Only in Philadelphia?

We no longer live in a civil society --I have said this for many years --freedom without responsibility leads to anarchy-- every day this is being proven correct. Especially in a certain segment of our society far more than others.

 

I ran into a former customer the other day ( just one of the many good ones) and realized just how much I miss the people like him and his wife. What I don't miss is the hassles with the law, the homeless panhandlers, the drug deals on the parking lot, the certifiable crazies, the whores, and the card carrying idiots....well, a few of the whores weren't too bad...but all in all I'm glad to be out! I'm just thankful that no one that worked for us ever got hurt or killed or went to jail!

 

Yup, you pretty much covered what America has become. Yes it is a leftist caused problem as chaos in the realm is what is changing the US.

This is what we as Vets, at least in my experience, have experienced with the VA socialist system.
The VA is a classic example of socialist medicine, in that some Docs really don't do their job.
Some docs just want to make the quickie diagnosis and push you out the door and stamp you as DONE.
Two examples of this is part of the reason vets have abandoned the VA system and part of the reason suicide is still at 20 a day.
1. I had a audiologist test which proved a great loss of hearing in my left ear, a very surprised specialist did the paper work and I was provided the required device which worked well to aid me to a better life. That is the good part.

2. Later a Doctor of Medicine decided the test was wrong and and negated the diagnose. Why? I sure don't know but I suspect it had to do with ladder climbing in the VA and being more in tune with $$ than my health.
3. Because in her further decision she concluded that my history of heart disease and a damaged valve could not be caused by over vigilance and hypertension. Never mind that I have an expert Cardiac Surgeon that saved my life by rebuilding the valve. So I politely made an appointment to deliver the latest report on the exact condition that had almost cost me my life. She was surprised that I would go to the expense of purchasing the document( a peer reviewed report) and then deliver it in her office. Of course she was the same doc who had no standing in audiology.

The VA would not challenge her decision even though in the hearing test the numbers were clear of the loss. As well the doc had no standing as a cardiac specialist. I have no idea what happened but I did force the VA to acknowledge both conditions as service connected and provide the items I needed for a more normal life.

A more damaged and less forceful Vet might have given up and never been able to function in the work place due to hearing loss and heart problems. Just one of the reasons some vets become homeless and later commit suicide.

The VA, in some cases, continues to hire unqualified Doctors who go out of their skill set to prove vets are nuts.

OTOH the audiologist converted the test from numbers on a chart to a graph that clearly indicated the loss. The proof of bilateral hearing loss was now set in stone and connected to diesel engines in a diesel powered submarine..
VA Hearing Loss Claim Rating

 

For my Primary care doc ,, I have yet to see the same one twice . They don't hang around long.

 

I assume that I am listed as a vet to handle with care. So I have only one older Doc who now understands I take the meds that work and tell them what doesn't Plus all my blood test have comeback clean.

A lot of different reasons for my assumption of " a vet to handle with care" but mostly that each claim after being denied is sooner or later service connected. Reasons are simple, I got out within 30 days of returning from the Big Swamp aka Nam.

This complicated my claim route because the VA used the handy little back door phrase (you know their way of automatically cancelling a claim before it is declared) of "must be apparent within one year".
Like most Vets I was done with the service and certainly the webbed confines of the VA, so my condition deteriorated over time and after one year of no action from me I was a "NOT WELCOME" vet at the VA. The years passed and my skin disease moderated and I certainly did not connect it to Nam. Still Agent Orange changes the DNA of any part it touches and as they say you can never go back to normal plus the civilian Docs had not a clue of what a photo sensitive skin condition was or how it was acquired. Add to this the cover up by the Gov and then the VA of the world wide damage that had fostered on the nations they "helped" by using Agent Orange as a weapon of war.

I had to either A. go nuts or B. become an alcoholic or C. fight the system and of course I must win.
Well I didn't care for A or B so it must be C. The wind mills were all about the VA system so off I charged.

Now VA C&P exams don't much care for Vet's doing self diagnosis especially if they are polite, concise and right, which is the only way you can win.

After years of strange problems that were real by any proofing of the civilian world I charged back to take my pound of flesh from the Gov and the VA.

Not an easy task as the VA was still a "lock them up", "kick them out the door" of "drug them" to cover up the cover ups.

Slowly I learned the VA speak and how to write a claim and to always use the "statement in support of a claim"(https://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/vba-21-4138-are.pdf).

You must also have a diagnosis by a higher power than a VA doc and you must prove the service connection. It's better to have your facts in order than to have to dig your way out of the hole you dug.

Lots of intel on the web from past court cases from what fails and then again you will find when the VA gets handed their head on a platter by a knowledgeable Judge who is well versed in his job.

 

My experience with the VA disability claims --As I posted else where have had every type of skin cancer but it is not a listed condition according to the VA thus denied claim. Search of the web many and I mean many vets are experiencing skin cancer. Now the VA has admitted I have a disability (scars all over from stuff being cut out) but I must get a doctor to link my condition to A/O exposure --good luck with that my dermatologist wasn't even born in 70 and has no idea, I have searched for a doc --no luck. Tried the lawyer route and they won't touch it.

 

Look at this >
Porphyria Cutanea Tarda

Porphyria Cutanea Tarda and Agent Orange - Public Health
www.publichealth.va.gov › agentorange › conditions
May 4, 2016 — VA presumes porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) is related to Veterans' exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service when the disease appears within one year of exposure to Agent Orange to a degree of at least 10 percent disabling by VA's rating regulations.
Most of the symptoms of porphyria cutanea tarda appear on the skin. Common symptoms include:
Porphyria Cutanea Tarda: Pictures, Treatment, and More

• blisters on skin that’s exposed to the sun, including the hands, face, and arms
• photosensitivity, which means your skin is sensitive to the sun
• thin or fragile skin
• increased hair growth, usually on the face
• crusting and scarring of the skin
• redness, swelling, or itching of the skin
• sores developing after minor injuries to the skin
• hyperpigmentation, which means patches of skin become darker
• urine that is darker than normal or reddish brown
• liver damage

After the blisters form on your skin, the skin may peel. It’s also common for scarring to appear once the blisters heal.

Hyperpigmentation patches usually appear on the face, hands, and neck.
If you served in Vietnam and have certain health conditions, VA presumes that these conditions are related to exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides. VA presumes that the following health problems are related to herbicide exposure:

• AL Amyloidosis
• Chronic B-cell Leukemias
• Chloracne
• Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
• Hodgkin’s Disease
• Ischemic Heart Disease
• Multiple Myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Peripheral Neuropathy, Early- Onset
• Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
• Prostate Cancer
• Respiratory Cancers
• Soft Tissue Sarcomas

In addition, VA presumes certain birth defects in children of Vietnam and Korea Veterans are associated with Veterans’ qualifying military service. Learn more.

Learn more about benefits related to Agent Orange exposure.

 

Know a guy, Viet vet, agent orange problems, after many many years and many losses he finally got a good chunk of change from the VA. Used it to by a trike motorcycle and a powered wheelchair. Really can't say he won the battle, but at least he lived long enough to get something.

 

Yup we just recycled a powered scooter to a deceased Vet's wife and that is a real plus for her.
She would not qualify for one but a vet we did a ramp for donated his dad's scooter.
We replaced the batteries and it runs great.
Pay it forward and donate what you can.

 

FWIW
A Dermatologist prescribed Mometasone Furoate a rather benign Rx that does not cure it but it does mask the itching and sores.
I also use it on my scalp as it will itch like crazy if I don't.

 

Well I am at 100% so I'm doing this as away to prove my exposure and help other Vets.

 

Just got this email>>>>
Blue Water Navy - Nehmer

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced it will readjudicate claims for Veterans who served in the offshore waters of the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

This review is part of the Veterans Benefits Administration’s implementation of the November 5, 2020, U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California decision to readjudicate previously denied claims as applied in Nehmer vs. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Veterans who were previously denied service connection for an herbicide related presumptive condition due to lack of in-country Vietnam service will automatically have their claims readjudicated.

Readjudication means VA will review the evidence of record and provide replacement decisions in the cases of Veterans who were previously denied service connection for one or more herbicide related conditions on the basis that military service was not performed on the landmass of the Republic of Vietnam or on its inland waterways. This review will also apply to eligible survivors of deceased Vietnam era Veterans.VA is dedicated to ensuring all Veterans receive the benefits they have earned.

VA ensures that we have the proper resources in place to meet the needs of the Veteran community. Eligible survivors of deceased Veterans may also benefit from the policy and may be eligible for benefits based on the Veterans’ service.

Veterans who have a condition caused by herbicide exposure during military service can learn more about Agent Orange exposure at this website.

 

• Chloracne is a covered and is totally different than skin cancers such as melanoma, basal cell and squamous cell which tend to show up later in life. Melanoma can be deadly if not caught early or it can cause blindness if gets to your eyes. Unfortunately many vets are suffering from this and the VA will not admit it is A/O related. One article I did find a Dr Clemmens did a limited study and found vets exposed to A/O had a higher incident of skin cancers but took it no further. I sent a copy in my disability claim but had no impact on the VA. I have no doubt when we are all dead and buried the truth and extent of diseases caused by A/O will come out.

 

True, some University Kid will most likely receive their PHD from a paper they write on the subject.

 

For those of us that never served, Why go to the VA? Do you have to go to the VA for service related medical problems? Would health insurance, Medicaid or Medicare pay the bills? Surely you don't put yourself through all of the hassles just because you feel entitled to treatment at the VA?

 

Depends, not the type you wear, on your needs and a lot of things.
I go to keep up my service connected problems and as a source of meds. I take very few meds but they would add up and they are all service connected.
I have an assigned VA Doc and that means two trips a year to the VA Clinic.
Other than that we are a pay for service as I use the Civie Doc I have used since 94.
All services are in town and at worse I travel to DFW for the life saving surgeries we all might need.

If you do not keep up with service connected problems and you die and your VA paperwork is not in order then your spouse may not be able to receive a percentage of you compensation.

If you earned it, use it.

I still keep a copy of my Mil ionizing radiation chart just in case cancer pops up, as you must have proof of root cause and conditions.

"Would health insurance, Medicaid or Medicare pay the bills?"
Actually the VA bills my insurance company to pay my Labs?

 

I go to the VA because I like the Dr, and trust her more than any of the other hacks (civilian Dr's). I see her once a year, unless there are any problems. After she decided that I am not completely brain dead, she usually asks me what I think the problem is and how I would like to fix it. If she disagrees, she tells me. No sugar coating, mealy mouthed BS involved. I truly hope she lives longer than I do.

My post is in no way trying to minimize others experiences, I have heard horror stories from other vets that I know. I just think I got lucky and got a good one.

DW

 

Yep, I saw the same sats. passing over my house. All in single file like ducks in a row. Maybe 60 or more. Stretched from the western horizon to the eastern horizon. Scared the shit out of me at first. Yelled at my son to come see. I said it either aliens, the Chinese. or Elon Musk...