Wish us luck....

Hubby just got notice the VA is going to re-evaluate his disability claim for his prostate cancer. It was a 3-year struggle to get it approved, and we are still waiting for them to correctly add me into his file as his wife. *sigh* And now they're saying that they want to know if he "still has it" even though they KNOW it is in "watchful waiting status" because there's nothing more right now for the docs to do, because the surgery was unsuccessful, the radiation was unsuccessful, and he's not ready to do something like chemo or hormone therapy, unless it progresses... But regardless if it's progressing or not, it is still THERE. That has not changed. Aye yi yi.

And of course his PSA levels are at a low level right now, so if they just give his file a cursory glance, they're sure to say, Oh, it's normal now. That's what they did in 2010, and caused a 3yr mess. Nothing's changed since then, PSA goes up and down, still has cancer, not progressing.

But this is just one more stress that he doesn't need right now. Still trying to deal with all the medical bills from previous treatments and from all my health issues too. Bleh. I'm tired.

Sending you both strength and hope. We are struggling with the VA also, with my father-in-law's illness. It can be infuriating, can't it?

Aww, Grayce, I am so sorry to hear about your dear Hubby! I can understand you must be tired. It must be terribly stressful and scary and worrying to have cancer in your lives. I'm so sorry. I do wish you both the best of luck and hope your health improves too. I hope the VA gets things sorted too so you don't have that to deal with on top of everything else. God bless you both.

If they give us a hassle this time around, we're getting a lawyer. The VA always screws up, and while we know what we're doing this time, we just aren't up to doing it, which I think the VA counts on when they pull stuff like this.

Thanks for the kind words. I have a feeling I'm gonna be reading them a lot! But right now, hubby just set Haagen Dasz in front of me, so I'm not allowed to be in a bad mood any more this morning.

Oh no Grayceworks, I am so sorry to hear about your husband's cancer & dealing with the VA. Wish you and your husband the best. Sending my prayers to you.

grayceworks said:

If they give us a hassle this time around, we're getting a lawyer. The VA always screws up, and while we know what we're doing this time, we just aren't up to doing it, which I think the VA counts on when they pull stuff like this.

Thanks for the kind words. I have a feeling I'm gonna be reading them a lot! But right now, hubby just set Haagen Dasz in front of me, so I'm not allowed to be in a bad mood any more this morning.

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Ice cream makes lots of things better. I'm currently easing troubles with a container of Schwan"s Chocolate Chip Mint.

Sorry for the difficulties, been there. I don't think there is anything more frustrating than dealing with a government bureaucracy. My solution was to turn one bureaucracy on another when I contacted my congressman to help with VA delays. Of course, VA said in advance that would slow things down but it didn't. Action was quick. With everything else you're dealing with a lawyer might be good. It should give you relief from the day to day dealings.

@Dennis
@grayceworks
I'm having Blue Bell Mocha Almond Fudge for breakfast and blaming both of you's

Sorry grayceworks that you and your husband will have to be dealing with this.
Hopefully it works out to be a routine re-evaluation and you guys can be spared all the hassle.

I really hope everything turns just fine for your husbant

Thinking of you and your hubby too.:smile:

Thinking of you. Hoping all goes well.

Grayceworks, I have a dear friend who is a disabled vet. He used to work for the VA, but now works for a law firm that fights to get veterans treatment & benefits from the VA. I will ask him if he has any recommendations for you about lawyers & such, if that's ok with you.

@ilovesoap2 that sounds yummy! We had blueberry cheesecake lol

@PinkCupcake, that would be wonderful. Thank you.

Thank you all for the support. It's gonna get more stressful before it gets better. But this time around, we at least know what's what.

My prayers to you Grayceworks. What an enormous stress and hassle! Hang in there.
Cheers!
Anna Marie

I pray you will be able to get something positive this time. Prayers for your hubby and you.

I'm sorry about the bureaucratic nightmare and the health issues you are dealing with. Wishing you the best of luck with both!

Dennis said:

Ice cream makes lots of things better. I'm currently easing troubles with a container of Schwan"s Chocolate Chip Mint.

Sorry for the difficulties, been there. I don't think there is anything more frustrating than dealing with a government bureaucracy. My solution was to turn one bureaucracy on another when I contacted my congressman to help with VA delays. Of course, VA said in advance that would slow things down but it didn't. Action was quick. With everything else you're dealing with a lawyer might be good. It should give you relief from the day to day dealings.

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Dennis,

We tried that last time around. Weren't too many delays with the initial claim, since it was a presumptive condition. But when they reduced it later, and then said we missed the appeal hearing, but they had never notified us of a hearing, we got people involved. Ended up with the regional VA director involved. Fixed our case up, then retired. lol. We ended up pretty much working with that VA director exclusively, and leaving our VSO out of the loop, because while his intentions were good, things weren't getting done. Even so, it took a long time on the appeal last time, waiting and waiting for the raters to get finished with the file. We'd pretty much figured it wasn't happening, and suddenly I checked our bank account one day and pretty much fell out of my chair. lol Too bad it all went to doctors. lol

But recently got contacted by the new VA director about the re-eval, and they even helped us change the QTC doc who'd be doing the exam because we'd had a bad experience with the initially assigned one on a previous exam, so hopefully this new VA guy will be as efficient as the previous fella, who I can't say enough good things about.

I had just hoped we'd maybe make it to the 7yr mark without going through all this again. Wishful thinking.

Hope everything works out for your husband and you. My prayers are with you!

Sometimes just mentioning that you're considering a lawyer or that you've consulted a lawyer can get things moving and fixed. I've had to do that a couple times. And yes if things hadn't finally been fixed I would have been going the lawyer route, because it was my health coverage which is something I cannot go without or have screwed since I can't afford any of my treatments out of pocket.

Lin said:

...because it was my health coverage which is something I cannot go without or have screwed since I can't afford any of my treatments out of pocket.

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I know EXACTLY how that goes. Between hubby and I, with all our health issues and hospitalizations, we went in today and started a Ch7 filing. With his current VA disability income (why do they count that? they don't count SS disability! *sigh* ) we make more than the GA median income. :Kitten Love:

But with our medical expenses, we make way less. Which the atty said will be a problem with the trustee, since they're going to want proof of all the expenses because it seems excessive, and if I show them what we're SUPPOSED to be taking every month, well, it's more than we make in a month, even with his insurance.

And I don't have insurance yet. Working on that, but haven't been able to afford it, because I have to buy medicine. Vicious circle. So, yeah, I know what you mean about not losing coverage. I used to have good coverage at my old job when I was healthy. I lost my job and benefits when I got sick and kept ending up in the hospital, and they fired me for too many days off work. I had only been there 11 months and didn't qualify for FMLA yet. grr.

So the atty asks me, well can't you get assistance programs to help? Umm, no, because like you just pointed out, we make too much.

I just figured it up, so I'd have the list ready when they ask, and if we actually see the docs we're supposed to see every month or every other month, and actually pay them the full amount, instead of partial payments, and if we actually get our full prescriptions every month instead of trying to stretch some of them out longer, then it all adds up to $5081 per month. Not including HIS insurance premium of $670 per month. :shock:

Which, leaves $250 total per month left over from VA disability, SS, and paychecks, to try and pay rent, food, utilities, transportation, and of course, overdue hospital bills. And that's assuming both of us worked a full month that month, depending on hospitalizations and treatments.

And they said the trustee would want to try and make us do a Ch13 instead, because of the income and they won't believe the medical expenses.

It's insane. I am going to lose my mind. :sad: