4MR05C

Thanks Free spirit! You rock! I've drafted a letter to the VARO which I'll send out tomorrow, (certified return receipt and all that jazz). I'll also put in an IRS inquiry about the review of my c-file.

Actually, the request WAS for a review... not a copy. The Atlanta VARO is usually quite willing to give you a copy... of anything I've ever asked for before that is, when you are sitting there politely asking for one. ;)

Thaks girl! I was hoping you'd pop it and contribute some solid info! As ALWAYS, I appreciate your help and insight! :)

63S, it appears you are quite frustrated with the VA, and you probably have every right to be.... but let me ask you something; did it feel good to get all snarky with ME? If so, that's great, I'm happy to help you vent, but really, that line above... helps no one but you. I do thank you for the info from the link that Free-spirit provided... I knew I had read the 90 days requirement somewhere before.

John.... I DID put it in writing! I don't think there is "no time frame"... I think its 90 days, but I was looking for some one who might actually know. Thanks for the reply.

Thank you for the additional info... I do appreciate the feedback.... is anyone able to answer my question? Namely, is there a TIME LIMIT by which the law requires them to provide me with either a copy of the c-file or allow me to review it? As for asking them for it multiple times, and "they don't like to give it to you"..... I don't give a good g*d damn if they like it or not! THE LAW requires them to provide me with one copy and I WILL have that copy!

Anyone know how long the VA has to achedule an appointment for you to review your c-file? It's been well over 90 days since I went to the VARO and asked to do so and still nothing from them. Meanwhile, they made a decision (which I will be appealing), does this mean I have to go back and ask to review the c-file again? So confusing... Thanks for any help!

Well, MY condition is akin to permanent sesamoiditis... I ALWAYS walk on the outside of my foot... because of pain in the joint. There was never just "inflammation" of the joint in my case, (prior to the surgery) the bone was shattered due to the teletype crushing the toe of the boot and driving the steel (where it creased the steel toe) into the bone right at that joint... so I felt sharp pains where the shattered bone kept poking the nerve, along with the inflammation of the joint, etc... Now, the joint aches all the time, some days its worse than others, because if I have to walk very far, climb a lot of steps or stand on my feet for any length of time then that joint gets really sore and sometimes there's more pain than ache. AND, if the gyno had looked at my flip flops she could have (and WOULD have) seen where the outside of my "shoes" were worn and the inside, the is very little disturbance of the sole pattern, clearly, it shows where I have been walking on the OUTSIDE of my foot. But, oh no, we can't take a look at THOSE! After all, they're just flip flops and how do we know those are YOURS? (where's the rolled eyes thingy when you need it?)

That's what I BEEN saying!!!! Thanks!

Ok so I read pdf you linked to and I don't qualify. I didn't serve during the Persian Gulf war.

Huh! Well, I dunno what my DD214 says, but I'll certainly check! And, it SHOULD have been granted! So sorry you and your husband had to go through this!

Wow, that sounds totally insane! I didn't know we were entitled to ANY further dental care after getting out. lol... the rumors of my not wearing my own shoes have been greatly exaggerated!

Chuck75: I didn't know that the Atlanta VARO uses VAMC NPs & PAs... all of my C&P exams have been with QTC doctors and they've all been doctors. Free: I guess the BVA is daring the Vet to go to the courts in these cases.... its crazy!

Lord, that's AWFUL. So sorry you went through that. If it gets that far (and I pray that it doesn't), I'll hire attorneys.

Wow, what a jackass that doctor was! Unbelievable!

Well, a VSO can still do a lot of damage to a veteran, especially with this kind of attitude. I know that the VA requires that the benefit of the doubt be given to the veteran, so why isn't this the attitude with many VSOs and raters? If you are burned out from dealing with this day in and day out... get a different job (or in Meg's case - "hobby") as this attitude of "they're just throwing mud to see what sticks" (ie "LYING") helps NO ONE.

LOL. it's of great consolation, thank you. If either the doctor or "meg" had seen me with the flip flops on, they would have seen... the damn things are MOLDED to my feet... they are NOT flat! But no, both of them decided to dismiss them. Must be a contagious attitude. I hope no one else comes down with it!

Meg- while you are entitled to your opinion, I'm also entitled to have a QUALIFIED doctor exam me. AS for your "throwing mud on the wall" comment... that shows that you've judged me as lying... without knowing a thing about me. Thanks for that, I truly appreciate the support. Not that I owe you an explanation, but I brought the flip flops because that's what I've been wearing!!! Under your "theory" of why bring those... they could be anybody's... why bring any shoes at all besides the one your feet.... OH! wait... why not buy a run down pair (in my size) at a thrift shop and THEN "claim" those were mine? EXCELLENT IDEA! (NOT!) As for the cart before the horse thing... why not do a review of my files BEFORE the decision, so hopefully (not that there's much hope) they might make the right decision to BEGIN WITH and I won't have to fight them for years and years on appeal? Look, I don't know you and I honestly thank you for your input, but if you're going to leap to conclusions that I'm lying... I'd rather you keep ALL of your opinions to yourself. Thanks. And if you work in a VARO... or as a VSO, I feel you're part of the problem. JMHO.

No, I didn't retire... I was honorably discharged. And the VA doesn't have them (that I know of) since the last time I did the "review of my c-file" thing , there was only 6 sheets of paper in there...

Like I said... I've asked for an appointment to review it and trust me when I tell you, I WILL go page by page to make sure I have a copy of every single sheet of paper they have. I used to work for Xerox... I know that machines can (and do) "skip" pages... and I know to check. The guy working this might not like it, but I WILL check every piece until I am absolutely certain I have a copy of the entire file!

Yeah, well, because I took the lead, and insisted that they investigate it... every other veteran who took the CLEP tests when I did will have their tests evaluated properly!

Well, that's the thing... according to the NPRC in St. Louis... there's NOTHING except my surgical notes.... which happened in Feb 0f 83, so where did these magical "nurse's notes" come from?

I just noticed something... the IL doctor quotes from my "nurses notes" on 8/2/83 that I had no issues with my hearing and yes, that is correct. Here's the thing... the FTX where was exposed to lightning striking my METAL antennas, as I was OUTSIDE... happened in OCTOBER OF 83! So, yeah, you dumb so&so, there was no problem in AUGUST of 83! GOD! I CAN"T STAND IDIOTS!!!!

LOL, you're funny! Thanks for that, I literally laughed out loud! I needed that! Have no fear, I WILL prevail. I'm not lying, exaggerating or asking for a damn thing I didn't earn,and deserve, so if they think they are going to simply get rid of me, they've got another think coming! I don't give up.... as I said in my first post, I'm a student right now, I took CLEP tests in the military, and was told by my school that I had NOT passed the CLEP test, when I knew that I had. (I have a 138 IQ, btw) and the military student affairs office told me that I was the only one who had passed ALL five tests on the first try... so I knew that the college was wrong. I called CLEP and found out that they had changed the scoring system from when I took it to now... when I took it, the scoring was from 200-800 and anything over a 400 was passing (I scored over 400 on everything), now they do a 1-100 and anything over 50 is a pass. These crazy people claimed that I had passed humanities with a 488 but NOT passed English with a 630. HUH??????????? I took it up with the college. Well, turns out someone at the college didn't BOTHER to see that there had been a change, and simply glanced at the "Subset core 1", not "Total" and denied that I had passed all but one that one test. I MADE the college contact CLEP and NOW... I have credit for those CLEP tests (mind you three of them don't count, because the school just doesn't give transfer credit for them, but I don't have to take (or pay for) BOTH of my English requirements! The VA is dealing with a highly intelligent and pissed off woman... they better watch out. Oh, and my brother in law (who adores me), is close friends with a Senator... AND I know a consumer reporter... personally. ;)

Sorry to hear about your struggles with your husband's claims and the nonsense they put you through, I hope they finally awarded you what they should have awarded him before he passed away! I'm trying to copy and paste the info from that DBQ that the doctor in IL did but I'm not having much luck... I'll post it if I can get it converted. Have no fear, I have lectured the boy to keep copies of EVERYTHING!