EODMOMMY

Welcome Tim!! Berta is a wealth of information!! :) I wanted to also add, while you where on active duty, where you ever diagnosed as having hypertension? Because that could be a nexus to the CHF. I would get a copy of your SMR and look at all the B/P readings, take them to you doctor and see if he would provide the nexus. You could have been borderline hypertensive for a while and didn't know it...or you could have had some high readings over a period of time and the military doctors never picked up on it.

Berta, I just spoke with my uncle and at first I had a hard time understanding where he went in Vietnam, then it came out..He flew into Cam Rahn Bay. When he said that, I am like...I have heard of that. I sometimes have problems understanding my uncle. At the time he wasn't assigned to a ship, he was assigned to a unit on Okinawa. I am assuming he was on shore duty, but overseas at the time. He was a jet mechanic, so I don't know if went to deliver a part or to fix a jet or a helicopter, all I knew was he was there for a short time. I know he was assigned for a while to work on helicopters, why the Navy had him working on choppers I don't know, since he was a jet mechanic. I am going to e-mail him what info you said for him to request. I told him all he could do is try or if he will try. I don't know if any of the records will show him going to Vietnam for a couple hours. He is one of those silent types who served, was proud about it and left it at that. He decided to go into the Navy before he ended up with a draft notice. I also got onto him about his feet and that he could be developing PN, which is tied in with the diabetes. Of course that is like talking to a wall, almost as bad as my father.

Believe me, I know that it can lead to amputation, that is why I am pushing the issue with him. I don't even think he ever thought about it. He joined the Navy so he wouldn't be drafted and served his country and never thought anything about it. I think he is more puzzled by his niece (me) is taking such a concern about it. When I was a little kid and he would come into port in Virginia while my dad was stationed there in the Air Force, I would never talk to him, I saw him as this huge giant!! We now joke about it. But he is my dad's baby brother, so I am concerned.

Berta, Thanks for the info. I am going to have to print it out and hand it to the doctors and ask again for a new letter, especially the cardiologist, since he has treated him while he was on active duty. To me that would be a slam dunk. Of course knowing the VA, they will say that their doctors didn't find anything wrong. Well you wouldn't if you didn't do any of the common tests. Well, I am back to listening to my daughters fight about something....AGAIN!!! I can't wait till school is back in session.

John, Thanks for the info. I will pass it on to my uncle. I tried calling him, but he is playing bachelor this week. His wife is up in Michigan, she just became a grandma again. I know he is having problems with his feet and the doctor prescribed diabetic shoes for him. I am assuming he is developing PN. He probably thinks I am nuts bringing this up to him, but he served his country and deserves just as much respect as anyone else who has served and if you got exposed to something while serving, your country should help out.

I am getting a headache looking for info on my husband and uncle, so I thought I would ask you all the question. You are more experienced then I am!! :) On the VBA site they mention deadlines for conditions for AO, but the links they give to Title 38 don't work, so I looked under Title 38 in the section they made you think it was in and found nothing. On DMII with AO exposure (even casual), is there a deadline that you have to file by or a deadline that you had to have contracted the disease? Also, what can he use (besides his word), that he was boots on the ground in Vietnam (couple of hours). He was stationed in Okinawa at the time, but went to the Phillipines first and then to Vietnam. The name escapes me where he landed, but my husband knew it when I brought it up to him one night. I know it wasn't Siagon. I don't think my uncle kept any of his paperwork (unlike my husband) from his service. I know when I went to the NARA site and was going to request my husband's service record for him, it led me to the DD-214, which we have. I know none of my husband's TDY's are listed on it, it would have been the size of a book if they had. Too bad my uncle wasn't married to his current wife while he was in the Navy, she is a packrat, that is how I got a copy of my grandfather's Army dischard and his death certificate after my grandmother died. Also, I seen if you had hypertension prior to being diagnosed with DMII they will deny the claim. I am trying to see if he can get compensation for the DMII and his heart (he had to have by-pass surgery), I don't know if he had blood pressure problems before or after being diagnosed with DMII. So my questions are: Is the deadline from AO exposure to being diagnosed with DMII and what is it? How could he prove (besides his word) that he was boots on the ground in Vietnam? I doubt they cut TDY orders for it, so no paper trail. This would be a lot easier if there was a link to the Jet Fuel and these conditions. He told me he use to get doused with it all the time. (He was a jet mechanic). He hasn't had any of the conditions that I have seen discussed (at least not that I know of) in regards to jet fuel.

I was just looking at the letter and I need a better letter. He doesn't mention that his symptoms go back to while he was in the service. So they could deny SC, even though they know this has been going on since he was on active duty. Problem is, most civilian doctors won't put themselves out on a limb to override or support another doctor's oppinion. I worked for doctor's too long, seen it happen. The one person I need to get off his behind and do this is his cadiologist. He treated him while he was on active duty. Can anyone direct me into the right direction of an example of what needs to be in the letter and such.

I was looking for a sample Nexus letter on the web and came across this one testimony to the House Committe for Veteran Affairs. Boy what he talks about sounds real familiar, it is almost like a yo-yo effect. The BVA will remand something down and ask specific questions, the vet gets sent for another exam and a VAMC and the doctor still doesn't answer the questions and it can go on this way for several times. Back and forth. This is from 2000, so I don't know if it is still current on how the VA works. Witness Testimony

I am going to send the additonal information to the VA Regional Office in Atlanta (where my husband's case is), I always send it certfied mail with a return receipt. Things of this nature, I don't trust them. The lady that my husband spoke to said they received the VA Form 9. I am the one who did all the filling out of the form and typing up my disagreements to their decisions from our NOD decision. The only reason my husband went to State Veteran's Rep, because he could fax the stuff to Atlanta, we where near the 60 day deadline. But the VA did receive it. On the VCAA letter, the only time we got any letters was in the beginning. Most where about they where behind on cases and they hadn't forgoten about us!! :) We did get one wanting more infor on the ionizing radiation, but all I could tell them was we didn't have the information, they would have to contact the Public Health Clinic at each base my husband was at and contact Sandia National Labratories. Since then, nothing!! Except to tell us he got a 20% rating and then on our NOD that we where denied. They gave him 10% for his knee and 10% for his shoulder. Actually he should have gotten more for his shoulder, since the orthopedic he saw while on activy duty wanted to do surgery on it again, but she was PCSing and then we where out (medically retired). But my main concern after he was retired was his heart. The information I have is a letter from our primary doctor who looked over a copy of my husband's military medical records (even though he knew the case, because he was my doctor for most of the years we where stationed here on active duty). It isn't in Nexus format, are they pickey about that?

The whole system needs to be overhauled. In Georgia, if you go to any of the Vet groups, you get referred to the State Verteran's Rep. The two we have had, did the paperwork, but after that, never heard one word from them. The last experience we had my husband needed to send his Form 9 to appeal the decision of our NOD. My husband called the guy, he was cheerful and said come on in. When he got there, the guy proceeded to chew my husband out. He was a retired Major and my husband told him, I am not in the service anymore and don't deserve to be treated like this. At least the guy sent the paperwork up to Atlanta, but I could have done that. This is not to put down the Veteran's groups. I know some people who have gotten tremendous help from them on their VA claims. I guess it depends on where you are at.

I finally got my husband to call the VA to find out the status of his appeal. The lady was shocked, because it is listed as with the Decision Officer and it has been for two years! She didn't want to have it pulled, because you know what happens then, you go down to the bottom of the pile. But she made a note (at least she said she did) in the computer about it. On average, how long does it take for the BVA to come down with a decision? I finally got a copy of a letter from our primary doctor saying that my husband's condition is chronic and it started while he was on active duty. It was faxed to our State VA Rep. who is suppose to represent us and send this info to Atlanta, but I am not impressed with this guy, he is the second one we have had, neither one ever communicated with us. But I have no idea if they BVA ever received the letter. Would it be wise to send another copy straight to the VA?

Yes they where. I had surgery when I was 12 in 1976 at an Army hospital and years later I had to get a copy of my inpatient records to show the Air Force that I was in one piece to go to Germany, because what the Army doctors said I had. Years later I had Air Force doctors and cilvilian doctors say they thought I was misdiagnosed, because the condition they said I had would not have gone away by itself. The Army doctors told my parent's I would "Outgrow it".

Hi All, I haven't been on the board in a few days...kids keeping me busy. What you are looking for is your inpatient records. I don't know how long each facility keeps them and I don't know if the hospital in Frankfurt is still open. They closed a lot of facilities in Frankfurt. I know when I was in Germany the major hospital was Weisbaden, now it is Landsthul, which I lived in the village right next to it. I use to walk to Landsthul all the time (not the hospital...that hill would kill you, but the village). I have had to request inpatient records before from an Army hospital, but it was for a surgery I had a couple years prior. If you have access to a military hospital or clinic, I would go to the medical records section and they would know how to request them or if they are still available at the hospital (they should know the time frames they keep the records at the hospital before they send them to St. Louis). Most likely, since it has been 40 years, they would be at NARA in St. Louis. I know that is where they send retiree's medical records if they are not going to use the military facilities. For inpatient records they usually keep them by the year the procedure was done, so you would have to provide that info. If you had multiple surgeries at the same facility, but during different years, they would have to look them up by the year and then the name. Sometimes operative information gets put in your outpatient records (lab, pathology, sometimes even the surgical report), but the whole inpatient record is kept seperate from your outpatient record. If they are in St. Louis, it might be better (I don't know if they charge for copies)...I know when I wanted a copy of my medical records because we where going to Germany, the army hospital wanted to charge me for copying it (leave a blank check....yeah right!!). My husband who was in the Air Force told the person who was doing my clearance to go to Germany and he had the clinic at the base make me a copy. Then the guy at the base told me just not to return the records, since we where leaving in a few days. The army hospital would have them listed as being checked out to the base. The Army didn't like you to hand carry your medical records, where the Air Force didn't have a problem with it at that time. My mom had to have her's sent when my dad PCS'd to Alaska and it took over a year for them to get up there from Virginia. They must have traveled the world.

If you are referring to a surgery operation type report, yes an operative report is always done. They are suppose to be done right after the surgery (according to my medical transcription class), but depending on how many cases the surgeon may have, they may do them later in the day with the notes from the surgery. But they should be done within 24 hours. If this was some procedure done in a regular doctors office (i.e. mole removal, other in office procedures), it all depends on the doctor. It would be documented in the patients records, but not necessarily as an operative report, unless you went to a specialist. You can go to the doctor or hospital who performed the procedure and request a copy of your records. According to the new HIPPA laws you are allowed to inspect your records and most doctors do not have a problem giving you copy of a report to give to another doctor.

I hope they are not using the same contractor that Tricare used when it started using Express-Scripts for authorizations on our perscriptions. They where to send a card to everyone. Mine went to my father??? I have no idea why. I had not been a dependant of his in over 25 years....The card had my married name on it, but his address. My father called Expres-Scripts who said it was DEERS who had the info wrong. My dad then called DEERS and of course they wouldn't give him info, but the looked me up and he told them my address and they have my correct address. I don't know if the contractor they hired to do up all the info packs and cards used the Emergency Data Cards to put the info in the Express-Scripts database and looked at the section that had my father to contact if there was an emergency (while my husband was on active duty), we changed it because my husband's family moves too much...it is easier to just update my dad. Not that I have ever used my perscription card. Nice thing about small towns, they all know you. But it was really weird that the insurance card went to my father. I told Express Scripts when I called them about it, that they should have used someone else to create their database for the mailing. I hope all their addresses are up to date, if not they are going to get a lot of returned mail and they went through all that effort to get more envelopes. Our tax dollars at work!