If you take a VA loan there is a funding fee associated with it, 2-3% (don't remember). It is usually (always?) rolled into the loan. Listening at the VA brief, that was about the one thing I heard--don't have to pay it with 10% or greater. That's worth the pain of applying to VA. If you don't need a VA loan, it's irrelevant.

On the latter statement, I don't disagree. However, just as I won't lie on my VA app, I don't plan to lie to the FAA (is that naive?).

 

Not sure exactly what you're saying, so I'll go basic on you, no offense intended.

1 - You don't need a VA disability rating to obtain a VA loan (I don't think you were making this assertion, but I'll state it just for grins)

2 - The VA funding fee varies depending on whether or not you've used your VA eligibility more than once or not. For grins, let's assume it's 2.5% for a first-time user. That's $2500/$100,000 loan.
So, let's do a quick example.
Assume $300,000 loan and 2.5% funding fee, that's $7500 VA fee.
PI payment w/o VA funding fee rolled in: $1610.46
PI payment w/VA funding fee rolled in: $1650.73
Difference: $40.27

3 - In the grand scheme of things, the tiny percentage of the VA funding fee is peanuts if the second part of my statement ever turns out to resemble reality and you've potentially jeopardized your future income stream if the FAA ever wants to "grow" its bureaucracy in a nefarious (to vets) manner, and/or some accident "sheds new light" on VA disability ratings to the public or congress, and/or any other number of, admittedly, double what-if scenarios occur. For anything less than concurrent receipt at 50%, it was too small change to tempt it for me...and I ain't rich by a long shot (currently furloughed where every nickel counts).

YMMV

 

Lot's of emotion over an OP that isn't/wasn't! Never said I wanted to file a claim for this. RTFQ...I'd heard this tale for years (apparently others on here did too) and, now that I was scheduled for TAP, I heard it again. Didn't sound right to me. Wanted to know if the APC collective knew something solid to refute or confirm it (what was I thinking?). Stupid gov't policies do exist ya know.

In fact I since went through TAP and vomited in my mouth on multiple occasions during the VA Rep briefing. (Nothing against those with legit gripes and life altering injuries). As a guy with over 18 years of pointy nose supersonic flying, I will file my claim...but it won't include this!

 

My vision went from 20/15 to 20/35 in 1 year at age 29. What changed? NVGs in AC & MC-130s. I think those old ANVIS 6s ruined my eyesight (a little) but have never heard of anyone getting disability. How can you PROVE it was NVGs? Heck the 4949s now are 20/20 so the VA would look at you with a huge RCA dog look...

 

Absolutely. The old ANVIS-6 were pretty rough at times. I also flew with two UK models, the earlier one worse than the ANVIS-6 and the later ones somewhere in between ANVIS-6 and F4949. Even within the 4949 family, there are some significant differences between the D/E/F/G/TG versions.

The question I'd be asking if I was the VA guy was how many hours did you fly on NVGs in one year to have your eyes go that quickly and if they stabilized at 20/35, maybe yours just "aged" earlier than the late-30s/early-40s most other folks' eyesight starts to go. Was it near or far vision? Etc. Lots of variables, not the least of which is the human biological portion...

 

Meh, I flew several hundred hours of night TA with the 6's and my eyesight stayed at 20/12 until my early 40's...

IR473 (IIRC) was a beast: a little over 2 hours of TA on NVGs. That was a little rough...

 

It's good to hear that some people still have some integrity. Over 40 years ago, I was made to feel like a "sucker" by my peers because I wouldn't file for disability and had the same concern about subsequent FAA Class Is. Made me ashamed to wear the same uniform as some of them. Just because you wear dog tags doesn't make you honest. It cheapens the program for those that deserve it.

 

Going through this whole process right now. During both the DAV med records review and the VA med records review, no one asked or cared about NVGs or anything else.

They look at what's in your records, annotate the big medical items, then a VA doctor reviews your records and gives you a physical. During the physical he doesn't give a crap about your stories, only what impact those big medical issues will have on your ability to work post-retirement. They won't even let you start the discussion of "no sh!t, there I was, NVGs in a 4Vx, blah blah." They want to hear the specifics of range of motion limitations, pain level doing work-related tasks, etc.

If it ain't in the records and doesn't directly impact your ability to work, they don't care.

 

I just finished/waiting on results the exact same process (DAV in AL and VA at Pensacola) and I had the exact same results.

 

Okay Heres the REAL NVG VA DISABILITY Deal:

In short maybe...NVG specific disability ...NO. I heard the same old thing...I was a NVG schoolhouse flight instructor went to USAF NVG Instructors School....helos, jets, turboprops, etc flew for 24 yrs everything from the old ANVS-6 to the newest goggles. So I was well versed in the use and wives tales of "THE" automatic VA disability.

You have to tie your service connnected disability rating to something specific in the CFR38 "code" definitions like headaches, or eye strain, cataracts....loss of visual acuity. There is no NVG VA disability in the CFR rating tables. Look at the Tables....neck strain, visual acuity, headaches, etc. Each one has a code number. State something like this: Visual Acuity worsening hard to focus, headaches and neck strain/pain due to NVG flying.

How do you do this??? Step !. Document a Ironclad Case when you decide to punch out whether it be 20yrs or 5 yrs, or 1 yr. The VA doesnt care.

Im not coaching here.....but these boogers ARE bad for your eyes....
I have over 600 hrs of hard NVG time and the last 2 yars as a NVG instructor I swear those 4949's affected my vision.....always been 20/20 before that now I have a fissure and cataract/cloud in my right eye and am 20/45 Even though it was well documented in my USAF flight records and Medical exams since 08 that my NVG flying was causing headaches and eyestrain the VA rated me at 0% for the cataracts and visual acuity but gave me 10% for the headaches?? Go figure???? Its a game......put the ball in your court by documenting the small stuff as it pops up and COPY YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS, and put them in a plastic tub because you will need these later.

Mind you this was well documented in my medical records. Every year write down everything that has happened or is wrong...dont try to cover it up so you can keep flying. On your PHA or flight physical for example specifically state your concern....like "back pain /arthritis due to weight of NVG/Helmet", if you dont document it you wont get anything for it. This was my mistake, I didnt get that specific on my annual exams or when I saw the flight doc. Write it out the more the better and spread it out over your last few years. but when I went to the VA the Rating Officer he confessed he likes easy to find specific trails in order to tie a disability into a rating. Dont make them connect the dots for you...they miss things...and have to read pages and pages, believe me things get missed. if your looking for a rating Id say 10-30% out of a NVG/eye or neck strain........... I didnt know,I wish I knew this then I didnt plan to be a disabled vet.....I just wanted to fly and go TDY. If you dont document it .....IT DIDNT happen...see where Im going with this. Its FREE document everything even a cough and a chest cold.

I hate to see people get misinformed and lose out. VA ratings are for actual wear and tear on your bodies...and we have all had that especially with the ops tempo being so high the last decade. Be real about your concerns but dont skimp on the details build your case BEFORE you get out...go to the flight doc tomorrow and put it in writing in your medical records.....it could mean the difference of a lot $$ or nothing down the road if your symptoms worsen.

Also when you retire Acitve Duty, Reserve/Guard whatever request a exit physical and write down everything you think you have concerns about....
it will make the trail easier for the VA to follow!

Good LUCK ....hope this was helpful