Archive for the 'Medical' 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 [...]

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 [...]

Received my TDRL packet

I finally received the packet with all of my TDRL (Temporary Disability Retirement List) information in it. It contained information explaining my benefits as well as instructions for my time on the TDRL. I basically need to see a military doctor every 18 months, keep the Marines informed of any change of address or other [...]

9 month post-FVFG follow-up

Had my 9 month follow-up appointment down in New York City on Monday.
I brought down a copy of the MRI I had done 2 weeks ago. He and two other surgeons were pleased with what they saw. There is an increase in blood flow to the head of the hip, and the cartilage on the [...]

TDRL orders and the VA

Just found out that my TDRL orders are still not done. They are on a Commander’s desk and their office is running behind. They said they’ll hopefully be completed this week.
Apparently I’m not supposed to try to do anything with the VA until I get that info packet. They make an appointment with the nearest [...]