StretchBones

I was awarded 30% SC today for Asthma Secondary to Burn Pit Exposure. Patiently awaiting my small amount of back pay for this :)

I have a FDC that EBenefits said would be completed by today. However, I was awarded my 10% for Tinnitus on Friday but my claim for asthma secondar to exposure to airborne hazards and burn pits was sent back to review of evidence. I am in the Burn Pit and Airborne Hazards Registry. My Persian Gulf Exam confirmed my exposure. I was diagnosed with asthma two months after my discharge. I did take a respiratory test before my C&P. If, and only if they used the right test I fell in the 10% category. If it was not the right test my medication regime put me at 30%. My C&P note states it is At Least as Likely as Not that my asthma was caused by my service is SWA. That is pretty much the gist of where this stands. Has anyone here had any experience with burn pit claims? I am interested to hear any feedback on the topic thanks.

For some reason it wouldn't let me edit OP. Meant to say thatall medical treatment FOR HEP C is being denied...other conditions are being treated

This wasn't the only complaint that I made, nor with the only VA office I have filed one with. I chose to remain anonymous on just this one complaint because I may or may not have given information by a VA employee who asked that very specific information not be able to be linked to him/her as a source.

TThe letter says that it is in reply to a VHA Office of Client Relations inquiry that I made on June 14, 2017. I have never made an inquiry to that office, but I did call the White House VA Hotline that day and offer information on negligence. I also signed paperwork asking that I not be identified when I filed my complaint was being investigated. Mr. Merkel knows EXACTLY who I am, but I chose to remain anonymous in this complaint for other reasons. The WH Hotline employee was extremely rude and cut me off from being able to finish providing vital information and simply said that he would submit that information to the Tuscaloosa VA so that they could investigate. They gave a request to investigate negligence to the person ordering the negligence. This letter contains misinformation, major contradictions, and downright lies I have proof of this in the form of sworn statements from VA staff and veterans, correspondence with theVAHRC office, veterans' medical records , and other documentation. Point blank, the Tuscaloosa VA is outright denying ANY medical treatment or attention from veterans who are currently inpatient there Here is the letter. I will reply with said proof shortly.

I actually did request to see my C-File and it could not be located for the 2010 claim. The claim was submitted by the VA representative at the Camp Shelby, MS Demobilization Center who enrolled me in the VA system so there was no paperwork on hand at the office I visited. I visited the area office which serves Colbert and Lauderdale Counties in Alabama, which I am pretty sure is different than a VARO office. I am not positive about that, but I believe that Montgomery, AL is where the official VARO for my region is located. I have to go back to that office on Friday so I will definitely formally requested that file then.

Update When I visited my local VA office a few days ago the lady who reviewed my paperwork encouraged me to go ahead and sign a NOD, which I did. It was marked for Decision Review Officer Review Process and that I was in disagreement over the issue of Service Connection. She told me to submit a Statement in Support of Claim form that details the circumstances behind the original 2010 claim being filed without my consent. I was told that I should also submit to her: 1) Copy of VA Correspondence from 2010 showing proof that attempts to contact me regarding C&P Exam were mailed to wrong address and contained incorrect dates. 2) Copy of most recent claim decision packet where it shows that the Service Treatment Records that I submitted with this claim were not included in the list of documents that the VA considered as evidence to support their decision. 3. Copies of all evidence that I feel warrrants a second review as it meets the VA definition of new and material evidence, yet was not listed by the VA as being among the evidence used in consideration of the decision. This only includes documentation that was submitted with the claim when I submitted it April 2017. I should have this done by Monday so more updates will be forthcoming.

Sooo....I am making a trip to the local VA office in about an hour to take the DD214 of a close family friend who had no close family to settle his affairs. I am going to inquire about a veteran's headstone, as he was a decorated Marine in Vietnam. After I take care of my "uncle" I am going to make some inquires into these claims that were denied a reopening and see if I can find out just who filed a claim, that I never asked for, in my behalf in 2010. I will post an update after this meeting.

I have a feeling that they didn't look at the Service Treatment Records that I submitted. What they said about Color Blindness not appearing anywhere in my records is what fully convinced me of that. Also there is the fact that only one of dozens of documents made it in the list of Evidence Considered. I was hoping to get these rated to help out my TDIU claim that I plan to follow soon. I guess that I am going to go ahead and file the NOD. But after that I am not sure...maybe an appeal would be my best bet. But then again I keep trying to tell myself to just file again on these, but I just don't see them reopening these claims. Man...this stuff is frustrating sometimes.

Also of note...when I filed this claim I had put Male Erectile Disorder as its own disability, yet it was lumped in together with my Right Testicular Condition claim without my consent. Is this normal for the VA to combine claimed disabilities into one?

So, I finally got my Big Envelope two days ago. I had already had my change on my disability rating and my back pay for 70% dated back to an effective date of 12 March 2017, which was the date that I was started work on the claim. The Big Envelope had been sent to the Tuscaloosa VAMC where I had been inpatient from Jan-May of this year and then forwarded back to me so it was only a tad longer than I hoped. But boy was I PISSED OFF when I finally read it. First let me go through the good parts of the packet concerning my Fully Developed Claim. 1.Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder (also claimed as anxiety condition, major depression, sleep disturbances, memory loss, and insomnia) - 70% 2.Tinnitus - Deferred- C&P Exam Scheduled for June 29, 2017 3.Hearing Loss - Deferred C&P Exam Scheduled for June 29, 2017 4.Hepatitis C and Liver Function Disorder - Deferred C&P Exam Scheduled for June 29, 2017 5.Respiratory Disorder and Distress Secondary to Exposure to Open Burn Pits and Airborne Hazards - Deferred C&P Exam Scheduled for June 29, 2017 Now for two that were denied Service Connection; one with a C&P. and one without. 6.Alcohol and Drug Abuse (secondary to PTSD) -Service Connection for alcohol and drug abuse due to PTSD-Combat because this condition neither occured in nor was caused by the service. -We received your medical evidence which discusses the symptoms of your medical condition and military service. The evidence does not show that your condition resulted from, or was aggravated by, a service connected disability 7. Color Blindness -Service Connection for Color Blindness is denied because this condition neither occured in nor was caused by the service. -We received your medical evidence which discusses the symptoms of your medical condition. We did not find a link between your medical records and military service. Your service treatment records do not contain complaints, treatment, or diagnosis for this condition. Here are the claims that the VA refused to reopen...they were all given the same explanation on why they weren't reopened. 8. Back Pain now Claimed as Low Back Condition 9. Long Thoracic Nerve Palsy now Claimed as Long Thoracic Nerve Paralysis 10. Erectile Dysfunction with Right Testicular Pain now Claimed as Male Erectile Disorder and Right Testicular Condition 11. Right Shoulder Impingement with Winged Scapula now Claimed as Right Shoulder (Major) -A claimant may reopen a finally adjudicated claim by submitting new and material evidence. New means that the evidence has not been considered before and material means it applies to the specific issue for which you were previously denied. New and material evidence must raise a reasonable possibility, that when considered with all the evidence on record (both new and old) that the outcome (conclusion) would change. The evidence can't be simply redundant (repetitive) or cumulative of that which we had when we previously filed your claim. -The evidence from you submitted in connection with the current claim does not constitute new and material evidence because it does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim and does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. -The evidence you submitted is not new and material. Therefore, your claim is not reopened. It is not material because it does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim and/or does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. Under: Evidence Considered there are only two things that are listed that would be in regards to the four claims which were filed to be Reopened. 1. Service Treatment Records from 06/13/2009 to 06/25/2010 Received March 19, 2017 2. Medical Treatment Record - Non Government Facility, received on May 17, 2017 Also of note under Evidence Considered, only 2 of my 3 DD214s were considered (even though I submitted all 3 myself) and the Military Personnel Record from 02/27/2011 to 08/09/2013 was considered. My OMPF should read 09/09/2005 - 01/07/2017. The portal on E-Benefits which works every other blue moon allowed me to get my OMPF and it only had like 6 documents in it. I still have access to my Army Human Resources Site so I was able to download all of my Awards and NCOERs in order to upload for my PTSD claim. Here is the big 800LB gorilla in the room. I never once filed these four claims to begin with. The first time that I ever logged onto EBenefits myself was in February 2017. But when I go to start filing, there they are...the four listed above and also Insomnia claimed..on June 26, 2010 was the date it was submitted. That was the day that I came off orders and was at home after Operation Iraqi Freedom. Apparently, sometime in 2011 when I was back on Active Duty and had gotten PCS orders to move, there was a C&P Exam which I never knew about. Because I was a no-show all were listed as Non Service Connected. I was literally just finding all of this information out this year. I had someone checking my mail until i could get my address changed to the Fort I moved to, and they never once informed me of anything from the VA. No Big Envelope either...and nothing about this was mailed to my new address either. I am going to call the 1-800 number today and ask if there is any way that they could send me the Big Envelope from the 2011 decisions. The only thing that I could imagine happened is the lady who enrolled me into the VA at the Camp Shelby, MS Demob Center must have put them in. I mean I legitimately was affected by all of these after a tough deployment, but I was wanting to keep my medical readiness Green because I wanted to go back on Active Duty or another Deployment, fast! Disability was the farthest thing from my mind at that moment. But you know as hard as I try to remember, I don't have any recollection of anyone walking me through the claims process. I do remember actually enrolling in the VA and getting the Benefits handbook, but that is all. All of the disabilities filed in 2010 were ones that I had an LOD,(Line of Duty Injury Report) for. I deployed as a medical NCO and I always kept as many of my own records as possible. Our head nurse had actually been getting these LOD Investigation Packets lined up well before we demobilized from Iraq. I never turned any of those in to anyone at Demob, that I know for a fact. So when this claim was submitted in 2010, I myself submitted ZERO records as evidence because I did not file this claim or ask for it. It would be 3-4 more months before I would see a VA doctor for the first time. The disabilities claimed, however, were diagnosed, had imaging to confirm, and treated within less than half a year of being back from combat. So the key issue here is that the documentation has to be "new" and "material" and I know that I submitted plenty of documents which met the criteria for both definitions. One big problem is the fact that the VA had pulled my Deployment Service Treatment Records from their source, not from myself. But, I worked as a senior Medical NCOIC and I know for a FACT that the ALHTA-T and other military documentation platforms were "in theory" supposed to allow access to the VA for in theater treatment records. But, we could not even get the networks in Iraq to be able to transfer information from BIAP to Camp Liberty or from the Green Zone to VBC. When I had my very first appointment with a VA doc, I asked him if his agency actually could get deployment medical records through the ALTHA flowchart...and he just looked at me and asked if I was joking, before realizing that I was not and he gave me a direct "no, not to my knowledge". Anyway, I uploaded the individual records that I have on hand from June09-Jun10 and labeled them by which disability that they referred to. This included multiple times where I was diagnosed of a claimed illness and treated for a claimed illness in Iraq. This even included a Permanent Profile, from the former head of all Orthopedics at Walter Reed, Colonel Paul Pasquina. In this profile he stated that I should not ever do push-ups again, pull-ups, or overhead lifting. In the note where he diagnosed me he went all the way back to my AIT at Signal School at Ft. Gordon in 2006 up until the current time in 2010. He made very detailed notes in which he states that all of the multiple shoulder and back complaints that I have had are a result of my service in the Army. So, when the VA claims that they used my Service Treatment Records from this timeframe, how did they possibly miss this information? At the header of every page is the active problem list, which includes my diagnoses. If they had a true copy of my record these claimed disabilities would appear all through it. Also the statement that came in the Big Envelope does not mention ANY of the over 35 pages of medical notes from Iraq, which were submitted with this claim, as being considered as evidence. Also among the documents that I uploaded that were not on the Considered Evidence list were the LOD Investigation Packets in which field grade medical officers made the decision that these injuries/illnesses were indeed accrued in the line of duty and that they may result in a future claim against the federal government. I also submitted some additional evidence, which they actually put on the Evidence Considered list, that I had to be treated for my testicular condition while on Active Duty Special Work Orders with the National Guard. Also submitted on this claim were about 30 documents from my active duty time at Ft. Gordon in 2006, which included an ER visit for back injury, xray reports, follow-up visits, and weeks of physical therapy reports, all from my Service Treatment Records. None of these were listed as Evidence Considered. Also, I know that I am not going to get a percentage for Color Blindness, but the VA stated that my service treatment records never show complaints, treatment, or diagnosis...which couldn't be any further from the truth. I kept failing color vision tests at MEPS and almost didn't get to join at that time, until a doc had some sympathy on me and gave me a real easy "Red, Green, White" test. When I got to Fort Gordon the following year, I made the appointments myself with optometry and complained how I was only allowed to be a radio operator at the moment because of my color vision, but I wanted to be a medic very bad. I was retested twice, and on the second test a very sympathetic Major who used to be an enlisted medic himself, wrote up a Memorandum for Record saying that my color vision tests were now good and that I was to be considered medically fit for any MOS re-classing. So yeah....there a TON of Color Blindness notes in my Service Treatment Records early on in my career, and they were even uploaded to this claim and the VA still states that I have never complained of, been diagnosed with, or treated for. I still have other records from the Service that are relative to these four disabilities that have not been submitted yet. But in my opinion, there was BONAFIDE, NEW and MATERIAL information submitted with this claim and it was never even considered according to the paperwork that I have. So where do I go from here??? Do I try to file again and attempt to have it reopened? The lady on the 1-800 number said that she could put it in for a Reconsideration if I signed something for her, but I am wary of that. I am also rather wary of going through the appeals process due to how long it takes..I am just frustrated because having these disabilities really does affect my ability to work and I have 100% proof that they occurred in the service. Hell, I just got out in Jan of this year, a Soldier is all I have every been since I was 20 years old and I'm 32 now. It is so damn frustrating for people who have never served to tell me that this or that condition isn't service related...like the VA diagnosed me with a torn rotator cuff, winged scapula, long thoracic nerve palsy, Hill-Sachs lesion, multiple bulging disc, multiple discs with DDD, multiple discs with protrusions and annular tear, bilateral hydroceles, right epididymal cysts, chronic epididymitis, and male erecticle disorder within the first 6 months of me being home from combat yet it is not service connected. My SRP records from before I went over show me at probably the best health of my life. But hell the VA claimed that they received my Service Treatment Records just a few days after my intent to file was signed (only the records for 1 of my 12 years of service btw) and that they didn't see any service connection. I am trying to remain calm, but it is just disheartening to think about. I have disabilities that were claimed without my consent seven years ago, and when I file to have the claims reopened and attach undeniable proof of service connection, that has never been submitted as evidence for these disabilities, and practically only one xxxxxxx form that I submit actually makes it to the "Evidence Considered" list. I am all ears, and thanks to all of those who stuck it out to read all of this. The only thing I would like to say is that at this time I can't afford an attorney, but hopefully this isn't at the point where one would need one..So thanks in advance for any words of wisdom or advice you can send me in this matter.

I was awarded my 70% PTSD rating today with Major Depression, Anxiety, Memory Loss, Insomnia, and Sleep Disturbances connected as secondaries. Alcohol and drug abuse were deemed not connected to my PTSD despite direct recommendation by the C&P examiner that they should be. My claims for Low Back Condition, Long Thoracic Nerve Palsy, Shoulder Condition-Right, Chronic Testicular Condition, and Erectile Dysfunction were all deemed Non SC and I was never given a C&P Exam for any of these. I had Service Treatment Records including Line of Duty Injury Statements on all except ED uploaded on my claim. All were also diagnosed by VA within three months after returning from Iraq and radiology evidence and VA notes for all was uploaded as well. My claims for Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, and Hep C were deferred and the VA called me today and I have those two C&P Exams on June 29. My claim for Chronic Lung Disease Secondary to Exposure to Open Burn Pits and Airborne Hazards was deferred as well. What should I do here? Should I file an appeal or refile for the claims that were denied service connection? I have irrefutable proof that these injuries are a direct result of military service. Thanks in advance for any device.

Got movement today to Preparation for Notification with estimated completion moved to 6/15/17 - 6/17/17.

Thanks, but I was looking in particular for a BVA that gives an a more precise answer to what the VA considers "serious treatment" and/or "continous therapy" in regards to chronic epididymitis. I am interested in being able to get my chronic epididymitis and my hydroceles rated as too seperate rated disabilities. Hydroceles can be coded as cystic structures and rated based on urinary frequency and chronic epididymitis rated as urinary tract infection seperately as long as it meets the minimum treatment guidelines. Since my hydroceles are equally spread across the scrotom and my epididymal cysts are only only the right side, and my service treatment records include seperate diagnosis of the two and they were not determined to be proven that one is the cause of the other then I believe if I claim them at seperate times then it might be possible to get them rated seperately instead of having all of my urinary and scrotal conditions lumped together for one lower rating.

Also just noticed that as soon as I got the movement to Pending Decision Approval that there was something new under "Documents Needed From Others" It has a Red Dot next to it and has a due date of 07-12-2017. It also says <VA Facility> and nothing else listed.

Wow....just got movement toady. It went from Preparation for Decision to Pending Decision Approval. My estimated Claim Completion Date also just changed from 06/21/2017 - 08/02/2017 to 06/15/2017 - 06/19/2017. The only thing is that this was a Fully Developed Claim with both Mental and Physical Disabilities on it. I had a very favorable Psych C&P, as I already mentioned, but I didn't have any C&P exam that covered the multiple physical disabilities claimed. I have a strong feeling that they will be sending this back to Gathering of Evidence...or does anyone think that they will complete it as is???

With a little further investigation I just read that Hydroceles fall under Chronic Cystitis and can be rated by urinary frequency. Seeing as I do have to get up at least twice during the night to void then I would meet the 10% criteria there. I am guessing, however, that you can only be awarded for one urinary disability?

After doing some research yesterday I found out that Chronic Epididymitis is a disability that can be rated at either 30% or 10% as a Urinary Tract Infection. Here are the requirements for these SC ratings: The ratings: A 30% rating is given if the condition causes regular infections that require hospitalization 3 or more times a year, or if it requires serious continuous treatment. A 10% rating is given if the condition requires regular drug therapy, 1 or 2 hospitalizations a year, or if it requires serious continuous treatment. This is pretty vague in my opinion. I am just wondering, if a veteran is not hospitalized at all, but their chronic epididymitis does require serious continuous treatment, then wouldn't they be meeting the minimum requirements for both the 30% and 10% rating? Also, it would be really nice to know what is being considered "serious continuous treatment". I also think that in this case it is very vague to not be more specific about the "regular drug therapy" that this condition would require in order to meet the 10% rating. I took the following information from the National Institutes of Health website concerning Chronic Epididymitis: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1553215/ "Medical treatment regimens for patients with chronic epididymitis are essentially nonexistent. Published studies examining other potential treatment modalities are also sparse and usually describe surgical outcomes (epididymectomy) in these patients. The most common previous therapies recollected by the patients in our published case-control study2 were antibiotics (74%), anti-inflammatory agents (36%), phytotherapy (16%), anxiolytics (12%), narcotic analgesics (10%), acupuncture (8%), and injection therapy (steroid or anesthetic) (6%). At the time of the survey, about one fourth (26%) of the patients were taking some type of pain medication." Also interestingly enough, the NIH document about the illness also states "The only epidemiologic information that we could find was from a study published in 1966, in which epididymitis was determined to be the most common disease for which patients were admitted to the urology service at most army medical institutions". When it comes to my own Chronic Epididymitis I actually have two Army LODs (Line of Duty Injury Statements) for Epididymitis. One is a complete LOD Investigation Packet that was compiled when I was on ADT Orders with the National Guard in 2009 and NOT on Active Duty. The second LOD is only the DA Form 2173, signed but not completely finished and with no attached Investigation Packet. This form was signed while in Iraq and on Active Duty in 2010, however. I do have medical records from civilian providers who were treating me while on ADSW orders for the National Guard in 2008, including radiology that shows epididymal cysts and a bilatral hydrocele. These records also show that I was treated with NSAIDs, narcotic pain meds, and antibiotics. I have a portion of my medical records from Iraq showing that I was treated with the same medications as the year before and that I was having urinalysis tests which were commonly positive for much larger quantities of blood and nitrites than is normal. Then in 2010 the VA also diagnosed me with Epididymitis and conducted its own imaging with also confirmed the epididymal cysts. The VA prescribed me the same trio of meds for this condition as well. I didn't use the VA for treatment for 2 years while I was back on Active Duty, but when I did return I had "Discharge from Penis" added to my VA problem list and after an STD test came up negative I was prescribed antibiotics again. That was two years ago. I haven't been treated with antibiotics since then. This isn't to say that I haven't had any pain and discomfort out of my chronic epididymitis, but honestly, I haven't sought new treatment for it other than the pain/NSAIDs that I take daily (for this and like 5 other physical ailments). So I know that I can prove Service Connection without a doubt. I am thinking about filing a claim for this, but I have a feeling that I would likely get denied the 10% rating at the time. I do take NSAIDs and pain medication but I have a feeling that those alone wouldn't constitute "regular drug therapy". I noticed on the DBQ that it asks for all the treatments and medications taken over the past 12 months, so I am assuming that at least 1-2 treatments with antibiotics in that period along with daily pain/NSAIDs might be enough to be considered regular drug therapy. But I really hate making assumptions. Is there anyone here that can give me any advice on this? Or this there anyone here that has successfully gotten a rating for this disability? Thanks in advance!

Also...two of the reasons that the staff of this facility gave for not wanting to give vets access to this treatment. 1. "If we treat them for it here, they might get a Service Connection for it" 2. "If veterans find out that they might get a large Temporary Total Disability check because they can stay in this hospital longer then those that decided that they didn't want to be cured of Hep C will all of a sudden want to come here and will hold up beds" I have all of this information and more submitted to the VA IG office and will publish the reply I get on these forums. My uncle, who is also a veteran, is currently dying of cirrhosis of the liver because he was denied treatment by the VA until it was too late. He was sober 20 years and the VA made him wait until he had 2 years sober from the time his PCP told him his sober time would start. This is a fight that I REFUSE to back down from.

I was diagnosed with Hepatitis C by the VA in December 2016. I was told by my primary care provider at the CBOC (Community Based Outpatient Clinic) that I would have to be completely sober and clean for six months before I could get a consult to the Hepatology Specialty Clinic in order to receive Harvoni treatment. In January 2017 I self admitted to a VA Mental Health Facility for PTSD and Substance Abuse Treatment. I was told the same thing by my treatment team at that facility..that I would have to wait til I left there before I could go to Hepatology. The Nurse Practitioners at this facility wouldn't even allow me to get the CT Scan of my liver completed at the hospital I was a patient at, despite the fact that I had an order for one from my primary care doctor still open. At around the end of my first month in this VA Hospital I was told to go back to the lab for the second time in one week, which was abnormal. When I asked why, the staff said that they could not tell me, but I overheard mention of my liver enzyme levels having tripled since my admission and that the providers were considering cutting me off all of my medications, psyche meds and meds for physical ailments as well. The staff would not grant me an appointment with the only prescribing MD on the staff of this program that hosts a little over 100 veterans nearly year round. Since I had met this MD once before, and she had placed me on meds which were helping, I simply went to her office and banged on the door demanding the speak with her. When she found out that the NPs had been denying my requests to have my liver CT completed and had denied any other sick call slips that I filled out in regards to my Hep C she went ahead and made sure that I recieved the needed tests and she had my consult to Hepatology scheduled for less than a week and a half away. When I made my Hepatology Appointment, I simply had a 30 minute meeting with a NP, a 1 hour medication education class, and by lunch that day I had in my hands the full course of Harvoni that I needed to cure my Hepatitis C. I was actually cured before I discharged from the hospital, and had completed the full course of treatment in less than six months since my diagnosis. Now that a brief recap of my personal dealings in regards to Harvoni treatment, I will quote directly from the VA website some information about the VA's current stance on Hep C treatment. https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2762 "WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced that it is now able to fund care for all Veterans with hepatitis C for Fiscal Year 2016 regardless of the stage of the patient’s liver disease. The move follows increased funding from Congress along with reduced drug prices. “We’re honored to be able to expand treatment for Veterans who are afflicted with hepatitis C,” says VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. David Shulkin. “To manage limited resources previously, we established treatment priority for the sickest patients. Additionally, if Veterans are currently waiting on an appointment for community care through the Choice Program, they can now turn to their local VA facility for this treatment or can elect to continue to receive treatment through the Choice Program.” VA has long led the country in screening for and treating hepatitis C. VA has treated over 76,000 Veterans infected with hepatitis C and approximately 60,000 have been cured. In addition, since the beginning of 2014, more than 42,000 patients have been treated with the new highly effective antivirals. In fiscal year 2015, VA allocated $696 million for new hepatitis C drugs (17 percent of the VA’s total pharmacy budget) and in fiscal year 2016, VA anticipates spending approximately $1 billion on hepatitis C drugs. VA expects that with the expansion, many more Veterans will be started on hepatitis C treatment every week this fiscal year. In addition to furnishing clinical care to Veterans with hepatitis C, VA Research continues to expand the knowledge base regarding the disease through scientific studies focused on effective care, screening, and healthcare delivery including to female Veterans and Veterans with complicated medical conditions in addition to hepatitis C. " and also from: http://www.infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com/hepatitis/antiviral-treatment-offered-to-all-veterans-with-hep-c/article/521718/ "The VA will treat all veterans with HCV, regardless of the stage of their illness and whether it was contracted during military service. Since 2015, the number of veterans being treated with HCV antiviral therapy has doubled to nearly 1100 patients per week; the VA hopes to increase that number to 2000 patients per week by the end of 2016. Additional efforts are being made to screen all veterans born between 1945 and 1965, who account for more than 75% of HCV infections. Veterans with drug or alcohol addiction are not excluded from VA treatment, but those with suspected adherence problems will not be offered treatment." And this is from an e-mail that I received from the VAHRC Office on May 12, 2017: "Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We will reiterate to the field that it is not our policy to have abstinence-based policies at VA and everyone should be evaluated for treatment. Treatment should be determined on a case by case basis. In the meantime, please let any Veteran who has concerns they can contact our office at any time either directly or at vhahhrc@va.gov " Now that you have read all of that, I will tell you something horrible. All of the information given above was given to the staff at the VA Hospital where I was a patient and where I started and ending taking my Harvoni. However, it appears that until change is forced on this facility, that I will be the only patient to go through the Mental Health Residential Recovery Treatment Program, that was cured of Hepatitis C while a patient there. When I left there May 15, 2017, there were 10 other Hep C positive veterans enrolled in the same program that I was. All were being denied to see an MD, all denied HCV labs to check viral loads in the liver, and all denied CT scans to see if their liver had developed cirrhosis or developed other issues. I went to the Patient Advocate at this facility (who was amazing by the way) for each veteran there and the Patient Advocate pushed for them to receive the same care I did, and all were denied. I wrote a letter to the Director of the entire hospital, which included copies of VA Hep C Guidelines, and received no reply. Then on the second Monday in May there was a mandatory meeting for all veterans in the MH RRTP program and all staff of the program as well. A bunch of small rule changes were addressed and veterans were given an open floor to ask questions. I wanted the MHRRTP Director to "Please explain to me how my life was worth saving, and my Hepatitis C was worth curing, but other veterans in this program are being denied to even talk to a doctor about it". We were given in return a spill about how "Treatment isn't the place to start Hep C Treatment". Followed by "It is a very expensive process and we are looking and maybe ways to ask the VA to open a Hepatology Clinic here sometime in the future" And she concluded with That "there are a lot of really strong side effects of the medicine, especially if don't finish your treatment, and you need to be sure that you can complete it before you start". I rebutted that by telling her that Treatment ABSOLUTELY was the place to get Hep C Treatment. I gave her direct information from a government funded study that showed that 96 out of 104 long term opioid addicts would relapse within the first three weeks of leaving treatment if it was their 1st-3rd attempt at treatment. Since the Harvoni treatment time frame is actually around the average time that veterans spend at this MMRRTP getting them cured of the virus before they left and became a relapse risk could help stop the spread of the virus. I also let her know that the previous Friday, a veteran who had been denied any Hep C Treatment at this facility had overdosed. He was a good friend of mine who was kicked out of the MHRRTP for relapsing, after he was denied access to providers who prescribe for Buprenorphine treatment. It was confirmed that he was back actively using IV drugs and was using and sharing paraphernalia with another veteran before his overdose. When it came to her statement about expense I gave the precise figure that the VA already spent to have enough Harvoni on hand to treat all veterans with Hep C this fiscal year and that there was no need to wait for this hospital to get a Hepatology Clinic when the free shuttle that runs twice a day at this facility can transport veterans in this program to one that is already operating. On the point about the "strong side effects" she was clearly talking about Interferon and other older Hep C treatments, because the side effects to Harvoni are rather minimal. I also asked how being in a hospital with 24/7 medical staff on duty would not be more preferable than treatment on an outpatient basis if side effects of treatment was one of the reasons she was giving for barring veterans in this program from receiving this care. I was eventually cut off from making any more comments and the meeting was abruptly ended right after she said that this hospital was going to put a policy in place that would state in writing that Hep C Treatment would not be afforded to patients in the inpatient MH RRTP program and that the program was going to start a new Hep C Group that would meet once a week where veterans in the program could learn about the illness. I should also note that all of the other Hep C positive veterans that I met in this program were all told by their primary care providers that they would have to be clean and sober for anywhere from 6 months to 1 year before being given a referral for Hep C treatment. All of these veterans were told this in 2016. I have been in contact with both Senators from my state and the one Representative from my district regarding this. Though all 3 were very quick to contact me back, so far it seems that progress forward is slow moving, if not stalled. I have been in touch with some rather large veteran's advocacy groups, with all but 1 deciding to change their mind about tackling the issue due to the fact that they do work with the VA or organizations close to the VA on some things. At the moment I am dealing with the VA's Inspector General's Office, which may in fact turn out to be rather promising. It was when I informed the IG that a facility that has nearly two million dollars worth of Harvoni in their pharmacy was going to end up letting all of that medicine be destroyed due to it expiring because they were denying patients access to Hep C Treatment. Which is a very sobering and sorrowful though. The VA is sitting on nearly $1,000,000,000.00 of life saving medication and will likely end up having to destroy millions to hundreds of millions of dollars worth of it because it expired before patients could get access to it. So has anyone here been prescribed Harvoni in the past? Were you told that you had to follow a different set of guidelines than those that the VA put out in 2016 regarding this treatment? And please if you know any Hepatitis C positive veterans, please tell them about this. If you do know of anyone who is or has been denied Harvoni in 2016 or 2017 message me because I am working many angles on advocacy on this issue and am trying to see how big of a problem this is with the VA outside of my home state. Thanks!

I guess I should mention before anyone claims that I am BSing about the speediness that I was able to get a Psych C&P Exam completed I should clarify some things. I was in a VA Inpatient Mental Health Facility going through Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD and attending groups and classes pertaining to Depression, Substance Abuse, Alcohol Abuse and PTSD, from Jan 24-May 15, 2017. I filed my FDC while in the hospital. The C&P office was located in the same building where most of my classes were located. I had gotten to know the staff there before hand as I was working to get my Persian Gulf Exam scheduled through their office and I had taken some Vietnam vets who were in the program with me to the office to help them get Agent Orange Exams scheduled. So one week after I filed my claim the staff at the C&P office called to the nurses station on my unit and had them put a message in my mailbox that stated I needed to go the C&P office. I went over there the next morning and they asked when I would like my exam, and since I told them as soon as possible, I had a 0900 appointment the next morning. I am sure another factor that helped speed up the process was the fact that I did click "Yes" that I was Homeless or At Risk of Being Homeless. I did have a call into the Veteran's Crisis Line in Dec 2016 seeking homeless resources as I was in a pretty bad spot and it appeared that I was going to be losing my house when I was just around six months away from having it paid off. I have heard that if you do indicate that you are Homeless/At Risk of Being Homeless when filing your claim that it can expedite it to about 20% faster, but I don't know the actual facts about that. Luckily, thank God, I can say that my house did get paid off while I was inpatient at the VA and that once I pay a family member back, who looked out for me while I was getting treatment, I will be free and clear on any money owed on it. Also while I was in the VA hospital I actually got linked up with some veterans who run non-profit organizations for homeless veterans and have already done some incredible work with them. Being in the situation I was in makes me grateful for where I am at today, but also more eager than ever to help those who are still out there struggling.

So I filed a Fully Developed Claim on April 11, 2017. I served 12 years in the Army and was the Medical NCOIC for a very large organization the last four years that I was on Active Duty. My experience in the Army made navigating the EBenefits portal and knowing exactly what type of documentation that the VA needed as evidence to prove service connection seem like a breeze, yet I knew going into the claims process that is was unlikely for the rest of it to go smooth and quickly. When I submitted my claim I submitted all of my DD214s, NCOERs, and Awards from my service records. I am glad that I did this, because even though I just got out of the Army in Jan 2017, the OMPF that I requested through the EBenefits portal contains only 4 documents total. I also submitted all of my LODs, Deployment Medical Records, Civilian Medical Records with Army Sick Call Slips showing that referrals to said civilian facilities were ordered by Army docs. I also uploaded all VA medical notes on disabilities claimed, all VA labs in reference to claimed disabilities, notes that covered all VA hospitalizations, all VA radiology reports, VA medication history, and copy of VA Problem List confirming current active VA diagnoses. Hell I even had personal statements regarding the nature of my injuries, how they affected my service in the military, and how they affect my ability to work today. For my PTSD claim I made a PDF file that could confirm from outside news sources that the majority of the PTSD incidents from my claim happened. This also included pictures from verifiable sources and maps from verifiable sources that showed where the attack happened in relation to where I was stationed. I also had personal statements on PTSD Incidents both on deployment and stateside disaster relief that included personal pictures and pictures of myself published in newspapers and magazines. I also had my DoD Military Service Information uploaded which along with the information in my NCOERs and Awards proved that I was indeed at the area where the PTSD Incidents occurred. I had all of this information uploaded to my claim before submission and meticulously labeled. I had my Psych C&P Exam on April 20, 2017. The examiner concurred with my diagnosis of PTSD and that my Major Depression and Substance Abuse were both secondary to PTSD. Going by the rating scale I was checked off as "Unable to function in most social and work areas with symptoms such as obsessive behaviors, illogical speech, depression, and panic so persistent that it interferes with ability to function, suicidal thinking, inability to control impulses (including becoming violent without provocation) neglecting self-care such as hygiene, inability to handle stress, and/or inability to maintain relationships". In other words, that is a 70% rating recommendation according to every source I have seen on the topic. If I am wrong about that please let me know. Another thing I guess I should mention that I did have a Persian Gulf exam on April 17, 2017. This was done at a C&P office, by a doctor that does C&P exams, but wasn't a C&P exam. The doc put in my notes that it could be verified that I was exposed to Open Burn Pits and Airborne Hazards. He also made a note that part of my exposure to Open Burn Pits and Airborne Hazards, having to burn the soiled uniforms and bandages of Soldiers who died in my clinic in burn barrels, could have contributed to my PTSD. A few weeks after this under, my Disabilities on EBenefits, Mental Disability - Active Psychosis/GW Mental appeared. I was kind of surprised by this, but so far not really concerned. Before my Psych C&P I was asked by the VA to submit a Statement in Support of Claim (VA Form 21-4138) in regards to my exposure risk factors in order to support my claim for Hepatitis C. I submitted this on the date the VA asked for it, April 19, 2017, and was given a deadline to have it submitted by May 19, 2017. At the time EBenefits was giving me an estimated claim completion date of my claim as July 22-October 22, 2017. My claim was still in the Gathering of Evidence stage until I checked on EBenefits during the last week of May and noticed that my claim had moved to the Preparation for Decision phase, where it is still today. My estimated claim completion date also changed and it is now June 21-August 02, 2017. What concerns me the most is that under Documents Requested it stated that my Statement in Support of Claim for my Hepatitis C had changed from Submitted-Awaiting Review to No Longer Needed. I also noticed that a VA Facility had requested my Physical Claim File and it also states No Longer Needed under it as well. That is the the majority of the information regarding my FDC. So the fact that the VA is saying that requested files for my claimed physical disabilities are no longer needed and my estimated completion date was changed to several months sooner than anticipated is concerning to me. I have read that the VA can award partial decisions on claims, but I am unsure that is the case here. If I was about to get a partial decision based off my Psych C&P (if it even works that way), I would think that the VA would still need the necessary information that they had already requested for my Physical Claims C&P. Oh, I guess I should mention that there 7 pending physical disabilities on this claim as well. I haven't called the IRIS 1800 number to inquire about this, but am thinking about it. Does anyone here have any feedback that might be helpful in regards to my concerns? Thanks in advance