinthegeneralpublic..Howeverthekneehasneverbeenthesameandfromtimetotimeitcausespain.. Voteup (5) Comment Votedown (0) CW4(Jointosee) >1y Sameforyou:Getanadvocate(VSO)andsubmitanewclaim.TheVSOwillguideyouonhowtodothis.Don’tgiveupanddon’ttakeontheVAbyyourself. Up (1) Reply Down (0) AmnAnneHofferkamp >1y Ihaveasimilarstory.In'92IhadaseizurewhileonADwhileintechschooltargetintelligence.TheproblemwastheNGlinkedseizureduetostressat19toafebrileseizure(fyi-thereisnocorrelation).LikeyouIreceivedanHonorablebutunderwentseizuresforyearsuntiltheVAfinallypaidforbrainsurgery.IappliedforVAbenefitsupondischarge(&3xthereafter)eachtimetobedenied.Icurrentlyhaveaclaimpendingandthelastletterfromthegovernmentsaidtheyhadn'tmadeadecision.Itwouldhavebeennicetohavedischargedmedically.Myadvicetoyouistofindafriendinthestategovernmentandtrytoseeifyourgovernorwillmakeanexception.Nowaythat'sgoingtohappeninmycash-strappedstate. Up (1) Reply Down (0) Comment ShowMoreComments ReadThisNext IwantActiveDutyorders.AnyADOSopportunitiesorArmyReservedeploymentopportuni...? 16Votes 25Comments AnyArmyIntel(35D)OfficerReservist/GuardsmanwanttoperformordersISOUSSOCOM? 4Votes 0Comments IstheArmystillkeepingGuardsmen(whoareinjuredondeployment)onactivedutyord...? 15Votes 7Comments AnyArmyIntel(35-series)Reservist/GuardsmanwanttoperformordersISOUSSOCOM? 3Votes 1Comments Canyouretirewithactivedutyretirementwhilebeingareservist? 64Votes 32Comments Canarmyreservistgetstationedoverseaswiththeiractivedutyspouse? 31Votes 9Comments RallyPointHome Joinnearly2millionformerandcurrentmembersoftheUSmilitary,justlikeyou. LogIn SignUp close Scroll close SignUpwithFacebook SignUpwithGoogle OR SignUpwithEmail Alreadyhaveanaccount? LogIn LogInwithFacebook LogInwithGoogle OR PleaseenteranemailaddressPleaseenterapasswordForgotyourpassword?LogInwithEmail Don’thaveanaccount? SignUp WelcometoRallyPoint! 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