retiredat44

Congratulations to you! Wish you the rest and long awaited relief from the war of the VA !

congratulations! a success story! there is hope!

going on 4 years here at bva (after bva hearing) (had 2 remands back to the R.O. as they refused to do what bva judge asked them to do)... it took 6 to get to the bva

I just thought with so many Vets coming here, and a POLL that was decent, but not digging into personal info, might enlighten us on a breakdown or snapshot of what makes the whole process go-round with injuries, illnesses, and the time it takes for the claims for different categories... it would have made the answering very easy and fast.. and a few of us still don't know percentages of the types of injuring people have to fight for the benefits, and the injuries that get through the process faster. Of course there are tons of facts to look up. It was only an idea. I would not have the info to write a decent poll. Yes, I have written polls. I guess I didn't explain what I had in mind. I just wanted it very carefully thought out.

I was wondering if a mod or other person running these forums could post a poll and ask (no names or personal info, just answers) Questions regarding claims: 1-Time as active without decision (years: less than 3 more than 3, more than 8, etc...) 2-years at local R.O, at BVA, etc. (breakdown to similar above, less than years, more than years..) 3-type of claim, extremities, internal, etc. (no mental claim questions) Just would like a poll to get a general feel for what Vets are doing and how long... for claims. Others chime in and what questions to add in poll. Leave POll up for a good while.... so that many Vets can see it and not miss it... Thanx ! Steven

I looked up my claim at the BVA , and it is currently in a stage at the BVA, after two remands, it now says it has been asked by the BVA for a medical opinion (it says I may disagree with the opinion they get)...… my guess is the BVA is getting an opinion to bolster their case... I looked up what this might be and found this: https://www.veteranslawblog.org/va-medical-opinion-letter/ Getting a VA Medical Opinion Letter to Hurt Veterans – Development to Deny. ========== I am not sure if they are trying to find reasons to deny my claims, or what.. I know about IMO's (I had one already for my side, and was included in my VA disability claims , ten years ago). Now it looks like they might either need it for help for them, I doubt it is help for me. Does anyone else know about this situation when the BVA seeks opinion ? Thanx... (the date on this BVA opinion seeking is around June 2018, in my online ebenefits claims search...). I was just curious to see if the ebenefits had any info on my claims when I found this latest status on my claims.

I have been found to have the enlarged lymph nodes and calcium in my lungs. I had a cat scan recently for the lymph nodes. The pain can be unbearable. But I also have pancreatic disease. On active duty I had pneumonia, and while in the hospital I had growths in my lungs and liquid. But with to many problems and in bva appeals. I cannot start more claims. As it would really screw up my claims at the bva. I cannot find hardly any info on calcium in lungs. I wish I had something to add. Just to say, I will follow and let you know if I find out anything. Good luck. I hope others that have info chime in. Steven

Thanx..... I do worry about others and I don't want to stop someone who hasn't been through al this,,, but I kind of put people in pain in 2 classes,,, just for this comment only.... one time... if it is possible that another method may help you, then try it, but if you know you are in deep shit and no amount of psycho babble is going to help, then there is no point in listening to b.s.…. thinking about a quiet place with a running stream is not going to kill the pain that is driving a person mad.... notice how the people who are not sick are giving advice to those that are very sick..... wtf....?

I got a letter asking if I wanted to participate in pain control study at VA. I have done these clinics, meeting studies. I was so desperate I volunteered for them over many years at hospitals and the VA. Never helped, and if they are trying to try to get you off meds and you already tried everything and live in hell because of intractable unbearable pain, you cannot function and the last thing you need is talk talk, talk and more pain. I have been through so much! so much! I knew that when they sent me this another ph.d candidate is probably doing a study. The VA may also be trying to see how many people it can take meds away and see if they really need them. Now they offer money. But, it's not worth any amount to have someone seeing if they can take your meds. obviously we our on an open database or taking narcotics. And the VA would love to see who will negotiate pain relief. Pay you some money.. and have head doctors try to find out if you really need pain relief. Been through it all. Suffere din hell and have had people that could care less about other suffering talking meds away. With spinal disease necrotizing pancreatitis, liver disease, yet the pain doctor still try to change my pain meds, it took 20 years of trials to see what works and al it takes is one really bad doctor to make sure every day is even worse. And once they take meds away, only god can bring some back to you for relief. Only thing left is suffering or death. The do not reason with sick patients at the va. I would bet my life that if these pain doctors and the rest had what I had, lost everything and spent 1/2 life sick in bed they would have shove a gun in their mouth. yet they have the ordasity to take people's meds that need them to live. That study called me and I said no way good bye, been there done that, al it's got me was more suffering for helping studies. BTW, I remember a jerk who was in the program who went t the meetings. I had just spent 6 months in the hospitals on a feeding tube and in a wheel chair living in a hospital for 1/2 of one year, then nurses at my home. I had no muscles and could not walk, or eat al that time and live on dilauded for extreme pain. This jerk was at the pain clinic study because he was sad because he could golf as much any more. Boo-hoo. How about spending your life in bed with a dying pancreas and the first half or your life being told it's in your head and you are just a drug seeker, then the surgeons find out your pancreas is to far gone and they cannot fix it so you will die from it. The you sit with assholes like this who are bummed because of a bad should which messes up their golf game, and they look at you like you are the xxxxxxx. That is what a pain clinic is like. Everyone that have a problem tying shoes of not golfing so good think their problem is a prioity over those that are dying with horrific diseases. Good luck with attending these bogus clinics. let them take your meds and have to talk to head doctors so they can weed out everyone to them is faking it for drugs. (sarcasm)

I can't answer until the bva makes a decision.... and I would be glad to... since I was hospitalized with pancreas disease and have been sick with it forever.. anything else I say means nothing unless the bva helps me...

looks like my appeals went to the BVA judge, for the last time. after two remands that took two years... I sent in a bunch of new documents in to the judge (through my P.O.A.), I did not trust the R.O. to read them, or care about them. I feel better with the BVA judge than the whole R.O. that screwed it all up since day one. The BVA judge get's it back in his hands in April 2018. (it wasn't really new, but I know the R.O. never read my documents and these were a very long lists of details from the VA hospitalizations, in the form of summaries. They are about 50 pages. Yes, about 50 pages. And they are full of information, not just blank space. I knew it would have been a waste of time with the VARO, they never read anything they were given.) this was from a 6 month stretch as an inpatient after failed pancreas surgeries. Yes, they nexus to my active duty health issues.

I am sorry, I should have not said anything, being just angry forever with the VA, and I meant it as a sarcastic rhetorical comment on a choice that to me is ridiculous. like they give you the choice of a hamster wheel for a lifetime of hell, or the quick easy way of getting a slam dunk approved... like we love to pick and choose the way that destroys what's left of us while we wait and die in hell.... while they just jerk us around while we die... as if we would purposely take the worst possible route to the end....

hell no! I don't want DRC, I want the hamster wheel! give us a break, if they did their job right they would be only one system...

I am not sure if this info is in this forum about how long hospitals must keep records. I found out by accident, while getting copies many years ago forma regular, outside the VA system hospital in California. I had Kaiser health care for a while after I separated from the USAF. This was many years ago. About 3 years after I quite my health plan with Kaiser, I was in the VA system. I wanted / needed copies of my records from all places with my VA records at the VA. I went to Kaiser and they told me that by law, at that Kaiser, in that state, they could destroy medical records after 7 years if the patient/enrollee quite their services. I have no clue if each state or hospital/clinic has different laws. So, I would say to anyone who has records at any place they would like to get copies from, do it before they are destroyed, find out when they are/will/were, or can be destroyed. It would really hurt to need records and find out you missed the opportunity. I have no clue if this info is in these forums for helping those putting together a claim, or adding new evidence. btw, I got mine before the deadline, from Kaiser. Also, I hand delivered some records (official copies to the VA records section.) I asked them to be added to mine.

Questeion and Statement about VA Medical records databases. So, after have treatment in service, several VA clinics, and hospitals. Not counting outside records integrated and added form outside medical clinics and hospitals. So, After 20 years of care at one area clinic and hospital. and filing for disability claims. I complained about them not reading al of my records, even though I always made sure they had copies of any and al medical records. I later transferred to another hospital when I moved. I made ever effort to talk to the hospital and records to make sure the new hospital that will care for me will have al of my records and to make sure al my records went to my VA claims. The assured me they would have access and look up my records. Several times I was assure din person , over phones, at both old and new hospitals and clinics. So, the VA claims did not read, see, or look at al my records. the new hospital did not look at or look for al my records. My records are in at least three separate databases. If the power that be do not look for al three databases, they just see a small part of your records make assumptions that ruin your care, so you do not get the proper care. you claim get bungled because they don't look at all the records and claim they did even with the SSOC's. The poor sick disabled patient is never told they never looked at al the records. they BVA judge, if good, find out the records are not looks in the decisions and continues making Remands in the hamster wheel. The people working on the claim come and go as they skate through with bonuses. As your case continues going up like a huge ball of twine as you get sicker and sicker illnesses add up.. your life goes to hell, you loose family and homes. The sick disabled vet and their family has no idea they never read all your records because it is on 3 different databases and do not connect together. The Vets should not have to even know about databases, should not have to learn and teach the claims people about databases, and find proof if the VA looked at al f them or attempted to look. Those that make decisions are not doctors they could have been painters for al we know while they make life and death medical decision from how they handle your claim. The whole system and the people running it are despicable. The play god with sick vets lives and consider everyone a liar that files. Treat us as criminals. They continue getting fat on the hog. What a disgusting system that need ripped apart and fixed. IMHO]

they can have it see photo of mine

I am looking at this too.... lots of searching,,, waiting for a biopsy, but not sure if it affects my claim with the bva in 2nd remand... my poa sent them a note to include it into my records while in appeals liver, elevated levels, swollen spleen and ebv disease... along with the necrotizing pancreatitis . Plus many other problems.... may have had elevated levels before, but too many records to search without in a database, all mine is on paper.. wish they had given records on a thumb drive... but va turns out uses 3 separate databases and was no up on technology when my claim started.. this latest elevation has caused the va to see if they can biopsy mine, I hope they can just scan it.. evasive procedures can kill me.

I go for a consult with liver clinic, and as usual, it was to much for the doctor and she has to call in the experts. I had to ask her why she didn't go look at the proper databases that the va uses. Apparently the VA uses 3 medical history databases and shares them with al of the VA hospitals and clinics. A patient should not have to go to a very important medical appointment, only to find out they cannot find al of your records because of data base issues. The patient should not have to travel in a total sate of severe disease and pain, to find out that they have to return because the VA didn't get the information out of the records. And then they sit and ask you to tell them about everything they did and labs, tests, hospitalizations, when the records should have all that. I am not frakkin doctor, I should not have to explain al of everything to the best doctors they have. Now, I will have to go back after they call in the experts they were suppose to be on my case. My time is going to be over, could be soon or sooner.

My POA sent in a letter to the BVA letting them know of a change in my health status and to make sure they get my latest VA health records which show diseases added to the list since the 2nd remand. Thank you for good advice. I appreciate it!

add Epstein-Barr virus, more tests show it too, as I knew my immune system is bad. and am too sick often to do much at all.... still have to go to the liver clinic later this month, need a biopsy. Spleen is enlarged too. Pancreas still have the necrotizing tissues and cysts... forever as it dies. VA, BVA has my claim on 2nd remand, time is on their side... pain, suffering, agony, and the VA hamster wheel, this is my life, and has been 1/2 of my life.

I asked for hardship in claim forms in the past, didn't help. Right now, I am waiting for the Biopsy date. I should get the results before I can send anything more. Basically the surgeons said all my organs will fail, as it happens with my disease. I was told by a doctor that I am the only person with my disease that has lived this long. So,, as soon as they biopsy me, according to the procedure, I will be admitted, and made to stay there for several hours after they get a piece of the liver that is diseased. Then, I have to be watched overnight too after release home. Last time they put a stent in a vein it failed (that was when I was in the hospital 6 months because of failed procedures). The veins going to my liver have thrombosis, partially blocked by disease, so I have no clue how they can do this without killing me. Apparently they have several methods to get to my liver. oh, by the way, even though I have been going to the VA for 20 years. Was an inpatient for 6 months, now the nurse says I have no directives on file. They lost my directives! I told her I am not filing out that again, how do they lose it, it is in the computer!!!!

I really need for the biopsy to be done, then send the results... it's taking forever to get things done...I think the doctors had to wait for the cat-scam which was done a week ago.... the same cat scans which were suppose to be done 2x year and some idiot changed it to 1x year. o, the symptoms of liver disease I have had for a very long time were ignored until the blood tests results showed levels 10x higher than normal. Plus the VA specialists and surgeons recommendation that normal progression will be multi-organ failure and cancer for my diseases. I knew what was coming next, but they could not tell me how long. it is not happening as what the surgeons told me. It was not a one time meeting. I was in there for 6 months as they diagnosed my diseases and they told me personally 'Prognosis: Poor' almost always multi-organ failure, cancer, and no chance ever of a successful surgery. I need a report showing the biopsy, and don't have a date, so I am stuck until then.

mY condition worsens while at the BVA and 2nd remand. The doctors are running tests to find out what new liver disease I have and good possibility of big problems, as several of my diseases are already fatal. Pancreas, liver, etc. But now they have to continue with more than cat-scans, but now more biopsies, etc. Do I need to send them any new diagnoses while my appeal is at BVA< or will they get the papers from my records while still at the BVA? These new diagnoses and diseases are related to my claims. The VA surgeons as the disease progresses that they will be happening, because of the diseases I have it is natural progression for the other organs getting diseased and cancer probably too, if not yet. As I was told by the doctors and surgeons, in persona many, many times, while hospitalized for 6 months, they told me what to expect with these diseases. And their prognosis is coming true, they just could not get me a good time-frame. Several tests are being done as we speak, and in the coming days and weeks. Should I have my POA fax the BVA any new diagnosises? Just to make sure they are not overlooked. Thanx Steven