Secondary Claim

[Rhodesia]

Say I have a good question. after my injury with my left knee back in 2001 while on active duty I have been having foot problems possibly due to my knee injury. after my seconed surgery in Feb My foot has been getting worse. I have been seeing the podiatry at the VA and I'm being treated for foot problems in the last year or so, so my question is can I submit a secondary claim for my foot or do I need to submit a whole new claim. this would be for my left knee and left foot only. I already submitted a increase claim for my left knee after my surgery still waiting for comp & pension exam. thank you for any direction

[e4766]

Rhodesia, e4766 and Carolyn, we usually file a letter stating we have new medical evidence for increased compensation to submit. Be sure to keep copies. If you can submit your new information within the first 30 days after you claimed(if that's all the information you have) it will speed up your turn-a-round time If you need additional time to submit additional information(which makes your time on the claim longer, around 2/3 months) even though you already have a claim on your left leg and foot if this new information pertains to this claim (since you are going to a foot dr.) They will accept this information as part of your increase for compensation. If you have documentation your leg problems had and effect on your foot, your request for increase should be part of the claim you just filed. If you were having trouble before and after all your surgeries and were being treated it should be a documented part of your claim you sent in Feb! We have found that it is easier to just write stating that this is New Medical Evidence for Increased Compensation which they will consider a new claim or a re-opened claim but only if all this info was after your first and second surgeries. It has worked for us. Anybody out there want to correct me if I'm off base? Have I stated this right?

Carolyn

[*Bergie*]

Say I have a good question. after my injury with my left knee back in 2001 while on active duty I have been having foot problems possibly due to my knee injury. after my seconed surgery in Feb My foot has been getting worse. I have been seeing the podiatry at the VA and I'm being treated for foot problems in the last year or so, so my question is can I submit a secondary claim for my foot or do I need to submit a whole new claim. this would be for my left knee and left foot only. I already submitted a increase claim for my left knee after my surgery still waiting for comp & pension exam. thank you for any direction

You have to file a seperate claim since as you say you have already submitted your knee claim. It will be a second claim secondary to your SC'd knee injury. Make sure to have all the supporting documentation to prove your claim.

JMO,

Bergie