Tower_Rat

If you have a claim going, never tell the doctors anything that you don't want the VA to know about. "Thats my personal opinion" The Doctors will write down anything and everything and sometimes take it out of context. I told the Doctor I was worried about my VA claims and they put me down for being paranoid. It took a massive amount of effort to redact that off my record once it was on there. All because I mentioned in passing my thoughts about it. I would get another doctor for sure as that one seems to not have your best interest at heart. I would also do more than just email the doctor. To effectively change your records you have to go through the patient advocate and explain to them what the problem is. They should take it from there and possibly have it redacted out of your record. Now it wont be totally gone, they submit it to the doctor and they edit the statement to reflect what it was supposed to say in the first place. So once its there, its there to stay with the edited version under it. Also to get another doctor you just have to visit the patient advocate and they will help you.

Then during that period you can request a hearing or DRO review. A face to face with them might just add insight into your claim that they need to properly adjudicate it. Keep in mind though it does take some time to get the hearing and you will want to thoroughly prepare your evidence for them to look at.

I went from nothing nsc to 30 percent when they reconsidered it a few years back. Its sometimes definitely worth doing if you have some good new evidence to give them.

Hey all, I know alot of you have been following my claims for the last 2+years that I have been a member of Hadit. Some background on my claim; I filed for PTSD 3 years ago. I was denied repeatedly 8 times over and over again until finally the VA gave me a C&P. I was approved for 30 percent. I also in this same period was awarded social security or SSD. The lowball rating was unacceptable to me from the VA, so I kept fighting. I let my veteran service officer go, and hired an actual attorney before the new law on attorneys took effect. This lawyer did more for my claim in one week than I or the service officers could do in 2+ years time. I asked for a hearing and then canceled it in liu of just letting the dro review officer look at all my claim information. I had to get an IMO to make sure that nothing was missed. The DRO officer rated my claim last week and I was rated at 70 percent and because of my social security and inability to work I was also granted TDIU which is 100 percent scheduler. The back pay goes back to early 2005 and my dependents also were awarded with educational benefits. I'm really not sure what to do now that I've succeeded so far in this. I know that when the retro check comes I'm going to make a donation to Hadit and continue to hang out here. I think the main thing that helped my claim go through was the fact that all my paperwork was in order, and to the point. I used all the references off this site and stayed up many a night into the wee hours of the morning trying to decipher the 38CFR. In order to succeed vrs the VA you must take an active role in your claim or you will have a difficult time winning. If you cant take an active role you need someone close to you that will help you when you need things done. Do not leave it to service officers and attorneys all the time. I must've called the 800 # sometimes 3 times a day. I would like to thank everyone for helping me with this. I would list names but, to do so, I might forget someone and everyone has helped me at one time or another with their expertise and personal explanations of claims. Thanks again and I'll see you in the forums. Tower Rat

When my claim was with a coach I asked if it was the same building as the RO and they said no. It was in the same town though just miles away from the RO. They wouldnt tell where it was located at though.

I didnt know it but, the RO is open on Saturdays and Sundays for the review officers and raters to adjudicate claims. The building is locked to the public but, they are there. So they are making alot of overtime pay.

Happy Holidays to everyone, and may the New Year bring wonderful news for everyone at Hadit.

Well, I turned in the files to the review officer. I'm hoping they go over it all rather quickly, its not that great in length and it would be nice to have an answer soon. Anyone know about how long on the average it takes a review officer to eyeball your claim and then make a decision or a statement of case? Thanks in advance

Yeah the part B is 95 bucks, I dropped mine until I can get through all this red tape of my claim. I still have part A for hospitals. If you get it back though you have to pay a percentage of how many months you had dropped it for and I think its 10 percent so about 9.50 a month. Also you have to do it in a certain quarter. Some people cant afford the 95 a month. The letter I received said that it could go up also. The problem I had in the town I live is that I couldn't find anyone that would take medicare other than the hospital. They give you a paper good for a visit to a regular doctor but, not all the things wrong would require an ER visit. I think that more doctors are getting to the point that they don't take medicaid. Where I live at they have a place called doctors park that almost no one takes it except on referral by the hospital. When I was on medicaid I didnt have that problem but, after you get SSD they switch ya to medicare and it all begins. I know it will probably be a hassle to restart it eventually but, one does what one can. I do think however it would be good for a second opinion if something did arise.

I tried that one earlier with no luck but, thank you for the help. This Doctor seems like hes not on any register for his license

Does anyone know if the VA accepts doctors credentials from other countries without having to be certified in the states when they get to the hospital they are going to work at? I've scoured the internet for this psychiatrists medical certification. The only thing I came up with was a denial for examiner in Georgia by their medical board for that state. Also his credentials just don't show up for any state. It worries me because of course I go to Marion VA and this guy left right before all that stuff happened. No explanation, they wouldn't say why he left. I know that they were investigating all that stuff before they let it out on the news, maybe he saw it coming and left the VA before they could do anything to him. I think its odd that i can't find his license anywhere from any state in the US

Anyone out there know if its possible to negotiate with RO as far as withdrawing a claim to award another one at a hearing? The hearing officer wants me to withdraw a few claims and just have the main ones. Any ideas? The hearing is coming up quick and I don't want to withdraw any of them if they are going to deny the main ones. The review officer said they could just write in their opinion over the phone if I did. Thank you Tower Rat

I had to do the memory thing (he says numbers than i repeat them back forward, some backward) then i had to fold a piece of paper in half (whatever that was determining)

Hello there, the same thing happened to my claim going through the RO in st louis. They told me it was closed but,then i received a call from a coach and they said they wanted to do a phone interview with me. I told them i was just told that my case (they said) had been closed and they told me that they knew nothing about that and continued to ask me questions related to my claim. Maybe yours is the same type of thing happening. With the VA alot of times it seems the right hand doesnt know what the left hand is doing. good luck

When actively seeking an IMO for use with unemployability issues, I found that using a psychologist or psychiatrist that works for the court system benefit greatly. Most of them are well known and have done hundreds of court cases usually involving legal unemployability and competency. I think many of them do this for people who are to stand trial, so they have to be thorough, and many of them are on the federal level. This could turn the tables or put your claim over the top in your favor. The only problem is affording one. I think that they usually charge a bit for their services but, it might be worth it. just a thought. I am currently using one for my claim and so far, am pleased with it. I will post the total outcome after the RO hearing.