Guidance Or Thoughts Your Choice. Veteran Specific.

If you want this bad enough then it is possible. You got to have a Whole Lot of love for this job to stick it out though. Some of my real bad days I wish I had stayed in the service myself over starting this career. Even after several years I just recently had a day where I wanted to get out of my truck and just leave it there on the highway blocking all traffic and walk away.

That is great that you want to get off of the dependence of government. If you really want this then do what you can right now. I do not know about all the meds that the VA perscribed, I honestly stay as far away from any type of pills as I can. But you got to get yourself fit, the main thing is find out how to fix your sleep apnea. It is impossible to have a career long term in trucking without resolving that. Doing all this should be proof enough to yourself that you are ready for getting back on the road.

Tom W. - Thank you for your reply also. That is exactly where I am at. I am ready and willing and have kept an extreme love and passion for trucking and to make this work. At this point a year later I feel like I am more ready, not perfect, but more ready and prepared to get going and will do literally everything I need to do to make it work along the way so that I do not have to sit doing nothing like I have been. If that means a medication like Prozac that won't affect my driving, hopefully coping skills are enough though. I'm not incapable of working, I just used to get easily frustrated and let small things get to me. Now, I brush it off and move on, or try to find a way to handle the situations that only others can help with.

I'll pass off my 0.2c as another fellow Vet of 8 years and my own assortment of baggage.

First, Keith G., I went to college down there in FL. Nice to see a Floridian. Thank you for your service brother. I don't disagree with anything you have said, and I thank you. Yes I haven't gotten "VA" treatment, but I have used the VA's resources to self-educate and "treat" myself, but I am not against taking your advice. You have actually said exactly what my plan was going to be.

My thoughts: begin revisiting the VA getting treatments and getting things restarted with VA in order to know I have somewhere to fall when I slip or guidance when it is needed as well as continued treatment. Get the IU and P&T removed and go back to trucking just a bit of time after everything is in place.

I can only do so much by myself, and I have done great, but I will need that support system, or at least continued treatment established before I ever go back to work.

I'll pass off my 0.2c as another fellow Vet of 8 years and my own assortment of baggage.

First, Keith G., I went to college down there in FL. Nice to see a Floridian. Thank you for your service brother. I don't disagree with anything you have said, and I thank you. Yes I haven't gotten "VA" treatment, but I have used the VA's resources to self-educate and "treat" myself, but I am not against taking your advice. You have actually said exactly what my plan was going to be.

My thoughts: begin revisiting the VA getting treatments and getting things restarted with VA in order to know I have somewhere to fall when I slip or guidance when it is needed as well as continued treatment. Get the IU and P&T removed and go back to trucking just a bit of time after everything is in place.

I can only do so much by myself, and I have done great, but I will need that support system, or at least continued treatment established before I ever go back to work.

That's the correct attitude brother.

From my own experience it's very hard for the VA to reduce your rating. Think about how much ass pain it was for them to figure out the rating the first time..and then they've gotta do it again? HA!

I don't know about other locations. But the new facility in Orlando is great and my Daytona Out patient clinic in my home town does a pretty outstanding job getting me into a doc within a week or two for none critical issues. So get that treatment and get yourself ready.

You sound hungry for the road, so get yourself mentally and physically fit so you can feed that beast.

Hey, guys and gals. I know this feed isn't blowing up, but I really do appreciate all the feedback thus far. Any more is certainly encouraged if the moderators will allow it over the next couple of days or weeks. I couldn't be more grateful to be able to talk to the "Horse's mouth" of truckers and get the feedback.

My couple quick notes: I have a thick skin period and for this business, don't let my verbiage throw you off. I am being professional in a public and professional forum, just as anyone should do out in real public, but I will stick it to ya, and take crap between fellow people with no care in the world, and also due respect as to not cross any lines.

I haven't figured it out yet, but truckers inspire the **** out of me. There is an enormous variety of people in this industry, maybe that is what it is, the diversity, maybe my lineage, maybe it's the process of figuring out how to deal with things day to day. It is something, but it is inspiring.

There is nothing like holding onto the steering wheel of a big rig, bumping a dock, logging hours, living conditions/lifestyle, etc... There is nothing like it in the world with the exception of the military or emergency services to an extent. Growing up with a family of truck drivers I always wanted and thought I was going to become a trucker at a young age, but my father wanted me to explore the world to learn and try out other stuff and when push came to shove I came back and asked him again, can I do this? His reply was "Can you"? That may not mean much to many of you and it didn't to me the first time he said it but I only thought I knew what my dad meant. I recently asked my father again, should I do this? His reply was "Can you"? I honorably said I will try my damndest. I'm am my own worst enemy, I will overcome my obstacles, and I will do this god willing.

I would like to see Old School give his feedback, he seems very straightforward and brutally honest, and I respect that. I don't have to like, agree or read/listen to anything he has to say or his advise, but I at least would like to see his perspective and possibly start a dialogue with him also, actually, I would be honored to. He has been on these forums a very long time and can legitimately pick people out of the crowd in order to better themselves or take a step back and question things. Who wouldn't want someone like that around here? I'll be waiting for my chance Old School. Will I succeed, or am I a victim?

Thank you for your service Sir!!! I too am a vet. 8 years Navy. I served overseas but not on the ground as many of you. I am a proud card carrying American Legion member for life, as well as being a 30 year law enforcement official.

You seem too have passion and determination. That alone as you well know will not be enough. You have to get yourself on the right track. It sounds like you have started down that road, but still have a ways too go. With your stated background you are a type A personality to the extreme. Your very correct you are your own worst enemy. It sounds like you have made some tremendous progress of which you should be very proud. Keep it up.

I understand the sitting around. I retired 5 years ago and after 11 months was climbing the walls. So I got into trucking too have a purpose and time filler. You earned every penny of your benifits so stop feeling bad about it. I just wish our country treated our vets better. I’m not getting on my soap box on that now though.

When you feel your ready to climb back in the seat then give it a go. You already have a look at what the industry is like so you have more information on when too make the call when the time is right for you personally.

Do what makes you feel good about yourself!!!!!

I have been going back and forth as to post or not. TBH, the biggest issue I have is you talking about your level of compensation being reduced. The only way it can possibly be reduced is if you have a conditional rating while undergoing treatment and testing. For as long as you have been out, all of that should be settled by now. It leads me to believe that your applying for va disability is a fairly recent event and your medical records while in the military do not support your application for benefits. I have been thru the VA process twice now. Once when a had a break in service from April 2001 to February 2002 and my second during my medical board and final discharge In 2013. I know the VA has reconsidered and reduced the amount of compensation that is offered for sleep apnea. Too many people claiming it. Just like knees, back and hearing the ratings are way undervalued.

I have a rating of 40%. Gotta love VA math. I have 30% for adjustment disorder with depression, 10% for 2 discs in my lower back, 10% for tinnitus, 0% for degenerative disc disease in my back, 0% for degenerative disc disease in my neck, 0% for arthritis in my left knee, 0% for arthritis in my right knee, 0% for arthritis in my left shoulder, 0% for moderate hearing loss in both ears and 0% for nerve damage to my sciatic nerve roots controlling my left leg. All I can say is you need to make a choice. Either sit back and suckle the VA teet or get back to work. Either way you need to follow thru with treatment. If the VA says you have to use a device to assist in breathing at night, the trucking industry will definitely say the same thing. If you do have a conditional rating failure to do exactly as the VA says WILL end up reducing your final rating. They are in the evaluation phase as to how serverely your disabilities effect the quality of your life. Could I go back and have many of my ratings reevaluated, sure. But to me it is not worth the effort.

Your choice is simple, spend your life doing VA appointments or spend your life getting to work. Either way you will still need treatment. One way you will remain dependent on getting that final rating, which you have to do exactly as the VA says or you risk losing it. You could do exactly as the VA says and they still can come back with a lower final rating. The other option is get working, do treatment as you can and let the VA disability chips fall where they may.

Just as an example of how fickle the VA is, I had a claim denied for my nose. Which I had the upper portion of my nose ripped off, my reconstructive surgery to rebuild my nose all while in the military with plenty of documentation. I wasn't expecting anything more than 0% so I can get the problems I still have looked at and to cover me if in the future if more issues happen. Claim was totally denied. It is what it is.

Drive Safe and God Speed

I see you are from Clarksville. I don't like to assume but I'm going to guess either you are just from there or you left the military 101st AB to be exact and live there now. The 101st was my first duty station from 2002-2004/5. During the initial invasion of Iraq.

The only way it can possibly be reduced is if you have a conditional rating while undergoing treatment and testing.

I've never heard of a conditional rating, so confused by that one. Actually, I think that is something for Med Boards with relation to VA disability benefits, but I wasn't med boarded so that is why it seems foreign to me. Regardless I don't have any "conditional ratings" that I am aware of. The IU and P&T means I can't make over 12K a year, and they send me an employment verification form every year to check that. Of course, they are backlogged about 5 years, but that just makes things worse. If they find out I have a job making more than 12K, they will either eliminate and remove my original rating or they will eliminate the IU and P&T. Now outside of the IU and P&T yes they won't reduce those unless I'm reevaluated, which can happen, but slim. The fact that the VA watches my CPAP machine hours and usage tells me that I probably shouldn't mess with not doing what I'm supposed to, that is why I'm trying to take care of things as I get back into or before getting back into a trucking job.

For as long as you have been out, all of that should be settled by now. It leads me to believe that your applying for VA disability is a fairly recent event and your medical records while in the military do not support your application for benefits. I have been thru the VA process twice now. Once when a had a break in service from April 2001 to February 2002 and my second during my medical board and final discharge In 2013. I know the VA has reconsidered and reduced the amount of compensation that is offered for sleep apnea. Too many people claiming it. Just like knees, back and hearing the ratings are way undervalued.

On this section of your reply post. I have only been "out" since 2012. I have been applying for benefits since 2004, yes, I have gone back and forth with VA for 14 years. Now part of that is because I also had breaks in service. I received my Tinnitus at 10% in 2004-2005. I applied for several other things but that is all I got. I received the Sleep Apnea rating of 50% in 2012 when at college because I acquired that ailment just before my Iraq deployment in 2008. The PTSD was the hardest to get approved. I did not actively show that I had PTSD because I was scared of the rating just as many people were, so I kind of sabotaged my own PTSD rating. When the time came that I was being told by friends, family, and my employer that something was wrong with me, then I made an effort to get rated. The PTSD rating of 70% I don't remember when I received it, I believe it was in 2015-2016. I went into trucking after college and then everything else has been explained in previous posts. The IU and P&T are newly rated last year.

You may think what you would like, but that is it. Fairly recent? Well the IU and P&T in the last year if you consider that recent then yeah. I have applied for benefits probably 5 or more times that I can remember in 14 years and this is where I'm at now. Sounds like you didn't have to many issues, but it isn't the same for everyone, some of us have to fight for those benefits.

I have a rating of 40%. Gotta love VA math. I have 30% for adjustment disorder with depression, 10% for 2 discs in my lower back, 10% for tinnitus, 0% for degenerative disc disease in my back, 0% for degenerative disc disease in my neck, 0% for arthritis in my left knee, 0% for arthritis in my right knee, 0% for arthritis in my left shoulder, 0% for moderate hearing loss in both ears and 0% for nerve damage to my sciatic nerve roots controlling my left leg. All I can say is you need to make a choice. Either sit back and suckle the VA teet or get back to work. Either way you need to follow thru with treatment. If the VA says you have to use a device to assist in breathing at night, the trucking industry will definitely say the same thing. If you do have a conditional rating failure to do exactly as the VA says WILL end up reducing your final rating. They are in the evaluation phase as to how serverely your disabilities effect the quality of your life. Could I go back and have many of my ratings reevaluated, sure. But to me it is not worth the effort.

I have several 0% ratings also, on my back, neck, knees, and headaches/migraines. As far as doing what I need to in order not to face reduction, I get that, I know that game. There is no "you could go back and have your ratings reevaluated" if they want to, they send you a letter telling you that you are being reevaluated. You don't show up, they reduce it or eliminate it. The chances of them sending that letter are very rare, but it does happen.

I understand your last 2 paragraphs. I do have to make a decision, that is why I'm asking for feedback to help me in looking at perspectives and maybe some things I wasn't thinking about to consider.

Just wanted to give everyone an update.

I have talked to a few of you here, I have talked to family, and I have talked to a couple of veteran friends. Probably talked to way too many people at this point, because I'm back at square one with my decision making and thought process. I did see my VA social worker a couple of days ago also to get his take. The common thing I keep hearing is all the negativity, which is probably why I'm not getting anywhere. My environment needs to change, which is a big reason for going back to this industry so that I can create the positive environment that I need while also learning to deal with the negativity in the industry.

For me, I keep coming to the conclusion that somethings got to change in my current situation. Whether that be going back to trucking or not may not be the proper direction and I recognize that now. I did love driving though, and hope that I can get back into it again in the near future without the current issues I face now with the decision. Ultimately this is going to be a journey to find out what it is I'm going to do.

Thanks to you all for your insights. I'll be staying on the site to observe and offer any little bits of help I can in the future. As for right now, I'm putting the decision on Hold until I can have a more accurate risk assessment.