Question:
Jim, I dislocated my patella in boot camp and I'm having problems with my knees later in life.. I have my military medical record since they accidentally handed me my medical records when I rotated out. 4 years later I have since a tinnitus claim.. approved which helps me get medical now , and upgraded me to priority 3. I am grateful for the help but I sprained my ankles both of them pretty severely in the Marine corps as well as the knee injury and I want to apply for a claim for knees and ankles. I emailed the DAV to see if they can help me. I was denied this for my knees and ankles, but I want to appeal them want to go back for hearing. I also actually got herpes in the Marine corps and I have a skin condition that is always plaguing me from it. Do you think I could file a claim on the herpes which shows up in my medical records more than once as a diagnosed illness?
Jim's Reply:
We are allowed to file claims for any condition that we believe has caused us a lingering disability. That carries on to appeals...any time we're denied a benefit we believe we earned, we may timely file an appeal. Whether or not we can win is another story...if we don't have the appropriate evidence to support our claim, we can appeal forever and still be denied. If you believe that there is a service connection to any condition that causes you problems today, file the claim.