Time to catch up. How about an update?

Hello Friends!  It's been a long time since I caught you up on what's been happening with me.  I've been so busy trying to take care of business that I've really fallen behind on keeping you up to date.  I've made progress in some areas, had set backs in others.

I find myself bored lately.  My life is at a stand still.  I've finally completed my PTSD claim.  It's taken me over two years to complete that friggin' claim.  If anyone tells you that filing a claim for PTSD is easy, they are lying.  While it's true they have relaxed the rules for PTSD due to combat, they haven't relaxed the rules for MST (military sexual trauma).  For those of you who have been with me from the beginning, you'll know that I had a ton of evidence to go through.  Very personal evidence.  Letters that I had written home to my best friend over my twenty year career.  I was unaware that she'd saved those letters until she passed away.  One of her sisters found them when going through her personal things and she returned them to me.  I didn't look at them until after I had my first flashback and started searching for what had happened to me.  It was all there in the letters I'd written home as a young soldier.  My friend had saved all that evidence for me.  Who knew I'd need that evidence 30 years later? 

I filed my PTSD-MST claim last June, 2010.  It took almost one year and a phone call from a Women's Trauma Counselor from the St Pete Regional Office to finally get me off my ass enough to get moving to finish my claim and send in all the evidence I had.  I had plenty.  I had my letters.  I had buddy statements.  I had a Nexus letter from my treating psychologist.  I had evidence from my SMR showing that I had two pap smears in one weeks time.  I have a current diagnosis.  And I have three years of treatment records.  But every time I looked at those letters, written in my own hand, describing everything that happened to me, they triggered me so badly ... well, those of you with PTSD know what happens.  Nightmares.  Panic and anxiety attacks.  Isolation.  Everything, and I mean everything scares the shit out of you.  The slightest noise, the lightest touch and you are jumping clear out of your skin.  Forget sleeping.  If the nightmares aren't keeping you awake, insomnia is.  You detach from everything you know and love.  Your mood is like a pendulum.  It swings back and forth.  Up and down.  Does this sound familiar?  Sitting in a dark house, shades drawn, only the dogs for company.  Not caring how you look, how you dress or if you ever leave the house again.


I was determined.  I persevered.  I got it finished and two weeks ago I finally sent the completed packet off to the ST Pete VARO, certified with a return receipt.  Now, I will wait.  Like the rest of us caught up in the 1,000,000 claims backlog, I will wait.

While the PTSD claim is processing, I'm still waiting for a decision on my service connected right shoulder, temporary 100% claim that I submitted last June 2010.  What a joke that has been.  Per eBenefits, which I trust about as much as I trust Iris Inquiries or calling the 800 number, it's in the "Decision Phase".  According to the eBenefits website, "The Decision Phase is completed on most claims between 16 and 28 days.  The number of days provided is a national average of time claims spend in the Decision phase based on data at the end of May 2010.  Please be advised that a claim may take longer in this phase based on the specifics of your claim."  Mine has been in the "Decision Phase" for almost two months.  I think they need to update their statistics.  I'll continue to wait.


Last but certainly not least, there is my appeal for IU.  To refresh your memory, I submitted my claim for it in October 2008 and was denied in October 2009.  I hired an attorney after a very long process and the appeal went in.  We asked for a DRO review.  To date, we're still waiting.  The review still has not taken place.  My attorney is confident we'll win so I consider it money in the bank.  I'm at 80% now, I draw SSDI (the decision was based solely on my service connected conditions) and VR&E refused to send me back to school and/or retrain me.  How can I lose is the attorney's theory.  I hope he is right.

In the meantime, about two months ago, I received a letter from my attorney, Sean Culliton, withdrawing himself from my case.  I have to admit that I was very, very pissed when it happened.  I felt abandoned by someone I had let in to my circle.  He was not a Veteran, he'd come highly recommended and I reluctantly allowed him in.  I trusted him to do right by me.  In retrospect, I understand his decision to let go of my case.  I'm no longer angry.  I've hired a new attorney, recommended by Jim Strickland, and I believe he'll do right by me.  My former attorney has gone back to his civilian clients and I wish him well.  He turned over all my files to me, even going so far as to burn everything onto a disk so that I can pass them along to my new attorney.  He also signed a letter which has been sent to the VARO waiving all rights to any fees and backpay.  He's a straight up guy and he did right by me.  I'm sure my new attorney will take my case and run with it.  In the meantime, I'm still waiting.

So what do I do now?  I've been so consumed with working on all my claims that I no longer know what to do with myself.  I've spent day after day, month after month, for almost two years, trying to get this damn PTSD claim done.  Now that it's finished, and I've hired a new attorney to work on my appeal, I'm stuck with nothing to do.  I sit in the house all day, monitor Straight Talk, answer emails, take the dogs out to the yard for potty breaks and clean up their shit, watch my soaps and poke around on the internet.  That's my day, and night, 7 days a week.  I can't drive anymore so unless my wife is here to take me somewhere, I'm stuck at home.  Don't get me wrong; home is my "safe place".  I'm more comfortable here than I am anyplace else.  I'm just bored.  I need a new challenge.  What to do?  What to do?  And how to do it from home?

Service dog update.  There is none.  Sort of.  I got word from VACO to resubmit my packet instead of appealing it.  I got some static from the fine folks in Tampa Prosthetics.  No surprise there.  An email to my POC at VACO in D.C., took care of that problem.  I'm just waiting now for my backlogged primary care physician to resubmit my packet.  It's being resubmitted with a focus on Rocco's mobility tasks.  I gave my social worker a list of mobility tasks that Rocco performs for me that can't be done by "prosthetic aides".  That should push my request over the edge.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.  And for you.  If this works for me, it will work for you, too.  As always, I'll keep you informed.


Speaking of service dogs .... I'm trying to put together a blog of reputable service dog schools.  If you have one that you recommend, please send it to me at WendiG@vawatchdogtoday.org.  I prefer to list non-profit schools that will give dogs to service members and Veterans at no cost but I will list all schools.  Thank you.


And finally ... the Independent Living Program.  If you qualify, you really should apply to this program.  I've been in it for just over two years now.  It's taken a while for me to get everything that was written into my plan, but it's finally all coming together.  I no longer have to worry about using those beat to hell store scooters, or paying outrageous rental fees, when I go out.  I have the "Cadillac" of mobility scooters and finally, last week, I had the lift installed on our pick-up so that we can take it with us when we go out.  Have scooter will travel.  I can now exercise Rocco properly.  He loves to run along side it.  I'm still waiting for an adjustable bed, but my counselor assures me it's forthcoming.


There's the update, my friends.  I'm bored to tears.  I've spent two years working on claims and now that they are finished I don't know what to do with myself.   I have all this spare time on my hands.  It's Spring time in Florida.  The beach is out.  I can't drive there.  That means fishing is out, too, because I can't get myself to the water (& that's only 15 minutes away).  I guess I'll have to get with my partner, Jim Strickland, and see what kind of trouble he can find for me to get into.  I am fairly certain he's got something in mind.  You may want to keep an eye out for some changes in the format here.  I'm just sayin'.


Until the next time.......

Do you take your Service Dog to your VA Doctor Appointments?

Hello Friends.  How many of you take your service dog with you to VA Hospital appointments?  If you answered, "I do", you are one of the lucky ones.  Your VHA allows you to do so.  We're hearing that a lot of VHA Facilities don't allow service dogs entry.  Sickening, isn't it.

Don't get me wrong, what they will allow are Guide dogs.  The service dogs they don't allow are dogs like mine.  Dogs who assist with mobility issues; dogs who assist with PTSD; dogs who assist with autism; hearing dogs.  Get the idea?  

Click this link .  Someone has finally taken notice of our plight.  Representative John Carter from Texas has introduced legislation "to mandate service dogs have access to any VA facility, recognizing their importance to veterans’ physical and mental health."  AMVETS is backing this all the way.

Thank goodness for AMVETS.  I know that since I first started fighting for benefits for my service dog, Rocco, I have gotten a lot of help from them.  They have done extensive work in the service dog area.  Look here to see the letter they sent to Director Shinseki, asking him to close loopholes in the current service dog policy ... or lack thereof.


It's just been pointed out to me that new rules have been issued by the VHA.  Guide and other service dogs are now allowed inside VHA Facilities.  HOWEVER, dogs that assist with emotional support only are still not allowed in.  My dog is a dual purpose dog.  That is, he serves as a mobility and PTSD/medical alert dog.  If he were not allowed in with me, I wouldn't be going to any of my appointments.  Literally.  OR, I'd be going in there kicking and screaming.  You can count on that.  They'd either be arresting me or locking me up on the psych ward for sure.  You can take that bet straight to the bank.


The article I've linked to the blog title centers around a Veteran by the name of Kevin Stone and his service dog, Mambo.  Mambo was one of the first service dogs to be declared as a prosthetic device by the VA.  As such, Mambo receives the benefits that I'm fighting to receive for my dog, Rocco.  Unfortunately, I'm not "an accomplished Paralympics Archer" with a politician in my back pocket.  Hell, I can barely get my Congress Critter to help me (see previous blog).  It seems that to get benefits for a service dog you have to know someone, be someone, get your picture in the paper, etc.  We "little people" haven't got a chance.  If you have any secrets, please share them with the rest of us.  


By the way, I go to James A Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa.  I've never been stopped.  My doctors all love my dog.  I've seen a lot of service dogs there.  If you're at one of those VA Hospitals that gives you problems, I'd like to hear from you.  I'd be happy to publish a "Bad Dog" list.


One last thing, Friends.  I'm working on a blog that will list service dog schools.  If you have one that you'd like to recommend to others, please send the link to me at WendiG@vawatchdogtoday.org.  I'll get it published.  Thanks.


Until the next time .....

Disabled troops, vets misled on service dogs - Military News | News From Afghanistan, Iraq And Around The World - Military Times

Hello my friends. Nothing new to report on my on battle for support services from the VHA for my service dog, Rocco. To review, I received a letter from my local VA Hospital (James A Haley in Tampa) telling me he was denied as a prosthetic device. You can read an excerpt from that letter on this blog. My next step is to appeal that decision. To prepare for that, so far I've done the following:

1. I've spoken to my psychologist, psychiatrist, primary care physician, pain management doctor, urologist and social worker. They are all putting notes into my medical records supporting my request for Rocco as my service dog. Furthermore, they have put into my medical record how Rocco supports me on a daily basis. There are many things Rocco does for me that can't be done by "assistive devices" and they have noted that also.  That's important because "assistive devices" are one of the reasons Rocco was denied.

2. I've requested a complete copy of my medical records, to include mental health, from June 2010 until yesterday, January 14, 2011. I did that for a number of reasons. One, I need to see a copy of the entire packet that went forward to VACO since they are the approving/denying authority. I want to see exactly what they considered for evidence and what reasons they based their denial on. The letter I received is very vague. It doesn't say specifically what they based the denial on or what evidence they considered.

Once I receive all my medical evidence and the packet that went forward to VACO, I will go through my records, line by line. I will highlight the supporting evidence from my doctors, and I will argue that there are no assistive devices to fulfill a particular task other than my service dog. For example, Rocco has been trained to bring me items from across the room by name. What assistive device will do that? Yes, I'm married. However, the VA has refused to acknowledge my marriage. So technically, I don't have a spouse according to the VA. How can they deny that I've had to train my dog to bring me things on days that I can't move from pain that I can't do for myself? My wife works, but even when she's here, according to the VA, she doesn't exist. Remember that blog? They refused to add her as my spouse because according to the VA a spouse is defined as someone of the opposite sex. I don't qualify for Aid and Attendance so technically speaking, there's no help for me at home other than my service dog.

Rocco does more and more for me every day. Last week he alerted me to an oncoming migraine headache. He knew three days ahead of time. He kept alerting me by pawing at me. He wouldn't stop. We were at home where, for the most part, I feel safe. I wasn't panicky. I wasn't stressed. He continued to paw at my legs almost continuously for three solid days. No dog has to pee that much so I knew he wasn't telling me he had to go outside. Finally on the fourth day everything clicked. I woke up with one nasty migraine. Rocco stayed very close to me all day. I couldn't even go to the bathroom without him at my side.  Rocco knew that migraine was coming and he was trying to warn me.  Next time I'll pay closer to his warnings.  Next time I'll be prepared for the migraine.

So, my friends, that's where things stand with Rocco and "his" benefits. Everything is at a stand still until I get my records, a copy of the packet, and I can write up my appeal. As with all VA appeals, I have one year to get it submitted. I won't take that long, but I want to get it done right.

On to the next topic.  Service dog organizations.

Many moons ago, I wrote about searching for a reputable service dog group. I warned that you have to do a lot of research before you select an organization to get your dog from. The following link comes from the Military Times and was written by Rick Maze. I suggest you read it. It's an excellent article and talks about  "the buyer beware" so to speak. If you need a service dog, make sure you are getting a service dog and not just a companion dog.

Disabled troops, vets misled on service dogs - Military News | News From Afghanistan, Iraq And Around The World - Military Times

Last but most certainly not least, VA WatchdogTODAY dot Org is getting a new look.  We've already put up a new banner on the homepage.  I can't tell you when the new look will premiere, but it will be soon.  Watch for it.  I think you'll like it.  If you want to blow off some steam, check out our Vets Express page.  We've had some terrific feedback from Veterans just like you.  Got something to say?  Send it to vetsexpress@gmail.com.  Just follow the few simple rules we've outlined for you here and you will probably get published.  Need help with claims and benefits?  Want to talk with others who have years of experience at it?  Then join us at Straight Talk for Veterans.  We'll be glad to help you.  No flamers, spammers or trolls, please.  If you're one of those, you will be banished in a hurry.  We're a tightly moderated group with a set of rules that WILL be followed.  If you don't follow the rules we've set, in the words of Jim Strickland, "buh-bye".  Hope to see you there.

Until the next time ....