Vync

I asked my VAMC primary care doc for a sleep study in Nov 2009. He put the referral in. Two weeks later, I received a survey and appointment info in the mail. My sleep study was last week. I read around and the scheduling time can be anywhere from a few of weeks to a few of months. If they drop the ball on a referral, don't hesitate to remind them about it.

Bergie, I really hope they decide in your favor on this.

Regarding streamlining the process, let's hope this is not all just smoke and mirrors.

On my four SC conditions, the effective date was backdated correctly. I did not have to ask for it. With this new info and all the great help from people here on Hadit, I am now wiser to read every word and every date on any potential new SC award letters. B)

This link shows special and/or limited benefits: http://www4.va.gov/healtheligibility/cover...ialBenefits.asp

(lets hope we don't get screwed in the process...) Shinseki Announces Winners of Innovation Competition for Improving Claims Processing http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1852 VA to Implement Employees’ Ideas to Transform Services WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs selected 10 winners in a competition that solicited ideas from VA employees and co-located Veterans service organizations to improve claims processing and provide greater transparency to Veterans. “I commend the innovative employees who submitted these creative ideas,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The men and women of VA and the veterans service organizations who understand the challenges in our claims processing systems have stepped up to deliver tangible results for our Nation’s Veterans.” The Innovation Initiative winners are the Milwaukee VA Regional Office, Philadelphia/Wilmington VA Regional Office, Atlanta VA Regional Office, Pittsburgh VA Regional Office and Togus (Maine) VA Regional Office. Development of plans for implementation of these proposals will begin immediately. Additional winners are the St. Louis Records Management Center, San Diego VA Regional Office (two winning entries), VA Central Office/St. Paul Pension Management Center, and Phoenix VA Regional Office. These ideas are identified for future implementation. More than 3,000 ideas from VA employees and co-located Veterans service organizations were submitted to the competition. The finalists were selected by Adm. Patrick W. Dunne, former VA Under Secretary for Benefits; Craig Newmark, the founder of craigslist and a well-known technology visionary; Dr. Peter Levin, Senior Advisor to the Secretary and Chief Technology Officer; and Garry Augustine, Deputy National Service Director for Disabled American Veterans. President Obama announced the innovation competition while speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in August. “We’re going to fund the best ideas and put them into action, all with a simple mission: cut those backlogs, slash those wait times, deliver your benefits sooner,” said Obama. Veterans Benefits Administration Innovation Competition Winners Milwaukee VA Regional Office: Streamline the administrative process for documenting actions to obtain evidence for disability claims. Philadelphia/Wilmington VA Regional Office: Simplify the evaluation process for Veterans claiming pension benefits with aid and attendance. Atlanta VA Regional Office: Establish an expedited claims process for Veterans who claim an increase in their service-connected disability based on worsening symptoms. Pittsburgh VA Regional Office: Lessen the need for VA medical examinations by providing Veterans with standardized medical questionnaires to be completed by their treating physicians. Togus (Maine) VA Regional Office: Align employee performance standards with Department of Veterans Affairs' goals. St. Louis Records Management Center: Provide regional offices with digital images of claims-related records held in VA’s centralized storage facility in St. Louis. San Diego VA Regional Office: Develop a computer application to calculate entitlement to additional benefits payable to Veterans with the most serious injuries. San Diego VA Regional Office: Update VA’s computer systems to facilitate communication between VA employees and Veterans. VA Central Office/St. Paul Pension Management Center: Implement rules-based processing for VA pension programs and other benefits. Phoenix VA Regional Office: Make it easier for Veterans to establish service connection for specific medical conditions.

Wolverine, Contact your VA medical center's Eligibility Office. I would call first, instead of making a trip. Be sure you have your DD-214 or other paperwork handy. They will let you know what benefits you are eligible for. I got out in 1995 and the VA provided medical care for 12 months after. Sometimes, they will taper off some benefits in a wierd way, like dental. If you are an Iraq/Afganistan war zone Veteran, I believe they get longer benefits. I remember seeing that on a poster when I was at the VAMC.

This information should be helpful: Examination Worksheet - Spine (Cervical, Thoracic, and Lumbar) http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Benefits/exams/disexm53.htm (this is what they should probably have done during the C&P exam) §4.71a - Schedule of Ratings - Musculoskeletal System http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/regs/38CFR/BOO...ART4/S4_71a.DOC

The 1-800 number is useful for some things, but useless for most things. If you call them three times and ask them the same question, you probably will get three different answers. Since you had your C&P exam, you should try to get a copy of it. If they performed the exam correctly, they should have used a goinometer (kind of like a protractor to measure degrees of an angle), and logged range of motion numbers for movement in different directions. Your rating is probably at 0% because it was either previously denied or they are still working on your claim (they are not known for their speed). Per Carlie's recommendation, you probably need to check these out: Examination Worksheet - Spine (Cervical, Thoracic, and Lumbar) http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Benefits/exams/disexm53.htm (this is what they should probably have done during the C&P exam) §4.71a - Schedule of Ratings - Musculoskeletal System http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/regs/38CFR/BOO...ART4/S4_71a.DOC (The shoulder section starts on page 13, which is below) Most likely, you will be rated on 5201. If there are nerve issues, you might be rated separately for that too. But, here's the shoulder section. Hope it helps. The Shoulder and Arm Rating Major Minor 5200 Scapulohumeral articulation, ankylosis of: Note: The scapula and humerus move as one piece. Unfavorable, abduction limited to 25º from side.............................. 50.......... 40 Intermediate between favorable and unfavorable........................... 40.......... 30 Favorable, abduction to 60°, can reach mouth and head.............. 30.......... 20 5201 Arm, limitation of motion of: To 25° from side............................................................................ ......... 40.......... 30 Midway between side and shoulder level......................................... 30.......... 20 At shoulder level........................................................................... ......... 20.......... 20 5202 Humerus, other impairment of: Loss of head of (flail shoulder)............................................................ 80.......... 70 Nonunion of (false flail joint)............................................................... 60.......... 50 Fibrous union of.............................................................................. ....... 50.......... 40 Recurrent dislocation of at scapulohumeral joint. With frequent episodes and guarding of all arm movements 30......... 20 With infrequent episodes, and guarding of movement only at shoulder level............................................................... 20.......... 20 Malunion of: Marked deformity....................................................................... .... 30.......... 20 Moderate deformity....................................................................... 20.......... 20 5203 Clavicle or scapula, impairment of: Dislocation of.............................................................................. ............ 20.......... 20 Nonunion of: With loose movement.................................................................. 20.......... 20 Without loose movement............................................................. 10.......... 10 Malunion of.............................................................................. ............... 10.......... 10 Or rate on impairment of function of contiguous joint.

They tried the cortisone shot in my shoulder, but I passed out cold. They sent me to PT the next day because my shoulder froze up. After two months of PT, there was no improvement so they sent me to surgery. Not everyone will have the same experience as me. If you do need to have surgery, if you have good insurance then get it done privately, not by the VA. My recommendation is to find one of those legendary surgeons, like the ones that work on NFL players. They are usually recognizable by the large entourage of junior surgeons following them around. Also, very important: Make sure the top doc is going to be the only person working on you. Sometimes you think you are having the top surgeon, but then in reality he just is present for a few minutes of the procedure. Sometimes they have a special form you have to sign. It is worth it. Let the noobs practice on someone else.

I filed for it, but it was denied. I was injured during basic training (left trapezius strain after some seriously intense pugil stick training) and still have all the treatment records. I think I had the surgery in 2001, which is a couple of years after my C&P. I think I will contact my surgeon and get my records to see exactly what they did.

Is this place in St.Louis?

Hey celli, I hope you can get some relief and wish you the best in your claim. I had shoulder impingement surgery several years ago. Basically, the doc cleaned out some spurs and tightened everything up. The strange part is that after I healed, my shoulder was actually stronger than before. I guess it was all the physical therapy I did. Shoulder Impingement http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00032 - This diagram is really cool and goes into the details of what impingement is. Distal = more distant, or closer to the outer edge Tendinosis = damage to the tendon Bursa = small fluid-filled sac

Bump!

I consider myself my own agency. I just wish the VA would hurry up and share my C-file with myself.

Carlie, Yup Yup! But I agree with Navydoc on this. Just those two points alone seem to be totally contradictory. Some folks might not understand which applies to their situation.

That's what I call a shotgun claim

Last paragraph: However, if the facts establish that a veteran’s disability increased within one year prior to receipt by VA of the original claim for increased rating, the effective date of the increase is the date on which the increase in disability occurred. I like that. However, is this still in effect?

Here is a quick and dirty breakdown of what is going on at the RO: Requested copy of C-file 3 months ago Active claims at the RO as of 2 months ago VA refuses to send C-file copy until claims are finished VA sends letter requesting PTSD info and requires it be returned within 30 days Full development of claim and PTSD paper response requires contents of C-file VA offers to put C-file at end of line in Freedom of Information office. They copy C-file and mail it out. C-file goes back to end of line in claims department. 30 day PTSD letter window cannot be met One year additional evidence/IMO window will be tough to meet Nice...

Some soldiers joined the military and, for example, served 4 years on active duty and 4 years in the Inactive Ready Reserve (IRR). Basically, soldiers in the IRR do not get paid, do not attend reserve drills, but are subject to being called to active duty just like regular reservists. If a medical condition is diagnosed while a soldier is serving in the IRR, can they request service-connection of the condition?

I am SC for both allergic rhinits and asthma and just had my sleep study, but I think the results were not accurate. I had a great deal of difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. I bet I woke up 10-20 times. The room's heating unit made this deep humming noise that repeatedly would get loud and then quiet. The unit was mounted in the ceiling, so I could not give it a swift kick. The bed was Swedish memory foam and extremely uncomfortable, which caused my back to ache most of the night. The people in adjacent rooms kept flushing their toilets and I could hear them through the walls. The doc said that I had several periods where I would stop breathing and my oxygen level would drop below 90%, but I did not have enough episodes to justify use of a CPAP machine. When I was on my side, I would breathe better, but the problems occurred consistently when I slept on my back. The doc recommended I sew a tennis ball to the back of my pajamas. Nice. The doc said the chart showed I had a lot of good sleep, but I disagreed because I felt like I had almost no sleep at all. I am planning on getting a second opinion through my private physician.

I have located numerous BVA claim decisions and significant VA treatment records I wish to submit in support of my claim. I have created a master index which details the date, location, physician, and synopsis of the medical records. It also includes the citation number, and web site link for the BVA decision. - The RO has electronic access to all of my VA treatment records. - The RO has electronic access to all BVA decitions. - In the past, the VA has mailed back any duplicate medical treatment records I sent them, either theirs or from other physicians. What is the best way to submit this information in support of my claim? Should I submit hard copies of everything, with key information highlighted, or would the master index be sufficient? Thanks!

http://www.vawatchdog.com/10/nf10/nffeb10/nf021510-7.htm “This relatively new concept requires that health care providers and institutions completely re-evaluate how they deliver care,” the VA notice states. “They then implement new processes where care is totally focused on patient needs and desires, as opposed to the traditional methods of care delivery which are more focused on health care providers and the needs of the system of care delivery itself.” According to the VA notice, studies have shown that when patient-centered care is effectively implemented, patient outcomes and patient satisfaction increase dramatically, as do medical staff satisfaction and retention. Overall, such care organizations function more effectively and operational costs are reduced, the notice said Patient needs and desires? This sounds like something from the world of make-believe. We know what we need and desire, but the VAMC docs typically refuse to do it.

I agree 100%, and then some...

I apologize in advance for the sarcasm in this post, but I simply could not resist. After all, these are our patient rights and responsibilities. Extracted from: Patient and Nursing Home Resident Rights and Responsibilities http://www.patientadvocate.va.gov/rights.asp II. Information Disclosure and Confidentiality * You will be given information about the health benefits you can receive. The information will be provided in a way you can understand. III. Participation in Treatment Decisions * You will be given, in writing, the name and title of the provider in charge of your care. As our partner in healthcare, you have the right to be involved in choosing your provider. You also have the right to know the names and titles of those who provide you care. This includes students, residents and trainees. Providers will properly introduce themselves when they take part in your care. IV. Complaints * You are encouraged and expected to seek help from your treatment team or a patient advocate if you have problems or complaints. You will be given understandable information about the complaint process. You may complain verbally or in writing, without fear of retaliation. It is good to know that information regarding benefits we can receive will be given to us in a way that we can understand. In my case, the only way I will understand is for the doctor to write a clear nexus statement either for or against SC without having to go through a separate C&P examination with contractors like QTC. It is good to know that we can choose our provider. If the doctor chooses not to write a nexus, I choose for them to provide me a doctor who will. It is also good to know that we can complain without fear of retaliation. If they do not write a clear nexus statement, maybe we should complain more. After all, they cannot hold our complaints against us. Because we are patients, it is our responsibility to complain when the VA slacks off...