Wayne TX

Happy to report RAMP HLR  appeal was granted....went from 50% to 80%....retro arrive in a week. 
 

Happy to report RAMP HLR  appeal was granted....went from 50% to 80%....retro arrive in a week. 
 

Bronco......as to "I really want to get this done fast "without new evidence", but probably should play it safe and appeal "with new evidence" EVEN IF I have no new evidence to submit."   I agree.....today an IMO  is no longer just a great idea but in my humble opinion a necessity to add an extra layer of protection to an already solid evidence case.   New evidence being (and a new IMO qualifies) added seems critical these days for most Appeals to get granted. I tried the HLR route with RAMP and had solid evidence plus had not one but two IMOs in my favor and I till got denied so I decided right then and there screw those two lanes I want a Judge and a Hearing so I will wait them out for as long as it takes to get one and if VA wants to keep building up my retro that's fine by me.  I can wait them out....not in a bind. 
 

We're in the same OSA boat.  I sent VA an IMO from Dr. Anaise and another from a Physician Assistant - both stated more likely than not s/c to existing secondaries.   VA still denied OSA........been diagnosed twice and on CPAP since 2015.......they said their two VA Examiners stated less likely than not.   What happen with tie going to the runner?  They did not attack either of my IMO's, but went into a lot stating why their VA Examiners denied.   They said my SMR is silent for OSA , but the Appeal was based on OSA being a secondary claim.  Fishy BS.....I put in another NOD immediately and this time for a Board Hearing....done with High Level Reviews by flunkies finding examiners or making them up to deny. .

Dr. Ellis on OK City is reasonable and he does IME-IMO together as one.

Great points....exactly why I opt in RAMP as my claims go back to 2015 and have not even been certified by the Legacy Board.   None of us are getting any younger so RAMP was an alternate worth the risk of being in a pilot program.
 

Great points....exactly why I opt in RAMP as my claims go back to 2015 and have not even been certified by the Legacy Board.   None of us are getting any younger so RAMP was an alternate worth the risk of being in a pilot program.
 

Great point!  Never give up.
 
 

Well done on doing it right.......hard to beat well grounded evidence.
 

How in the World did you get from May 17 opt-in to a decision in just two months?   This sounds like a RAMP record to me.  I am a VSO in Texas........to answer your question file now for Appeal Board Lane,  As I understand they will start looking at those Appeals in October 2018 as a test-run leading up to releasing the full model in February 2019.  That is the way to go and the sooner you file I would assume the better and earlier your will get in front of a Judge. I would recommend asking for a Hearing....might take longer but you then get to make your case in front of a Video Judge or maybe even a live Judge.....and a lot of times that is the difference-maker you need and want.   Good luck and keep us posted with your case.

I took the plunge into RAMP 3 weeks ago.......I got an invite on April 2, but I still waited 5 weeks more because I wanted to hear more and read more reviews.   it comes down to exactly what Bronco says.......RAMP is more scary to VSOs and Attorneys than it is to the Veteran.  We (Veterans) want results in 125 days - not 4/5 years waiting out the Legacy backlog.  RAMP may make some mistakes but it does hold the promise of a faster resolve and even if denied we can still opt into other lanes faster than still staying put in Legacy backlog.   

I got an IMO from Dr. Anaise  for Sleep Apnea appeal.......it was very well done full of rationale and medical  documentation.  I'm talking 40 pages here. I highly recommend him if you need a high quality strong IMO. I don't anything about Dr. Bash other than heard others  say he puts out strong IMOs, too. .

Congrats Mark.......I hope to be joining you in about 4-5 weeks.   I go to Dallas VAMC every Monday morning for treatments so if you ever this this way on a Monday let me know........buy you a cup of coffee in the canteen. Happy Easter! 
 

I hope to get all my decisions done at VARO level, but I already got two denied and now Form 9 perfected and next up Hearing Judge at some point.   I should know something one way or another by May on the rest of appeals still cooking at VARO going on nearly 2 years now.   Been a process ever since 2009 with more time yet to come no doubt.
 
 

appreciate all ideas.......thanks!
 

MarkInTexas.....your strategy is exactly my strategy when I apply for TDIU.......IME/IMO with Dr. Ellis backed by a Anaise IMO/Lawyer.    Got the IME in play and two MD's in your corner.  I'd say that would be a very good hand in a game of poker with VA.

I got it corrected today......it was a typo not adding the not.  

Palma.....I sing the praises of Dr. Anaise's work but I get slammed by some saying I'm advertising for him.  I don't get these negative thinking people and why they can't see it is opening eyes and tipping off where good work can be found.  I have been the victim of poorly presented IMO using less persuasive rationales and that is why I am in this appeal fix today..   He did a fab job on my SA appeal.....no I have yet to have DRO Hearing but I'm an intelligent man and I know strong evidence and deeper rationales matters and they must come from a certified MD.  I appreciate the effort he took to spell it all out! 

I went in search of the most qualified IMO Doctor I could find. I spent two days combing forums and asking questions.   Then I found Dr. Anaise. He’s not only a degreed MD, but also a certified VA Disability Lawyer.  I was immediately impressed that he had dual professional expertise to offer.  Next, I researched his lawyer side in Citations and found he had won a good number of sleep apnea appeals.
I contacted Dr. Anaise to do my Sleep Apnea appeal, and he did not disappoint.  I got a 12-page report loaded with graphic exhibits, strong medical rationales, medical literature documenting and connecting my s/c secondaries – rhinitis and sinus – to Sleep Apnea.  Further, from the time I contacted him, I had the IMO in my hand inside three weeks.
Dr. Anaise delivered and totally won me over. I highly recommend contacting him for your Appeal IMO evidence.   

I went in search of the most qualified IMO Doctor I could find. I spent two days combing forums and asking questions.   Then I found Dr. Anaise. He’s not only an active Medical Doctor, but also a certified VA Disability Lawyer.  I was immediately impressed that he had dual professional expertise to offer.  Next, I researched his lawyer side in Citations and found he had won a good number of sleep apnea appeals.
I contacted Dr. Anaise to do my Sleep Apnea appeal, and he did not disappoint.  I got a 12-page report loaded with graphic exhibits, strong medical rationales, medical literature documenting and connecting my s/c secondaries – rhinitis and sinus – to Sleep Apnea.  Further, from the time I contacted him, I had the IMO in my hands inside three weeks.
Dr. Anaise delivered and totally won me over. I highly recommend contacting him for your Appeal IMO evidence.   
    

I was rated a 0 compensation on one claim condition that really shocked me!  I immediately filed a reconsideration before I filed a NOD.........and just 3 1/2 months later I was awarded 10%.  In this instance filing a reconsideration was to my advantage because the evidence was clearly overwhelmingly in my favor and who wants to wait  2 years on a NOD when clear and indisputable evidence already exists. BTW.....the evidence was also there the first time and they said okay we see your disabled but it is not compensable.......BS!   My two cents.....I would try reconsideration first if you have undeniable evidence before submitting a NOD........if your evidence is borderline in anyway just wait for NOD to play out. 

Valor Compensation Consulting
Name- Bethany Spangenburg
Where they are. AZ
Specialty- general health and VA Compensation and Pension exams
Cost- Is a negotiable fee ( they offer payments and other options) very helpful!!!
I contacted them from this forum and found them to not only Veteran owned but very knowledgeable about the claims process. What is I really liked is the understanding of situations and flexibility the offered me. They even follow up just check and make sure I am doing ok and ensure that I am attending appointments that I should, or if I just need to talk. I am awaiting my decision but the documents I received from Valor compensation Consulting were more than I could have hoped for and I feel very confident in their service. Plus they took payments for my services. That really helped me so much.
 
 

I would send the information certified, sign receipt to your RO Claims.........I would not take any chances of it being seen..... at least if you send it and they sign for it you now have a date of your evidence when you sent and when they signed at RO. I say when in doubt SEND!
 

thanks toddt........you nailed down what I was really asking about.......I figured as much but just curious.  I do feel better being on CPAP and have not missed a night, but there were nights in the beginning where it really bugged me and was not getting my normal sleep time but I have got use to now and doesn't bother me.  I do have one more question....do they actually give you a printout or put into Clinic progress notes how many hours of sleep per night was recorded so the Veteran also knows?  Oops...just scrolled up and looks like Buck already answered that for me earlier.
 

I will have been on a CPAP come a year Dec. 1st.  As I understand I have to turn my CPAP into my local VAMC, which I assume is to show the actual usage in order to get prescribed for another year of usage. My question is what is VA looking for inside the CPAP besides obviously the conisitent usage, and what actual data is there for them to see and evaluate?  I read somewhere that they can see if your apneas have increased or decreased......is this true?  Has anyone ever actually gone from moderate or severe OSA to no apneas ? If this is true..........I do not understand how it can go lower in apneas when other conditions are still involved like allergies, sinus, deviated septum, etc.?  Just curious what is involved and what is the data  extracted from CPAP.  I do have a claim in for SA as a NOD.  Thanks for any help on this subject.