LowSlowT2

I agree in principle.

However, how many times did you not go to the doc because you didn't want to be DNIF and let your squadron down? How many times did you fly when you could've legitimately gone DNIF? How long did you put off that rotator cuff surgery because you knew your squadron would be in a bind, or someone else had to deploy? You know, that ache you felt when you wrenched your arm slipping and catching yourself getting into/out of the plane. How much was your circadian rhythm ignored and abused for 20 years to the point you can either a) sleep anywhere/anytime or b) never get a decent night's sleep? Or how 'bout those knees with almost no cartilage in them because as a condition of employment with Uncle Sugar, you're required to run and stay in their idea of 'shape'? Or that back you tweaked helping to load an airplane?

How much is simple aging and how much is duty? I'm not defending the gross offenders, but to make a blanket statement like, "...if you get out and are not financially damaged by potential earnings by your injury, etc. then the taxpayer should pay nothing" glosses over a lot of sacrifice. I don't think it's nearly as black and white as you see it.

My long-winded point is, there's more to it than just being asked to take a hill and getting shot up. There's a lot of damage done, quite often, by delaying 'routine' care or minor repair out of a sense of duty that the average aging worker in the general population doesn't do and never will do. If you push your body harder as a condition of employment, without the ability to decline, the wear and tear is no longer 'typical' or simple 'aging'.

As for the hearing loss, if you work in the documented loudest cockpit environment in the USAF, I think it's a fair claim. I mean, if the USAF is tracking your entire crew force to monitor for increased hearing loss, there may be something there beyond simple aging and the associated hearing loss.

What about looking at a TV screen 1" from your eyes for hours on end? Does that affect your vision over time? Do you let your kids sit 2" from the TV at home?

My back is still tweaked. I'm in some relatively minor pain every day. It did occur while doing something for the USAF. Same with my knees. My shoulder, I did get surgery on, and it's better, but not perfect and likely never will be and it aches most days at least a little. How much of that is age and how much is injury? Can you tell me? Because the doc couldn't.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not condoning the abuse of the system - which absolutely does happen. But you can't paint all the guys that get all their 'ills' repaired during their last year with the same brush. Likewise, you can't paint all the guys who make claims with the same brush. And just because you toughed it out and flew every day while in, doesn't mean you're lying if you make significant claims when you get out. It also doesn't mean you can't be evaluated by an AME and found fit to continue flying. They're not mutually exclusive.

We may be in violent agreement here - most tend to debate at the 'extremes' of their argument to make points.

And I haven't made a claim. I believe I am entitled to make one based on my knowledge of my injuries and their causes. I have decided to defer making a claim because of the FAA's access to VA medical records and my inherent distrust of bureaucratic entities. But that too is a personal choice.

Besides, unless you reach the 51% point and garner concurrent receipt, all we're talking about is not paying tax on a tiny portion of your income - hardly "taking from the taxpayers" (and I'm not certain it even qualifies as 'compensation') ...but that's a different discussion entirely and gets political.

kcpunk

You say real money with 51 percent concurrent, what would a good estimate be for the annual amount they would receive.


If you are truthfull and have documentation, the VA will determine your percentage, if any, not you.

Make sure your VA disability reasons match your FAA electronic filed documentation. You now need to have a FAA account and complete the form prior to your FAA doctor visit.

Talk to your FAA medical examiner before your VA Physical, there are many injuries that validate a disability that will not prevent you from receiving a class 1.

LowSlowT2

Pull up any online calculator to get an estimate. But it works differently at 50%. Prior to 50%, you get a fixed amount tax free. It is removed from your pay, the remainder of your pay is taxed, then it is added back in. At 50%, you get the VA payment on top of all of your retired pay - that's concurrent receipt.

As a quick example, a 30% rating garners $395 of your pay as tax free resulting in about $40-50/month net increase in retired pay. While a 50% rating results in an additional $810 of pay added on top of your total retired pay.

Google VA Disability Calculator if you're interested in more info.

Yes. I was merely using generic examples to illustrate a point, not claiming I could guess what an individual at the VA would subjectively determine my overall disability rating would be. I do have recent cases to estimate my own, but as I said, I can't be sure because it is a subjective process.

Yes. And?

Yes. However, that is not the point I was making. The point is, we do not yet know what the FAA will do with this new access to the VA medical records. You may choose to believe that things will continue as they are. I will not debate that - they may well continue as-is. What I will say is that bureaucracies never get smaller or less intrusive. Knowing that and not knowing what the FAA's plans are, for me, it wasn't worth the small dollars. For now, I don't have to check the box on my medical that says I receive any type of disability compensation, so if the FAA does decide to change the rules regarding VA disability & medicals, I don't need to worry about it.

I don't mean to sound like a scare monger, I just want folks to understand where things are at right now and how much money we're talking about so people can make an informed decision.

thurberm

Great discussion and points to ponder from all, especially LowSlowT2 (you go, brotha).

Another thing to consider, and I think important, is that ten-point preference for federal hiring kicks in at the 30% disabled rating. That's huge, because the federal hiring system is a ridiculous racket, and having that advantage is huge. So huge that it's often the difference between getting hired or not over a LESS qualified applicant.

It's ESPECIALLY important for RETIRED members, because by law, once you've retired, you get zip until and unless you hit 30%. The federal hiring system favors those who separated before retirement, as they don't have the benefit of retirement pay.

Not advocating cheating or fraud, just a point to consider if you have some legit conditions (that won't ground you if you still wanna fly as a civilian) and might be in the market for a federal job...

Also, and I think it's been said, be very careful as you prepare to separate/retire if you want to fly in the post-military world. I've seen more than a few aviators drooling over the 50% disabled rating that comes with sleep apnea (don't get me started) until I point out the hassle/delay/extra work it'll cause with getting a Class 1 physical.

Dragon7

Would be very careful of Sleep Apnea or PTSD/TBI issues. If you were broken by or in the military by all means get it documented and addressed. But i have heard some folks claim they pushed these buttons to push up their claim percentage, and would bet it will come back to haunt them in obvious and no so obvious ways.

rickair7777

Sleep apnea will get your FAA medical pulled, so even a history of that will create hurdles.

TBI will probably create big hurdles, I have a friend who got in a bike accident which resulted in him being knocked out with a concussion. The FAA made him "wait and see" for almost three years before they gave his medical back.

reCALcitrant

You can't be a little pregnant.

A bunch of guys that do the same job I do TRYING to get full disability like a dude that is missing his hand/arm from a year kicking down doors in Fallujah is disgraceful.

Bottom line. If you have problems, tell the doc, let them put it in the system. If the government determines they owe you money, great. You've done nothing unethical. If however, you do research to figure out what's best to be wrong with you so you can get more money, you're worse than a lifelong welfare recipient because you know better. They don't.

I'll give you the last words as I feel like I'm kicking farts out of a dead mule. Respect.

LowSlowT2

I think you misunderstand me. I'm not saying research it to figure out what's wrong so you can get more money, I'm trying to educate folks about percentages so they know what they're gambling with if the FAA ever changes their mind about VA disability. Your advice of 'just tell the doc' is bad advice, IMO, without the info I'm providing. If the VA rates you, you're stuck with it. You don't get to 'undo' it or change your mind later. So, if the FAA ever decides to change the rules, you now have a record of VA disability that you can't change, delete, or hide. My point is you can't go in blindly. My discussion about percentages and 51% was so you know where the breaks are - below that, you're really not getting anything of significance, so is the future of your FAA medical worth that $40/mo? Only an individual dude can decide if the squeeze is worth the juice. Above the 50% threshold, it changes the risk/reward ratio.

I didn't claim anything despite knowing I'm entitled to 'tell it to the doc' and would almost certainly get something, but since I'm relatively healthy, I doubt I'd cross that 51% threshold.

And my 'debating' on the relative merits of what constitutes a valid service-connected disability is my opinion. You don't agree and that's fine. It'd be boring if we all agreed on everything all the time - I guess it'd be easier though.

There's no doubt that this would be far better over a beer or two...

For the record, I was NOT in AMC...

reCALcitrant

Fair enough. Through the wonders of the written word, I didn't realize until just now that you were arguing the other side. I.E. Be careful what you tell the doc b/c it could cost you money in the long term if the FAA decides to be DB's. My apologies on that. I think this conversation would've taken about 2 minutes over a beer and we'd have already been talking about big boobs or fast cars or something. I saw the avatar had a 130. Just thought AMC. My apologies on that too! See, my assumptions did make an ASSuhME. Cheers.

LowSlowT2

And I agree with your perspective - it's unethical to boost your disability rating intentionally by seeking out what it's better to be 'hurt' about.

In our zeal to defend our positions, we zoomed past each other.

Did someone say boobs?