jonnyohio

Well LHI just contacted me and now I'm waiting for my appointment. I guess it'll be awhile lol

Still waiting for a C&P exam to be scheduled. I've heard nothing yet. No changes to the status of my appeal in va.gov, no appointments scheduled in myhealthevet that I wasn't notified about. I'm waiting until end of next month and then I'm going to start inquiring about the status. I know they are behind, but this is quite a wait to be schedule for an exam. UPDATE: Just got contacted by LHI and they are working on scheduling my exam. Now the next wait begins.

Still waiting to hear about mine being scheduled to receive my rating which was granted by BVA in February. I keep seeing people posting about getting their C&P exam done and getting scheduled, but nothing but crickets for me. It'd be comical if I hadn't just spent a full week in bed last month and off work. I guess there's no rush to provide a rating, it's more important to schedule C&P exams for people with P&T status.

Yeah, when I saw the notice that I'll be getting a notice, I just rolled my eyes. But at least I know someone is working on my rating.

Just got notified I'll be getting contacted to setup an appointment for one. Glad to see I can get mine done and get my rating.

I had tried to contact him last year about doing an IMO but got no response, which is not surprising because a lot of the popular ones are busy. I ended up hiring a lawyer in my state because I don't care about the 20% of my back pay and feel it's worth it for someone experienced and knows the law; my local VSO was not all that helpful or great and said I'd need an IMO to help win my case but she couldn't help me with that. My attorney then ended up getting in touch with him and I paid him to do an IMO, and it was spectacular. It pretty much guaranteed a win at the BVA with what was in my service records, and since the VA never bothered to do a C&P to help me develop my claim, the evidence in my favor was so overwhelming, I didn't need a hearing and got my SC granted just 4 months after it arrived at the BVA. Getting an IMO is probably one of the most difficult parts of a claim in my experience, because it takes a lot of research and time to do. If your claim relies heavily on getting one, you'd probably be better off just hiring an attorney (do your research first, and if you aren't 100% you may as well not bother with the ones you find online in google search, because they are so busy they will not bother unless you are 100% disabled-- tip: if the lawyer you contact doesn't contact you back directly, move on and find someone else because it means they won't take a personal interest in your claim).

HLR is mostly only good for disagreeing with a ratings decisions, and not SC. In most cases, the HLR will just agree with the other person who denied your claim. I didn't use HLR in my appeal, because it was just stupid that they were denying service connection, and the SOC had blatant lies as if they didn't even bother to look at my file or even consider my service records, which contained a diagnosis for what I was asking for. I went straight to BVA with a Nexus (because I wanted a doctor to provide them with an opinion and overview of everything for an easy decision) and a complete file ready to be decided, no need for a hearing, just decide my claim I said. 3 months at the BVA it was granted and a couple secondaries remanded because I didn't have the evidence in my va medical records yet when it went there, and the BVA ordered specific things to be done, so the xxxxxxx that blatantly denied my claim just ended up creating more work for themselves and I'll be getting my benefits soon and the secondaries will eventually be awarded since my VA doctors have added the connection to them from my primary in my records. So avoid the HLR for service connection, go ahead and try it for increases to get a better rating. But to answer the question: vets.gov will have status of your HLR and any appeal you file.

I have been looking at different posts about this, because I had a grant for SC in Feb, and so far they have not implemented it. I was told by my attorney who checked on the status that it's at the Rating Board so it should be any time now. Based on recent posts the implementation can take anywhere from 3 months to a full year, and no one knows why some take longer than others. I have figured out though that it is rarely done before the 120 days are up, because the RO apparently has to allow you the opportunity to file an appeal of a BVA decision before implementing a grant or starting a remand, which is 120 days from when the decision letter was sent to you. Why anyone would appeal a BVA grant, I don't know, but it seems that there must be some kind of internal rule, especially if you had a grant and some issues remanded by the BVA. Mine hits the 120 day mark as of next Wednesday, so I'm hoping to see it finalized since I may have to get surgery soon and could be off work for months. Also, apparently the Appeals Management Office may not actually transfer jurisdiction of your claim immediately to the VARO and that can cause a bit of a delay. If you don't hear anything after 4 months you should start inquiring about the status to see if it's being worked on. I know there's a fast letter addressing delays of 120 days, but based on many forum posts I've read, they don't follow it or their own rules. I saw a post not long ago from someone who worked as a claim processor and said that records get locked for 120 days and it's a PTA to work on them during that time frame so most employees don't want to even touch them until the 120 days have passed. Also, there's a saying floating around that since there are so many claims to work on, and they are all special, nothing is special. In a nut shell: expect 3-6 months to get your % and retro.

Unfortunately your employer still has you on the books, which means technically they disagree and feel you can still work (the VA is trying to use a legal loophole here). What you should obtain is a competent medical opinion stating that you are unable to work and why and how long you have been unable to work. Then appeal the decision and submit that to BVA along with arguments. Your employers opinion on your ability to work is meaningless, because their opinion does not constitute competent medical advice. Simply because your employer has failed to take action to either remove you or approve your disability claim, does not mean you are employable.

I know this is old, but I keep seeing this misunderstanding, and the definition applied incorrectly to 5002. "Did the doctor order bed rest?" Under 5002, bed rest would be contraindicated for inflammatory arthritis such as PSA and RA, as activity is the usual recommendation to prevent a joint from locking up. Bed rest would only make it worse. For the purposes of 5002, there is no set definition but it usually means that the patient isn't able to do what he/she normally can do as a result of the inflammatory arthritis or required time off work to see doctors. I get to work all the time with joint pain and stiffness because if I give in and stay home and lay around it only makes it worse. Being unable to get up and clean the house or unable to do social activities because one is in so much pain and has fatigue is a good example of a totally incapacitating episode. Having to take time off work to go to the doctor for followups and blood tests because one is on multiple drugs to try to slow or halt the disease process would be a totally incapacitating episode, because the person is unable to earn income like a normal person does because they have to take off work to go to the VA doc.

I'm probably going to end up with 100% because of the problems I'm having, but yes definitely going to go for it asap. With so much happening I never thought was possible with this, I'm going to need to try to get some enjoyment out of my life before it ends (which may be sooner than I thought).

As of 2 days ago, the BVA granted me service connection for Rheumatoid Arthritis! Several other secondaries were remanded for further development with a lot of specific requirements from the BVA as to what the regional office needs to do. My lawyer said I should get 60% but she is planning to argue for 100% and also filing a CUE to get an earlier effective date. I'm so relieved right now it's not even funny. I missed two days of work this week, and laid around my house in agonizing pain Wednesday. I'm about to go on Humira, which is a drug that comes with a lot of risks, but the alternative is me being totally incapacitated in the very near future if I don't take it. I feel so lucky, I thanked my lawyer profusely today, because if it wasn't for her help I don't think I'd have gotten this far so fast! I'm also so thankful for the care team I have at the VA hospital, because they have been absolutely amazing helping me deal with this crap disease and keeping me working while I wait for the safety net of benefits. I'm also thankful for the few people on this forum that pointed me in the right direction! And to think, it was just two years ago I was sitting here at my keyboard feeling so depressed and alone, and scared that I was going to lose everything I worked so hard for.

Ended up hiring a lawyer in my state who was able to contact Dr. Anaise who did a very awesome IMO for me after hearing what was in my service record and my history with the VA. My claim is now sitting at the BVA waiting to be sent to a veterans law judge with a very good chance of getting granted. My lawyer submitted her arguments which were better than I could have ever written for myself. My fingers are crossed.

Since there wasn't a lot of people posting their experiences, I went ahead and just paid the $150 to see what it was like, since I can afford it and a lot of other vets can't. So this just shows anyone on the fence that this place is a complete waste of time and is a rip off. I am working on a couple better ways to get the nexus letter I need. I still have plenty of time to file my NOD yet and I'm in no rush. I just wanted to see how their service worked and give them a chance to see if they really were worth it. They are not worth it at all.

So here is my recent experience: I have an inflammatory arthritis and since the military it was speculated that it was this. In fact, my military records show that they recommended an RA panel, but none was actually given. So my plan was to order a basic record review for $150 and see a rheumatologist and use them as a guide for writing the letter (since, after all, she is just a nurse practitioner, and a va doc could easily discredit her). On January 20th I ordered the record review, and I had already consulted with Dr Bash (who wanted to charge too much for me to afford, but felt it was an easy win). A symptom commonly associated with GERD and complaints of joint pain while in service are documented well in my service record. On 3/9/2019, I emailed them asking about the status of my record review with concerns because I had not heard anything. I got a response like this: "The RPR, an inflammatory marker seen in lab work, was negative while you were in military service. November 2007 medical documents report negative x-rays, negative lab work, and a normal physical examination associated with complaint of multiple joint pain. The clinical indicators for an inflammatory arthritis condition is not evident during your military service." The problem with this response is that I had no labs done while in service. My diagnosis is based on a physical exam by a rheumatologist in Detroit in 2018, initial onset of symptoms was in 1997, and this is rather common for this type of illness, and one only has to perform a simple google search to know this. So it is evident that my condition is either out of her league or she is not interested in doing basic research to help you with your claim. Honestly I didn't expect much for $150, but I did expect at least a little bit of support and knowledge when it came to my condition. For GERD there is no YES or NO result (it appears she just didn't care enough to say YES or NO), just this: "Military treatment records are vague. Current symptoms most likely associated with a hiatal hernia found on EGD in March 2017." So I don't care much about GERD, but this should have been quite easy, since tightness in the throat area is a common GERD symptom (and I'm not even a doctor). I was just looking to service connect inflammatory arthritis for the most part; so apparently my complaints of joint pain and the fact that the doctor was recommending an RA panel mean nothing. A simple google search on the condition I'm claiming will tell you that the disease is not the same for everyone, that often times it goes into remission sometimes for years, and that blood tests are not definitive; plus it is very common that a diagnosis is not given immediately. So I'd recommend looking elsewhere, since she is obviously not very well educated when it comes to things like this; plus it appears that she has a lot of submissions and doesn't have time to research yours. Unless of course you have something that is very clear and very well described in your service records, I'd look elsewhere, but that would probably be a waste of money since you'd probably win anyway. I'd recommend that you save your money for an expert or an actual physician; I spent my money so you don't have to; I'd not recommend this service. TLDR; It's a waste of $150, and just a waste of your time and effort. You will have better luck with a specialist in the field you are looking to claim. It's not worth the money, and I suspect that they only respond if you email them or if your records contain something that would probably be a quick win for you anyway, so don't bother. I only received a response upon inquiring about the status of my records review, and the response was half arsed. Spend your money elsewhere.