Was having problems my last 2-3 years while in hawaii and was treated for high clorestrol. had some jaw pain and troule with shortness of breath doing PRT. about 4 years after I retired had 3 angioplasties, filed a claim for my back and coronary artery disease and got both. the doctor said i had to have had the condition while on active duty since it takes longer than 3 years to develop the disease.
Stay on them and get one of the service organizations (american legion, amvets, etc) to help you. If they disapprove appeal it and make sure you have all your records. good luck
Thanks for the info. My back and hearing shouldn't be much of a problem with a couple of new studies that have come out resently, and the heart is still worth a try with the stress signs in my record. Good luck to you too.
I collect benefits for my hearing loss and Tinitus. The key is to show a progressive loss over time. You can do this through your re-enlistment physicals if they show a continuous degreation of hearing. all together my loss equals 50%. check out your physicals and look at the hearing section. The VA will not check these out for you. You have to show them you progressive loss of hearing.
I retired in 2007 and although I was dubious of the whole VA process, I was amazed how easy it was. Maybe I was lucky and the Bremerton, WA office is especially efficient. The VA person went through my medical record and found things I didn't even remember. She made medical appointments for me to see three different types of doctor. I ended up getting disability for tinnitus and arthritis, the latter caused by a series of foot injuries that were definitely service-related.
I was amazed that the audiologist I saw said I had no hearing loss. My first 12 years in the Navy were in the IUSS, and other than loud watchfloor music, that probably didn't cause much hearing loss. But when I cross-rated to STS, my required audiograms got worse every time. The predominant theory was that when your hearing got significantly worse, Navy medical just changed your baseline figures to reflect the new low. Not sure if that's true or not. I know for a fact that my hearing became progressively worse in my last ten years in the Navy, but the VA doctor said that wasn't the case, so be it. My wife will attest that I am legally deaf.
Hearing loss can be service connected by the VA if you can show that you experienced it during service (compare entrance and discharge physicals) or if you developed a compensible level hearing loss within one (1) year of discharge. That is the norm with VA, but some Regional Offices are stricter, some easier. Best bet is to file a claim, and see what transpires. For tinnitus, you need only show that you have it, have a reasonable explanation for developing it (it results from acoustic trauma) and the one trick question is that it had to have started during service; can't have started after discharge. Can be all the time, or it can come and go. Disability level is set at 10%; can't be any higher than that! Advice to use a VSO (Am Legion, VFW, etc) is good, or use a CVSO if your state has them. Vietnam vets should be aware that VA has just added three (3) new presumptives to the Agent Orange list. Ischemic Heart Disease, Parkinson's and B Cell Leukemia. Anyone who set foot in RVN (or Korean DMZ 69-71) and later develops one of these will be s/c by VA. Big issue at the moment, and lots of vets have been affected. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in American men. If you are or know a VN vet, mention it!
