Archive for the 'Marines' Category


Second semester at NYU

Believe it or not, not a lot has happened since I last posted. I finished my first semester of going back to school in late December, and had the next four weeks off to relax. Since NYU knew the VA was going to pay for my spring semester, I didn’t need to make any kind [...]

Post-9/11 GI Bill update

I have some good news to report! The Post-9/11 GI Bill has finally come through. Last week I received a check for my housing allowance and books. The VA also gave NYU a check for $18,451 for this semester’s tuition. NYU kicked in the remaining $561 because they elected to participate in the Yellow Ribbon [...]

Marine OCS blogs

Just stumbled onto a relatively new site called Our Marines. The site attempts to better connect America with the Marine Corps, and features the blogs of 6 candidates at PLC (Platoon Leaders Class). Though there isn’t much content, it’s a cool idea and has lots of potential. Check it out.

Post-9/11 GI Bill

Back on July 2nd, I applied for education benefits from the VA. My application was received by the Buffalo New York processing office on July 13th, and I was told it would take about 4-6 weeks to get a response. Sure enough, 6 weeks after they received my application, I got a letter from the [...]

16 month post-FVFG follow-up

Finally got my 16 month post-FVFG follow-up yesterday in NYC. I had an MRI done last week and brought it to my appointment. My surgeon said the MRI doesn’t look terrible, and the hip’s head isn’t completely collapsed. He said my hip is still has pockets of avascularity, but there is a tunnel of life [...]

Rating received

Finally got a letter from the VA regarding my service connected compensation claim. I’ve been assigned a 30% rating, which I’m not too happy about. It’s like they ignored everything that was happening with my leg, and simply looked up what rating was next to “hip fracture.” I’m going to meet with the DAV (Disabled [...]

VA is currently assigning my rating

Just got off the phone with the VA. I called to check the status of my claim, and to see if there was anything they needed from me. It’s been 4 months since I started the claim, and I haven’t heard from them in quite a while. The man I spoke to told me that [...]

First two appointments with the VA

I just got home from my second appointment with the VA. I had my first appointment last Wednesday. I was right, it turned out to be just a basic medical appointment. I met with a nurse practitioner, and we did a full medical history, starting from my initial injury. She checked my vitals (blood pressure, [...]

Two appointments scheduled with the VA

My first two appointments with the VA have been scheduled. The first is at the Boston Outpatient Clinic on Causeway Street, the second is at the Jamaica Plain VA. It is my understanding that the first appointment is a medical appointment, while the second is an orthopedic appointment, though I’m not really sure.

Finally getting registered with the VA

Thanks to solid advice from a reader, I was able to submit my paperwork to the VA for disability compensation. Thank you Don!
This morning I went to the Disabled American Veterans office and met with a Service Officer who helped me with all the paperwork. Not even 30 minutes later I was finished. I should [...]