[News] Attorney urges Congress to end sleep apnea claims 'abuse'

[Zomglawlz]

There is a large correlation between sleep apnea and PTSD, TBI, and respiratory exposures which are all more prevalent to military members. Honestly, there are probably thousands vets getting out and not even using VA or making claims that have sleep apnea and don't even know it.

[gspell68]

As long as they're paying disability to guys using oxygen masks, I really don't see much difference since most of them can trace their afflictions back to smoking.

At a 50% disability rating a Vet only gets $810; if married $888; and married with a kid is $946 with $72 for each additional kid.
BTW, a 20+ year military retiree won't get paid any disabilty until he reaches the 50% level. One of the guys I work with has a 40% rating for years and has never received a single dime! So, it's not like the government isn't getting over on Vets!
And it wasn't until recent that the VA started paying retirees ANY disabilty. Before 2004, there was no such thing as concurrent retirement and disability pay!

I, for one, have been made miserable by this condition due to military service.
My sinuses became and stayed inflamed throughout initial training and the first couple years of service to the point of septum erosion. Snoring and apnea led me to have UP3 surgery in 1993 - long before apnea was cool to have. The surgery was good for the first 5-8 years. Not much sleep for the next 10-12 years between Army mandated 5:00AM wake-ups, three straight years of swing shift, and two years sucking up unfiltered Iraqi sand. I just got a CPAP device a month ago after retiring in April and fighting to get one for the last year while in Afghanistan.

So, I think it's a small price for the VA to pay considering I still train US troops and it always helps to be well rested and at the peak of your game.

[gspell68]

So is this guy, Webster, a doctor now?
I see disability and sleep apnea as separate issues though they can sometimes be entertwined.
If anyone is ripping off the system it is the insurance companies and they likely hired this dweeb to point the finger of blame at the folks who can LEAST afford it.
**
What I see coming from this guy is that he has issues relating to reality.
ie: "My Daddy was like such & such, so therefore it is true for everyone!"

To him I give my official "Pfft!" rating.

Thank you, Peace, Love and Carrots.

Yep.
I think he's just torqued that all those claims percentage fees keep escaping him since VA disability pay is totally untouchable by law and cannot in the remotest way be garnered in divorce/separation proceedings, even by court order.

[s5mons]

As long as they're paying disability to guys using oxygen masks, I really don't see much difference since most of them can trace their afflictions back to smoking.

At a 50% disability rating a Vet only gets $810; if married $888; and married with a kid is $946 with $72 for each additional kid.
BTW, a 20+ year military retiree won't get paid any disabilty until he reaches the 50% level. One of the guys I work with has a 40% rating for years and has never received a single dime! So, it's not like the government isn't getting over on Vets!
And it wasn't until recent that the VA started paying retirees ANY disabilty. Before 2004, there was no such thing as concurrent retirement and disability pay!

I, for one, have been made miserable by this condition due to military service.
My sinuses became and stayed inflamed throughout initial training and the first couple years of service to the point of septum erosion. Snoring and apnea led me to have UP3 surgery in 1993 - long before apnea was cool to have. The surgery was good for the first 5-8 years. Not much sleep for the next 10-12 years between Army mandated 5:00AM wake-ups, three straight years of swing shift, and two years sucking up unfiltered Iraqi sand. I just got a CPAP device a month ago after retiring in April and fighting to get one for the last year while in Afghanistan.

So, I think it's a small price for the VA to pay considering I still train US troops and it always helps to be well rested and at the peak of your game.

I'm also one of those vets receiving disability from the VA.

I always had breathing issues at night, even in my early '20s. When I was about 30 my wife urged me to go to the doctor about me stopping breathing at night. I then had sinus surgery to fix a deviated septum and to open the sinuses up. I stopped getting continuous colds, sinus & ear infections, and strep throat, but I still snored and stopped breathing at night. A few years later was when I started with the CPAP.

When I retired I submitted all my service connected ailments to the VA. They determined that I was 10% "disabled" because of my respiratory obstruction. I receive no money from the VA, however, 10% of my retirement check comes from them and it is tax free. Actually with my bad back and destroyed knees I'm rated at a total of 40%. The DOD pays for 60% of my retirement and the VA makes up the other 40%.

I guess the bonus to that is that 40% of my check is not taxed.

[Louise]

so I'm confused. If you have sleep apnea and you have just retired from the military, that means your service must have caused it? Doesn't there have to be some plausible connection between the apnea and the service?