Jim,
I am working with a friend who was a navy corpman Iraq. He is currently rated at 30% for PTSD and 10% tinitus. He was granted in Feb 2010 and appealed the decision in Apr 2010 for a higher PTSD rating. His condition has drastically worsened and I thought it might be a good idea to file for an increase. When I ran this by the VA and the VFW, I was told that he is unable to file an for an increase while there is an open apeal for the same issue. Do you agree with this?
Reply:
Yes, I do agree. If there is a claim for a condition already in process, to file what is essentially the same claim again will confuse an already confused system.
I advise vets that even when a new condition may surface during the long wait for an already in process claim that they may want to consider holding off on filing another claim. The system is in chaos. One must be cautious when considering their claims and making it worse.