Hello!
I filed for an increase, with a fully-developed claim, on an issue that I'm currently rated at service-connected 0%. I established my "Intent to File" on the 24th of September. The file was submitted/received on the 30th of December 2020 and moved to "Evidence gathering, review, and decision" on the 4th of January 2021. This morning (6th of January), a call came in and I was told that I would be scheduled for a C&P Exam. They needed to know if I was available due to Covid, to which I told them that I was. The woman informed me that within 2-3 weeks I would be notified of the date/time of my appointment.
I thought I would be able to avoid a C&P Exam, because since October 2020, I've had 20+ VA appointments, 1 VA hospitalization, 1 VA MRI, 2 VA ultrasounds, 2 VA blood transfusions, and numerous VA blood draws, in regards to the issue that I'm asking an increase for. I'm even tentatively scheduled for surgery on the 26th of January (depending on how Covid issues play out here in California). I purposely waited, until I had gone through all those appointments/procedures/tests, so that I could include them in my fully-developed claim.
I've had my fair share of C&P Exams, which have always been brief and perfunctory. I'm concerned about how much that exam will play into the rater's decision, when they already have a wealth of information from doctors/surgeons at the VA, all of which has been recently documented over the last 3 months. Has anyone experienced a situation similar to this? Did they end up changing their mind about making you submit to a C&P Exam? If not, did the C&P Exam weigh heavily on the type of decision the rater made?
Thanks.