Posted on Mar 31, 2014
How do I change my VA disability rating?
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<div>The VA has me on 10% disability for a brain tumor that my position in the military caused and it cost me my job. The brain tumor is non-operable, located under both lobes, and almost touching the brainstem on the innermost part of my head, it causes seizures, and the medicine they put me on makes me hyper-aggressive and I suffer from a combination of both long term and short term memory loss. The tumor was cause by prolonged exposure to nuclear radiation. I had a seizure on the job and I was given a medical retirement with disability pay. 2 years later I got orders for a medical reevaluation, I proved that the tumor had stopped growing and with the medicine the seizures had stopped. They determined that I was too big of a risk to keep and gave me an honorable discharge, a one time severance pay, and a VA disability rating of 10%. I have requested a reevaluation and they sent a letter back approving only 10%. Should I be getting more and what is reasonable to ask?<br></div>
Posted in these groups: 
Disability
Medical
Disability Medical
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 22
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You should definitely join DAV (Department of American Veterans). It is a group of Veterans that comprise of many different backgrounds and they will provide you with Legal assistance and fight for your rights. They will even go to Washington if required to do so to meet with the VA Medical Board to ensure that YOU get what you deserve. Its a minimal cost to you but the benefits of having someone that knows the system to help you and stand with you out weighs anything.
IMHO your medical condition is much greater than the 10% you have been awarded.
IMHO your medical condition is much greater than the 10% you have been awarded.
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SFC James Baber
SSGT Mitchell,
Actually DAV stands for Disabled American Veterans, not Department of American Veterans. Just a quick education on the proper name of the organization. Take care.
Actually DAV stands for Disabled American Veterans, not Department of American Veterans. Just a quick education on the proper name of the organization. Take care.
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SPC Darin Taylor
The DAV helps fellow Disabled Veterans with their VA service-connected claims process. It is not required to become a member to receive assistance from the DAV, but we encourage membership to all of our fellow Disabled Veterans. All VA claims assistance provided by the DAV is free of charge. To answer the question about changing your VA Disability Rating. You will need to locate your nearest DAV Chapter and speak with their Chapter Service Officer. It will depend on how long it has been since your current Disability Rating was awarded. You will either have to file a Notice of Disagreement and Appeal the decision or file a claim for an increase. Bring your VA award packet and the DAV Chapter Service Officer will direct you in the right path to take. If you need help locating a DAV Chapter near your home I will be glad to assist.
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SPC Darin Taylor
If you like you can go to http://www.disabledvetassistance.org and click on the VSO Locator page and submit your name & address and I will locate and contact a DAV Chapter close to you.
Disabled Vet Assistance - Home
Disabled Vet Assistance is dedicated to assisting fellow Disabled Veterans with their VA claims issues
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Hey cuz! This is Karen. Something does not sound right here with just 10%. Without knowing what you have already attempted as far as getting it raised, first, make sure you get ahold of all of your medical records from your active duty time and from your civilian providers. I know of plenty of veterans who have a MUCH higher percentage for MUCH LESS problems. Do you belong to any service organizations like DAV, American Legion, VFW, etc? I am a lifetime member of the DAV, and I think you need to take the case to them and have them help you file a new claim and sponsor it through the system. You can use my name as a reference. I don't know if that carries any weight, but it's worth a mention to the service rep. Go to your Veterans Service Center in town and see the advisor who will be assigned to you. They will ask you at one point if you have a service organization in mind to sponsor your claim- tell them the DAV. YOu may actually want to join them anyway so you have that connection. I will see if I can find the info for who you need to see first. My phone number is [login to see] , so give me a call if you need to. I need your home email so I can send you information as I get it.
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SrA Adrian Yruretagoyena
Thanks cuz, and I went though the formal route to request the increase and that is when they denied me.
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I would suggest contacting your local VFW, American Legion, DAV and just about any veteran organization you can find, they are your best advocates to help with an appeal. Even though you sent a letter, have you filed an official appeal, that is where you need to start and provide any and every type of medical documentation you can find or get.
Good luck.
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SFC (Join to see)
SrA Adrian Yruretagoyena: You can also join the Wounded Warrior Program, so long as you were medically retired on/after Sept. 11, 2001. WWP has an ombudsman that will work with you on your VA claim, and they can also provide you with training (should you need it) for some job skills (such as Computer Repair, A+, Network+, Security+) and will help you find a job as well.
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