Veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) should now find it easier to obtain VA disability compensation.
A new VA regulation changed the way that the VA evaluates the residuals of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), making it possible for some veterans to receive higher amounts of compensation.
The changes to the VA’s diagnostic rating schedule were made to reflect current scientific and medical understanding concerning the long-term physical and psychological effects of TBI. VA claims adjudicators will now have more detailed and up-to-date criteria for evaluating and compensating veterans who suffer from the residuals of TBI.
More than 90 percent of TBI cases involve closed head injuries where the veteran was exposed to a concussive wave, but there were no overt head wounds. Many of these veterans do not even realize that they have suffered a TBI.
TBI symptoms can appear immediately or can be delayed over time. These can include memory loss, decreased cognitive function, behavioral and personality changes, dementia and post-traumatic stress disorder. Neurological symptoms include seizures, headaches, impaired reflexes, nervous ticks and post-concussive syndrome which can manifest as dizziness, headaches, vertigo, nausea, insomnia and depression.
Injuries to veterans serving in Iraq or Afghanistan resulting from roadside explosions and other concussive blasts have led to more brain injuries than in other wars. As of September 2008, over 22,000 veterans are receiving VA compensation for TBI. Over 5,800 of these are veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
There is a catch – The VA will only apply the new rating criteria to TBI claims that are received by the VA on or after September 23, 2008. Claims that were received before that date will be evaluated under the old rating criteria, unless the veteran expressly notifies the VA that he or she wants to be considered under the new criteria. The same applies to veterans who are currently receiving VA compensation based on TBI, but who have no pending TBI claims before the VA.
Check out the latest on TBI from the US Air Force blog: http://airforcelive.blogspot.com/2008/11/traumatic-brain-injury-clinic-at.html
Posted by Captain David Faggard, Air Force PA
VA Syndrome vs. NIDCD “noise pollution” Disease?
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD): Improving the lives of people who have communication disorders.
The Basics: Ménière’s Disease.
Ménière’s disease, an abnormality of the inner ear, is a common cause of hearing loss. Symptoms include:
VERTIGO OR DIZZINESS, TINNITUS, FLUCTUATING HEARING LOSS, AND EAR PRESSURE OR PAIN.
What’s causing it?
The symptoms of Ménière’s disease are associated with a change in the fluid volume of your inner ear. Extra fluid in your inner ear can cause swelling. Experts believe that this swelling can rupture membranes in your inner ear, causing one fluid in your inner ear to mix with another fluid. The mixing of fluids may cause the symptoms of Ménière’s disease.
Other possible causes of the disease include what are called ‘environmental factors,’ SUCH AS NOISE POLLUTION and viral infections, and biological factors.
What will the doctor do?
To diagnose Ménière’s disease, doctors use several procedures:
a medical history interview and physical examination, hearing and balance tests, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a sophisticated technique that takes detailed pictures of the inside of the body.
Treatment.
There is no known cure for Ménière’s disease, but your doctor can suggest methods to control its symptoms, such as a change in diet or medicine. For patients with persistent, debilitating vertigo, doctors have successfully used surgery and an antibiotic to treat Ménière’s disease.
Your own voice may sound too loud. Your audiologist may or may not be able to correct this problem. Most people get used to it over time.
VS.
VA Schedule of Ratings for Disabilities. Under Diseases of the Ear, Diagnostic Code No. 6205.
6205 Meniere’s syndrome (endolymphatic hydrops):
Hearing impairment with attacks of vertigo and cerebellar gait
occurring more than once weekly, with or without tinnitus 100
Hearing impairment with attacks of vertigo and cerebellar gait
occurring from one to four times a month, with or without tinnitus 60
Hearing impairment with vertigo less than once a month, with or
without tinnitus 30
Note: Evaluate Meniere’s syndrome either under these criteria or by separately evaluating vertigo (as a peripheral vestibular disorder), hearing impairment, and tinnitus, whichever method results in a higher overall evaluation. BUT DO NOT COMBINE AN EVALUATION FOR HEARING IMPAIRMENT, TINNITUS, OR VERTIGO WITH AN EVALUATION UNDER DIAGNOSTIC CODE 6205.