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  3. Tip I got from my chiropractor (Former SEAL): Document things that happen to you any time the military made you be there, that time you rolled down a hill at unit mandatory fun, that time you tweaked your groin jumping down off an aircraft… just everything that could have contributed to the condition you find yourself in as you are older. In that documentation name possible witnesses, dates and times, and then digitally sign the document. Stow it away in your personal email. If you find yourself in a fight with the VA to review your final total these documents effectively serve as evidence to force them to reevaluate your number, and you can hand them one at a time and force multiple reinvestigations of your condition. This is what he had to do because all of his injuries are heavily redacted from his time as a SEAL, only his career ender made it into the normal medical records. All those times he rolled an ankle in a place he couldn’t go to sick call or “fell” off a roof/truck/etc… that stuff was never covered. He just successfully got his rating up to 100% so no more property tax in the state. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
  4. The process of making TOLD planning data (or any scheduled performance data) is an exercise in approximating and building safety margins. You gather field performance data, curve-fit it, model it, then compute scheduled performance for the -1-1. Trying to dial in to 1 knot is "polishing a turd" as they say. What matters is standardization - everyone should get the same output with the same inputs.
  5. I lucked out without really knowing it. Over the course of my career I went to the doc many times complaining of macular/skeletal issues but never did anything to really fix it after talking with flight doc. All that documentation really helped versus not having anything on record and trying to claim legitimate issues. You can go to the flight doc and state xyz is hurting but getting MRI/X-rays and what not can be avoided. In my experience.
  6. While that’s good advice (also not a bad idea to always keep your medical situation to yourself others than who need to know/those you can trust)…just because someone “looks fine” doesn’t mean they are, and the records and exams will speak for themselves. But yes, if mean people are wanting to try and screw you, then it’s best to keep the information closer to yourself.
  7. It becomes your problem when they maliciously file fraud complaints against you to the VA IG and they start investigating you. It’s more common than you think.
  8. Argies getting second hand vipers https://www.twz.com/air/f-16-looks-like-the-endgame-to-argentinas-epic-fighter-saga Kinda surprised they didn’t go for a cheaper not subject to US sanctions (parts/support) option if they wanted to have another try for the Falklands https://breakingdefense.com/2023/09/in-argentinas-fighter-competition-washington-and-beijing-fight-for-regional-influence/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
  9. I can't disagree with keeping it to yourself unless specifically discussing it within trusted agents. However, it's not our problem that their assumptions are wrong. It's not about what someone thinks is fair, it's what the law/gov says is fair.
  10. Here’s some good advice, keep your rating to yourself. There some veterans, usually former grunts from the Army and Marines, who assume one has to be a quadriplegic to have a high VA rating. This really goes for 100 P&T.
  11. Could have been him mins Captain. A buddy had to be rerouted out of a leg yesterday because he's a brand new Captain in his plane and the wx was below his mins as a newb on the fleet.
  12. This plate is funny. The Gettysburg Address is there in the notes but the whole "Autopilot couple approach NA" is buried. The other thing that sounded interesting to me was Brickyard saying they couldn't operate below 4000 RVR (minima on the plate) but they say if you have a HUD or Flight Director you can get down to 2400. I find it hard to believe there isn't a FD on any airliner operating domestically now. Bad thought? For the actual video, I'm pretty sure the pilots had zero SA on where they actually were on that 2nd approach. Tower saved the day, big time. That's another interesting conundrum on a second approach after going missed on the first one. Nothing new had to be set up and just tried the same again. I'd be very interested to get a read out on this one (which I won't, but it'll be interesting).
  13. It kind of baffles me when I read on FB how many guys claim PTSD or something mental health related for VA claims and then all of a sudden are concerned about how it will affect their FAA medical. I know plenty of guys who are 100% and have their class 1, they just just have a ton of little things to claim, the vast majority of which are muscular skeleton issues, but nothing mental health/sleep (other than maybe sleep apnea) related. I do hear of some guys who have PTSD and have a special issuance (ie FAA waiver), but they can definitely be tricky/time consuming to get and depends on severity, symptoms, etc. My overall advice: Like others have said, start 2-3 years before separating/retiring in getting all your aches and pains well documented, and hopefully some care if it can help. If you have something mental health related in your records that you think shouldn’t be there/has improved, etc then spend time getting the appts and documentation done while you’re still AD and my guess is it will be a lot less cumbersome getting it approved with the FAA if you want to continue to fly. But in the end, if you truly need help with mental health concerns (and you probably know if you do), then please get your help—you deserve it. Your life and well being, and that of your family, is much more important and valuable than being in pain/completely miserable while flying post military.
  14. For me they deferred a few MH things which were the DNIFing ones. No idea why as they've been documented for years. They also deferred dry eye syndrome thought.. wtf? They still gave me a rating with those being deferred... I assume because I already met the 100%. But how does insomnia just completely drop off the claim?
  15. https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2024/03/27/the-3rd-group-roots-of-this-unofficial-nazi-inspired-green-beret-logo/
  16. I had a bunch of deferrements. No follow on appts, they just forwarded my records to the proper specialist needed and they gave rating after that review. It was a few months after my initial rating. For flyers its def a catch 22, needs to be documented to show a history of it but if you do, you probably aren't flying anymore depending on the issue.
  17. I dont know about you guys, but I always backed up the other pilot flying the approach, especially in wx. How did they both not notice this deviation?
  18. A lot of it is your C&P exam as well. I didn't even know the range of motions test started until he pulled the protector out and started measuring. I think I was expecting some sort of commencement ceremony. Anytime I felt pain or even strain I said I can't move it anymore... and that's what they want. When you feel pain or discomfort... not to power through it. I spent 2 years documenting and even built a spreadsheet to list all my ailments... I always ignored my plantar fasciitis but when it came down to it I got 30% for it. It was the last year on skillbridge that I found out a bit more about it. The guy I worked for was a recruiter and got 100%. But he provided me with some insight on the final 6 months of the process and exams.
  19. brabus

    Gun Talk

    Not sure what can that is, but I highly recommend DA Wolfman for 300 BLK. With my reloaded 220gr subs, it’s quieter than my nail gun (host = 10.5” with pistol length gas system and SA adjustable gas block). Maybe my favorite gun to bang steel with. The Wolfman also works awesome on any 9mm host and on 5.56 (though there are better options for a dedicated 5.56 can, it’s still damn good).
  20. There is no explaining any of it other than PFM. An admin master sergeant just retired from my base after a career of clerk work, where he only deployed once, to a desk at the deid. Dude has 100% disability. Meanwhile, an old fighter pilot who has deployed countless times and can't look behind him without turning his entire body around is sitting at 40%. He who complains/documents the most, seems to end up with a high rating.
  21. permanent and total. My understanding is that I have 100% for life and no further evaluations required. It's also a requirement for some benefits in some states for property tax exclusion.
  22. I know there are a lot of topics that discuss VA disability here and there, but didn't se anything specific to it.. unless I completely missed it while searching on my phone at 3am. As flyers, we document nothing. I decided 3 years ago, prior to retirement, to start documenting everything. This eventually led to me being DNIF and never flying again but also helped in getting 100% disability from the VA. My 100% was from nothing big I claimed.. just a bunch of little aches and pains that added up to 97%. When I got my notification letter, I noticed a number of items on there that are "deferred". I called the VA and asked them what that meant, what was needed from me, what the way forward was and I got a vague answer of "they probably need more info". That's it. No path forward, no outline of what is going to happen, just a flat out guess. Anyone have any idea what I am supposed to do with that? I also didn't see anything specific to 100% P&T on there. From what I read if you have a combined rating over 70% and one item at or more than 40% you should be P&T. However it doesn't say anything in the letter. Are they waiting for the deferred items to be finalized? I also asked the VA about this and the answer was "well you're 100% so you should be P&T". While I want to believe that's correct I don't think that's exactly how that works. Any ideas? I also have some things not mentioned in the letter at all like insomnia. I've been diagnosed with severe & chronic insomnia and have had it heavily documented over the last 3 years to include sleep therapy, sleep restriction, meds, etc. Yet it's not even mentioned in the letter... not denied, not awarded at least 0%, and not deferred. On a side note, I was surprised at a number of things I got compensated for and the amount I got for them. I was also surprised at some things they combined (IBS & GERD combined) and things I was denied for. If anyone is starting to go through this feel free to hit me up with questions. I started telling folks, particularly flyers, to start at least 2 years from retirement, preferably 3 years. Additionally, things I went DNIF for are not even included in that rating FWIW.
  23. He’s still at Hill! I don’t know how these guys stay so long working with the gov. It’s pretty straight forward - he purposely rotated way early (e.g. ignored the fact that you don’t rotate until rotate speed) and then threw the gear handle 1 sec after weight off wheels. Either because that was his normal habit and it just hadn’t bit him yet or he was shining his ass on a takeoff out of Fallon at grad 1v1 doing a “low transition” as it has been called. RC: He had been taught poorly by his IPs up to that point or he was a young guy doing dumb shit (we’ve all been there in one way or another).
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