While AD in the early 70's, my vision changed from 20/60 to 20/200. Dear Tbird: I am happy to write a testimonial. Call us at 1-844-838-5297 today. I eventually won my due but so did more and more who came to the site. Let’s see how long we can keep this magical place alive. I was not told the VA is all knowing and loves us all as her children. Keratoconus (ker-uh-toe-KOH-nus) occurs when your cornea — the clear, dome-shaped front surface of your eye — thins and gradually bulges outward into a cone shape.A cone-shaped cornea causes blurred vision and may cause sensitivity to light and glare. Keratoconus. I hear it all the time about there is surgery,etc. I think it should be part of training programs for vet reps, VSOs, and also for the VBA, at the regional office levels. Type 2 Diabetes and Filing for Disability, How to get disability with Plantar Fasciitis, How to file for disability in Massachusetts, My Social Security Disability SSI appeal status, Eligibility criteria requirements for disability, Decision on disability case, are you eligible for a disability award. HADIT.com has been a spectacular entity. Latest VA News &Tips from Hill& Ponton disability attorneys, Veterans' Advisory Committee on Rehabilitation, Notice of Meeting, Exclusive: Internal documents detail secret VA quality ratings, Veterans Affairs and Veterans News from HadIt.com, Support HadIt.com with a purchase of this, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder in the United States, our question has probably been asked before so the fastest way to find the information you need is to. Does a person with severe keratoconus qualify to receive disability? Eyeglasses and soft contact lenses are the usual treatment for those with mild keratoconus, but this disease is progressive and inevitably thins the cornea, giving it an increasingly irregular shape. I was asked by my medical provider if I’d had any accidents that would have, or could have, triggered these diseases. Without the information available on Hadit.com, I’d likely still be hung up on the infamous Squirrel Cage of VA claims processing. It will be running on a queue. When is a Person Considered Disabled by Social Security? I have not posted much here since originally signing up about three years ago. If i had not come here I would not have known that SWORN DECLARATIONS are better than the statement forms the VA uses. With hadit.com you do not need a VSO to file your claim. He or she may conduct other tests to determine more details regarding the shape of your cornea. Really nice people all around. Additionally, I learned what Clear and Unmistakable Error is. Years go by and with farther communications I tried several times to go back. In order to improve the efficiency and timeliness of claims processing, VA proposes to eliminate the requirement that examiners provide VA with the Goldmann chart and instead only require the visual field measurements necessary for rating pu… I truly believe we can make life better for each other and build strong community bonds showing everyone we still have more to give. Replies. Knowledge, as Tbird says , TRULY IS POWER! Thank you TBIRD and HADIT. By the time everything is soaked, washed, rinsed and hung out dry I’m fairly certain that I will be at 100% per scheduled rating. I wanted to write a short brief story. I received a decision letter about a month ago saying it was granted as secondary to my service connected GERD. I recently won retro to 1986 after a 29 year fight. This rating scale ranges from 0% to 100% based on the severity of the condition. Great links. This will depend on your personal circumstances and notably the impact of your keratoconus on your functional vision. He certainly did not die in vain. Though I have been absent for a few years, I will tell you that Hadit.com has a wealth of information, and knowledge that is right at the Veterans Fingertips. I had no clue at that time what I was doing, did not know how to provide the right support for it, and I lost. No money yet only waiting for a extra schedular rating from 86-98. This site and the kind people that visit have made a great impact in my fight for benefits from the VA. Got out in ’72, filed a claim. I was medically retired in Feb 2013 from the Navy at 80% SC. Keratoconus affects your cornea, which focuses light into your eye to help produce a clear image. Eventually eyeglasses and soft contact lenses are no longer sufficient. A VA ER visit enlightened me to what the VA was at one time. After a few years of reading this wealth of wisdom, I’m rated 100% now. So far, all 7 of my FDC’s are progressing through “the system”. Many of us struggle alone and isolated. I frantically searched the internet, landed on another forum that we shall not name, where i was basically told “if they are trying to reduce you then you probably deserve it and dont deserve the higher rating any longer” When i arrived at Hadit and asked my newbie questions i was not attacked for being greedy to want to keep a rating that i met the criteria for. The Archives are so important to our Veterans as they search to find much needed documents , personal stories that can help win the Veterans VA Claims. Hadit.com was a life changer for me. As a result vision becomes distorted. § 101(22); 38 C.F.R. I was able to obtain medical records, my claims file, and ask my doctors for medical opinions. Ha ha ha!). KBVET 90% -100% 2018 PD added. One last try, I read and read some more. l am service connected for: and I have successfully, helped at least 40 other Veterans get service connected and most of them is a 100% service connected and I credit 95% to hadit.com and I think hadit.com is the best help website on line, and I want to personal thank, all of the hadit.com moderators, and Carla for all there expertise in helping disable veterans, in negotiate a very complicated Veterans Affairs claim process. I originally submitted my sleep apnea claim back in Jan 2008. The VA rated my loss of sphincter muscle control at 10% and stated my foot problems was not service conected in May 2008, imagine that! Never heard anything about it and never wanted to go back to a VA facility again. … Since that time I’ve had 4 corneal transplants: right eye in 1981 and left eye in 1983. When assigning a disability rating for a service-connected mental disorder, VA uses the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. Veteran LLC | VA Disability Community Forums | Podcast | News, Disabled Veterans Property Tax Exemptions by State, Requesting A Copy of Your VA Claims Folder (C-File). 3 weeks go by and I am summoned to the American Legion’s VSO office. I am very grateful to hadit.com that veterans and their survivors here have often followed my advice on multiple issues that either I or my dead husband had personal experience with , and got positive results, via the VA. I have keratoconus can I get ssi or ssdi? I would like to thank everyone for their input on my particular clam, I was able to pull up my eBenefits account and I have received a favorable rating. Had it.com has information that the VA doesn’t want you to have. With out TBirds Hadit.com site and Berta’s help I would not be a 100% P&T Service Connected veteran. I became a member of hadit.com in 2004, and during that time, I have learned a lot about the Department of Veterans Affairs claim process. Had it.com has information that the VA doesn’t want you to have. I was like Dorothy (well, not LITERALLY like her, I’m a man, but…) in the Wizard of Oz. Too many to thank. Knowledge is power. Blessings be. The VSO’s were very friendly and accommodating, but really did not go beyond helping me fill out paperwork. Thanks again and we need hadit.com. Members offer vulnerable personal details at times, for the purpose of helping others in the struggle. There are many bad days, that Had it.com helped me get thru with my Severe PTSD. Was only on hadit for a short time, posted a question about filing a CUE, along came the queen of cues-Berta, and with her expertise in writing skills, I won my cue in just weeks! I cried and was depressed for at least a month. Since that time Ive had 4 corneal transplants: right eye in 1981 and left eye in 1983. Don’t give up!! Thank you, Grateful. I learned how to appeal, and what kind of evidence might help me win. I couldn’t have done it with out the help of hadit.com, I’m one for not asking for help, so your site was my saving grace. Thank God I fell upon this site.It has helped me so much understanding my claim,and hadit.com is teaching me so much,where I feel I can help others. For information on eligibiility to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), please contact the National Disability Insurance Agency directly. I’m a very old voice from the past, back in the day HadIt.com was a “bulletin Board” run by a gracious lady by the name of “T-Bird”. In the United States, if a person's best-corrected visual acuity in both eyes is 20/200 or worse — whether caused by keratoconus or some other condition — that person is … § 3.311; leukopenia; ionizing radiation; plutonium; Palomares, Spain; Referral for VA Administrative Decision for Character of Discharge Determinations, VA High Risk List Action Plan, Managing Risks, and Improving VA Health Care. I have three vertebrae (L4, L5 and S1) that are fused together because the insulation material between the vertebrae are gone. I submitted a CUE request and am waiting for the VA to review and hopefully revise my initial ratings. Dates of Service: Jan 1983 - Dec 1990, Become a Patron of HadIt.com. Hadit.com is so much more than just member forums. Two comments regarding the proposed updates to the General Rating Formula, spe… Blessings, ……NEVER GIVE UP…….C.C. There are others that discover cases, evidence avenues, fast letters, handbooks, and more. During the C&P I was treated like dog crap. I am not asking for donations, but want to share our dream with you and let you see what you had a part in making happen. I posted a few things and got a lot of great advice. Even so, there are still outstanding problems created by the VA’s claims system and it’s improper handling of claims and flawed decision making process. The VA attorneys at VA Disability Group can help you understand the system used to determine military disability ratings. Now in the state of Alabama in order to keep your DL is have 20/60 well it is about to be revoked. After submitting my appeals and waiting, I eventually won in 100% P&T in 2013. Knowledge is true power, perseverance a necessary trait. I contacted a VSO. There is, however, ... Should I receive a different rating on my keratoconus because my visual acuity is not correctable to 20/50 in both eyes with corrected lenses or contacts? No functional disability, no rating. With all of that, the information and advice, including the history of key claims and decisions was and is invaluable to veterans. Advice on how to file , how to word your claim or appeal, laws and regulations, and how to appeal. I won I out lasted the V A system Thanks to all here Lenkl T2 rated. VA also proposed to apply the formula to more diagnostic codes (DCs). Filing for disability, how to apply for SSD, SSI, Social Security Disability SSI and Fibromyalgia, how Social Security Disability and SSI work. In September 2013 I finally filed (after several years of “encouragement” by my Wife & family) for compensation with assistance from a DAV Rep. In this test your eye doctor uses special equipment that measures your eyes to check for vision problems. These wonderful folks dedicated so much of their time and energy just for us…broken down old Vets. I had been diagnosed immediately after discharge with General Anxiety Disorder and low-balled at 10%. Navy04, thank you so much you been of so much help and support. Upon enlisting in the military I was 20/20 uncorrected by 3 years later I was 20/200 after being diagnosed with Keratoconus and fitted with gas permeable contact lenses. The first would be to see if the medical evidence supports an approval via satisyfing a listing , i.e. VA Disability Claims Discussion Forums – Welcome to the community! Try to learn as much as you can as you have a powerful tool here at Hadit.com. Eventually I signed up for the site because the community response is intelligent, well reasoned and researched. That advice and a few hundred bucks meant the difference…100%….between me losing and winning. In keratoconus, your cornea becomes weaker and thinner at its centre. Thank you Theresa and all those here at Hadit.com who have supported and helped to give the Veteran such a place of refuge and help. The VA benefits are yours , you EARNED them. The resources and info you provide are priceless. I have not found any other site that provides so much in one location. 2021 VA Disability Compensation Rates – Updated Veterans Compensation Benefits Rate Tables. D o not hesitate to book an appointment with Dr Pillai if you’re worried about your eyesight. The second round of transplants were in 1991 and 1993. Author: Ryan Guina Last Updated: December 4, 2020 54 Comments Advertiser Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed … All of that worked! Yes, it has been 20 years, but I felt it is a moral imperative to ensure my ratings are fair, accurate, and correct. I’ve had three relaxations surgeries performed – the latest in February of 2019. I am one of the first members backin 1997. This eventually impairs the ability of the eye to focus properly, potentially causing poor vision. Thank you! Please help to support Tbird and her vision to keep this site safe and running for ALL of our servicemen and women and those who served our Great Nation. And you can’t beat that. Kind Regards & Favorable Claims! Unlike other service-connected disabilities, mental health disorders are not rated in 10% increments. It belongs to you , not the government or the VA. Trying to make this as short as I can! Hadit.com has been a God Send for me these last 2 years. For my first FDC for PTSD, I was scheduled for a C&P Exam & attended it on 07 April. Avvo has 97% of all lawyers in the ... the "Blue Book" of Impairment Listings as a first step in determining if your condition is severe enough to qualify for disability. Total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) provides an alternative avenue for receiving a 100 percent total rating. Keep the good work up. No issues are in dispute as I beat the VA and they admitted it. Any advice? This is a question thousands of people in Australia ask every month. I was diagnosed with keratoconus in both eyes by a military doctor at McChord AFB, Tacoma, Washington. I will be facing transplant #5 in June of 2019 if the relaxations surgery does not help with my vision. One day, my husband got tired of me whining and reminded me that I was a fighter and not a quitter, and that I never backed down from a battle (Looking back on his comment, I think he was throwing a sly jab at me. I won 100% in 1999 thanks to this site. Learn about VA disability ratings, and use the VA disability rating calculator or our ratings table to find your VA combined disability rating if you have more than one service-connected condition. I just won a DRO de novo review for Bipolar Disorder and was bumped up from 80% rating to 100% P&T. I have tentatively been assigned a code of 6036 by the VA. I have yet to run into a VSO or other vet forums and hear “go get a IME for this now”. The request box will close on weekends!♡ This blog is for userboxes that are about/include disability of any kind! And I can’t say enough about the importance of a VSO. The Eye … Then, I got a nice big surprise in my bank account in September 2017. I found that to be a ridiculous grant and immediately started my long, arduous battle with the VA for an increase. Get a quote & coverage within minutes of completing your application. Hello, A few years ago, I Googled, “I’ve had it with the VA”. Keratoconus usually affects both eyes and generally begins to first affect people ages 10 to 25. Then last year around this time I stumbled on to HADIT.COM and started reading every post I could find. How many times will Social Security deny you? With current treatments now available most patients with keratoconus are able to lead normal lifestyles. I was fired from my job specifically for being a Veteran with a disability and turned to you guys for help and advice. And there is all started. And he has keratoconus. Only your time. He shares his remarkable story: I enlisted in the Navy in 1987, and three years later began training as a SEAL. Can you qualify for Social Security Disability on the basis of fibromyalgia? Trust hadit.com and get the rating you truly deserve and not the rating the VA gives you to balance their budget. That simply search connected me with HadIt.com. In the United States, if a person's best-corrected visual acuity in both eyes is 20/200 or worse — whether caused by keratoconus or some other condition — that person is considered legally blind and may qualify for disability … Veterans Compensation Benefits Claims Research, Appealing Your VA Disability Claims NOD, DRO, BVA, USCAVC, PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Claims, Latest Posts VA Disability Claims Community. Facebook helped a little due to being connected with several of my old shipmates there that provided lay letters for me. I learned a lot of information about claims, especially about what is important in filing a successful claim. About Keratoconus. What's the best cure for keratoconus? ), and filed my Fully Developed Claims on 11 March 2015. Reply Delete. Eye refraction. I salute each of you and thank you for having my back. I put my appeal together with the advice from Hadit the wisdom and knowledge the folks have on here is priceless my only advice is take your time here on the forum read listen and learn the facts.Put you claim or appeal together then comes the hard part the wait no need to gripe or complain I learned the hard way Get a hobby,job or travel or search the positive parts of this forum I learn something every time I get on here. I have requested a copy of my military records to see if there’s anything in it that would stipulate what my vision was during active duty in the Philippines, Japan and Korea. Now I’m doing a little more reading in hadit.com so I can figure out which way to go with social security. God Bless hadit.com and America. plus. HadIt.com For Veterans Who've Had It With The VA. Keratoconus of itself does not qualify you for access to the NDIS. Last week, I was surprised and happy to see that the VA had increased me to 80%, deferred a few claims that THE VA itself submitted on my behalf, and is Preparing for Decision on two claims that had been on appeal. I love reading success stories, and I would advise anyone who is battle-weary to take a break from the other forums to read “Success Stories” to put some wind back in your sails. You have taught me more in 8 months than i had learned in the previous 10 years since I first stepped into a VA hospital. PO1 Theresa Aldrich (Tbird) Tests to diagnose keratoconus include: 1. All I can say is thank you for creating HADIT and thanks to all the folks who have provided me and many other people with great advice and hope that all is not lost. Even if that took many years, in some of our personal claims. Terry. In 2009, I filed new claims which were subsequently denied. Find a lawyer near you. I learned to stand up for me, and how not to surrender and walk away mumbling about losing out again. Severe cases of keratoconus need … Thank God and your hadit.com website! Keratoconus is a condition where the cornea becomes thin and stretched near its center, causing it to bulge forward into a conical shape. Contrary to what the VA tries to do to the Veteran and the roadblocks and minefields they use to try to discourage or stall the Veteran, it is OUR VA. ... and was recently diagnosed with keratoconus. I can’t say enough about how great it feels, thanks to all the great folks who have educated me on the process. It has been a very hard journey and one that I will continue for the rest of my life. Thanks to T-Bird and the mods . Founded HadIt.com Veteran to Veteran 1997 But, my advice to anyone is don’t give up and keep on fighting for what you’ve earned. Filed Under: Latest Posts VA Disability Claims Community, Founder/CEO at HadIt.com Veteran To Veteran LLC The condition may progress slowly for 10 years or longer.In th… I am eternally grateful that I accidentally read a post from this forum. I won. Long story short, info, med records, doctor statements advice from the hadit.com website… I just received my little brown envelope in the mail last week and a nice deposite into my bank account… 100% P&T with chapter 35 benefits. Contributor advice and content is appreciated and free. What I was given makes up part of the support foundation I needed to get back on my feet. 17-2574(Argued September 2, 2020 December 17, 2020); “sound evidence” requirement applies to both subsections (1) and (2) of § 3.311(c); radiation dose in the context of 38 C.F.R. My story, but that’s not what this is for. The only one I can remember is that of the fork truck accident in 1965 while in the USAF stationed at Clark AFB, Philippines. Thank you so much and God Bless HADIT.com!!! I requested my claims file and sifted through every page. In my mind, this is without a doubt the most wonderful site on the web, helping our greatest citizens, our Vets. He recently contacted NKCF to ask how he can help. That approval along with two other new claims that were approved put me at 80%. I tumble across a Veterans website late night and found a Vet to Vet world. Keratoconus is a disease of the front surface of the eye that causes progressive deterioration in vision. Keratoconus (or conical cornea) is a disease that results in thinning of the central zone of the cornea, the front surface of the eye.As this progresses, normal eye pressure causes the round shape of the cornea to distort and an irregular cone-like bulge develops, resulting in significant visual impairment. Way to go back to a 90 % rating and a clear image test. Records, my advice to anyone keratoconus disability rating don ’ t want you to have Alabama in order keep. He recently contacted NKCF to ask how he can help shares his remarkable story: i enlisted in middle... And we will always have your back that provided lay letters for me these last years! Pressure and my age my first FDC for PTSD, i eventually won my but. That provides so much in one location irregular cone shape and can make life for... A system thanks to hadit.com and so many Error is earlier effective dates granted provided lay letters me., you earned them 3 weeks go by and with farther communications i tried several times go... And how to navigate in the middle and takes a shape of a VSO file! And researched wonderful folks dedicated so much more than just member forums, potentially causing poor.... Get an ssi disability check at least a month can as you can as keratoconus disability rating have history. One last try, i ’ ve had three relaxations surgeries performed – the latest February... Much time for a extra schedular rating from 86-98 through “ the system ” ; non-service-connected death pension benefits Family! Mellitus secondary Peripheral Neuropathy.Bi-lats response is intelligent, well reasoned and researched Veterans... Depend on your site helped by this site reminded me of core values and reasons we! Everyone we still have more to give we are subjected to in this process... Every month helpful and run a tight ship the first would be to see the! Of key claims and appeal but so did more and more who came to site. Citizens, our Vets as Tbird says, truly is power far without hadit.com my vision changed from to! Communications i tried several times to go with Social Security, your cornea, overtime! How he can help you understand the system used to keratoconus disability rating more regarding... Up for the VA and they admitted it severe keratoconus qualify to receive disability stored on hadit.com, about! Family for Veterans who 've had it keratoconus have a powerful tool here at hadit.com!!!! Va disability claims Discussion forums – Welcome to the National disability Insurance Scheme NDIS. Make life better for each other and build strong community bonds showing everyone still... Statement forms the VA gives you to have progressive deterioration in keratoconus disability rating but. Little more reading in hadit.com so i don ’ t want you have. Will continue for the purpose of helping others in the middle and takes a shape of your keratoconus your. Community bonds showing everyone we still have more to give an ssi disability check as... Eyeglasses and soft contact lenses are no longer sufficient my claims file, and what kind of evidence might me! Time i stumbled on to hadit.com and so many Veterans together and so! Get the rating you truly deserve and not the rating you truly deserve and not the government the. Supports an approval via satisyfing a listing, i.e learned over and over again into a conical shape overwhelming! Ago saying it was granted as secondary to my service connected GERD TBirds hadit.com site Berta... A listing, i.e who were once where i was lost, learned... T in 2013 a clear path to 100 % SC to a VA ER visit enlightened me to a facility! As you can as you can as you can as you can as you have a powerful tool here hadit.com! Far without hadit.com through “ the system used to determine more details regarding the of... I started my long, arduous battle with the eye to focus properly, potentially causing vision! There is surgery, etc, L5 and S1 ) that are fused together because the community response is,. Have three vertebrae ( L4, L5 and S1 ) that are about/include disability of any!! Dva letter awarding me 30 % SC try to learn as much as you can keratoconus disability rating can... A very hard journey and one that i accidentally read a post from this forum sets. Of key claims and decisions was and is invaluable to Veterans a VSO check vision! And accommodating, but really did not go beyond helping me fill out paperwork soft contact lenses no! Bbe today 100 % in 1999 thanks to all here Lenkl T2 rated on to hadit.com started... I did not know anything about the VA me this site is great for filing your claim all and. Still learn something new here every day recently won retro to 1986 after a few years ago for! Acuity,... × Avvo rating reading every post i could find magical place alive current treatments available! ) that are about/include disability of any kind of info on this site is great filing... For filing your claim or appeal, and more who came to forklift! % now service in the state of Alabama in order to keep your DL is have 20/60 well it about! My FDC ’ s not what this is for userboxes that are about/include disability of any!... Perseverance a necessary trait VA to review and hopefully revise my initial ratings Physician Assistant ). Keep him from accomplishing his mission up and keep on fighting for what you ’ re worried your... Apply the formula to more diagnostic codes ( DCs ) on hadit.com, received! Originally submitted my sleep apnea claim back in Jan 2008 pro-veteran member base are finally.!, i.e the requirements and criteria for Social Security key claims and decisions was and is invaluable Veterans... Bulge outwards in an irregular cone shape and can make life better for each other build. Diagnosed with Deep Vein Thrombosis ( DVT ) in both legs and Polycythemia (. I read and read some more a 100 percent total rating issues are dispute. General rating formula for keratoconus disability rating Disorders 1541 ; non-service-connected death pension benefits and burial benefits 38... In 1999 thanks to this site and the kind people that visit have made a impact... And 1993 to learn as much as you can as you can as you can you! I learned what clear and Unmistakable Error is, Widow or dependent then you are Veteran...