Nope, all the cases you mention are legit. You are totally distorting my point. Agent Orange? Of course he deserves it. 1000 jumps? Yes, them too. I was a fighter pilot. Sorry, I guess I'm insulting myself as well. Seems like everyone wants to automatically claim disability, real or imagined. That's all I'm getting at. When the vast majority are claiming it something is amiss. I can judge because I was there and did it and fought on the pointy end for 20 years pulling G's for 15 of it. Pencil pusher with carpal tunnel? Really?

 

Just sit in a TAP class and listen to how everybody is scheming to get it. It's a sham for some. Not all, but some.

 

I'm with him. We're both ex-SOF with a lotta time staring through those things. I've been evaluated and got no disability related to that. I've never even heard of it.

Gonna haveta go with myth: busted.

 

I didn't claim any VA disability either, but I did it for a different reason. I don't trust the bureaucracy and the FAA. This has been beat to death, so I won't rehash here, but for me, it wasn't worth $50/mo or so. Unless you pass the 50% threshold for concurrent receipt, it really doesn't amount to much money...

Many are.

Don't know about myth, I have heard anecdotal stories of guys getting it in the past. What their situation was is unknown to me and was the actual NVG use determined to be causal? Who knows?

That said, eyes start to go as we age. Is it exacerbated by staring at those little green TV tubes? Don't know...I do know they always used to tell me not to sit too close to the TV when I was a kid because it would ruin my eyes!

 

I think VA disability is a great program for those who have real, medically proven occupational disabilities.

All I'm saying is that look at the OP: synopsis: "Can I get disability for 100 hours of NVG time?" No statement that he/she is actually disabled in any way. Made my point for me.

 

I tend to agree. I didn't file at the first opportunity but years later when some things started acting up a bit I became concerned that there might be issues when I got old. Figured it was easier to get it documented after an AD stint.

FWIW my claims were all for documented injuries which occurred during training...not the usual back, hearing, etc.

But I don't have any issue with somebody filling for something that impairs their QOL if it's reasonably service related.

 

I always wondered about the 100 hour thing as well. I heard it so many times, flat out never understood it. During TAP I asked the DAV guy and got the blank look I sort of always expected. If nothing else, the average Joe Grunt has a hell of a lot more NVG time than I do, and they don't log it.

Hill I think you were a little off the top rope, but in general terms I agree with you. I went through TAP twice and both times was a little taken aback at the tone of the VA discussion.

LowSlow I get you too. But will humbly point out that waiving the VA funding fee will make a difference in my retired life. I have no thoughts of being anywhere near 50% (more to the point, deserving it), but I've had enough surgeries and eat enough motrin daily [to little effect] that I think I'll hit 10%. And know I've earned it. You are correct that the $ at 10% is insignificant, but losing the funding fee is pretty huge.

 

I did this as well. Unfortunately nobody ever called me for an interview and I requested (and was just given) a 6 month extension to my retirement date. This would move my physical from 3 months prior to my retirement date, to 9 months prior. Hmmm.

To relate back to the OP, I asked about NVGs during my exam and he'd never heard of it. *shrug* I don't care, I want to be compensated for valid injuries I've suffered as a result of flying a 9g fighter. I do not want to get a government handout just because I can.

 

You are correct. I was a little off the top rope and I apologize for that. But, like you, I was appalled in TAP at all the folks seeking "automatic" disability. Folks who have real occupational disabilities deserve the compensation. There should be none that are "automatic", however. I was ashamed of how the VA rep spoke about it. Synopsis: "Get paid". Sorry, I don't want any part of that without a real disability. And finally, for those who are claiming disability and want to transition to 121 flying, be careful what you ask for. Claiming you can't see, hear, and turn your head any more is a slippery slope when getting an FAA Class I.

 

I don't know what "funding fee" you're referring to...to my knowledge, I haven't "given up" anything by not filing and not having a VA rating.

That's part of my concern. The FAA gained unrestricted access to VA medical records in summer of '11 and they did it by doing a "study" showing some people were lying on their medicals. To date, they've done virtually nothing with this access to my knowledge. But I don't trust bureaucracy or mission creep...I've beat this to death in other threads and am in the minority with my concerns, but I have no significant QOL that I can truly, justifiably attribute to my service, so the juice wasn't worth the squeeze for me.