JuanP

Well, I took my C&P exam Dec. 6th, requested a copy on Dec 7th and as of today (Feb. 15th 2011) I still don't have a copy. I called yesterday, and they told my that it will be done in the order it was received. Frustrating! I got word about two weeks ago that they have denied my claim for my neck and back. (I'm going to a different forum to discuss that) But for now, I'm just voicing my frustration over that. My next step, may be to drive to St. Pete (from Orlando) to show up in person and request copies of my two C&P exams as well as my C-File. I don't know, is this allowed? Does it work?

Thank you for all the input, I most defiantly will send my additional info in this week.

I forgot to tell the doctor some of my side effects while I was having my exam last week. IS there a form or addendum I can send in to be considered with the exam. I was a bit rattled when I went in as well as the fact that I didn't have my side effects written down to present. Considering one of my side effects is short term memory loss is one of the main one's, you would think I would have made a list to take with me. Thanks! Juan

Thanks gemsurf, I appreciate your efforts. I did have my C&P yesterday and feel positive about it. Not getting excited as I know it is just another step. But the Dr. did seem to absorb what I had to say. And she communicated well with me.

I did find that Pete, and am looking to that one for now in lieu of the Spine, I guess I was thinking like you that this would be the next best thing.

Vync, thank you for that. I read it yesterday while looking around. While valuable information, it falls into my personality anyway so it was more or less a reinforcement of my norm, so that is good. A note to all who read: I am still trying to get this worksheet. So please let me know if you have it or find it. In the mean time I am browsing the other sheets (and saving them to my computer ) to get an idea of how they go about these things. So please, don't assume that maybe I have found this, the stress is setting in and of coarse I waited till the last minute to do a hard research for it. I have two C&P exams this month and thought that the one for my spine would be the second of the two. Thank you, once again for your help.

Does anyone have this worksheet, or a copy of it? The links I have tried are broken, or don't exist.. I have a C & P exam on Monday and I would like to know what to expect.. These are the links that I have tried. On this page http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Benefits/exams/index.htm I got this The page cannot be found ( http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Benefits/exams/disexm53.pdf) It seems like there is a pdf for all the exams except for the spine. Thanks.

Man!!! I'm so angry. The VA doesn't tell you anything. My VSO supplied by the VA in Orlando didn't help me at all with this. I could have filed this paperwork many months ago, along with my application to be looked at for service connection. But all he did was just to do the minimum without telling me what I was eligible for and how to go about it. I'm so angry and I have become convinced that I can't do this my self because I can't concentrate on this stuff at all to weed through all of the information. Almost 5 months have passed since I put in my initial claim information, and that;'s 5 months that the VA will certainly get out of paying the full amount of what they would have to write a check for! This whole process is painful ! Thanks to all of you for the information. I'm just going to have to get a lawyer.

OK, thank you Berta. My work history is mainly in a warehouse setting, and so to me, I don't believe it's possible in any reality that I would be able to do any of the jobs I have done in the past and am qualified for........ we shall see. I realize after coming to this area of the forums, that I need to specify or request that I'm am trying for TDIU. I would have thought it obvious. I will now continue to read through this board and try to digest the information on here. I think that I've done all I can do with trying to service connect everything. So I guess that this is my next step.

Does the fact that the meds you are on, diminish your capacity to : learn, focus, concentrate, remember, follow one train of thought, etc. add to your physical disability when the VA decides if you can work when going for TDIU ? Or is the effect that the meds have on you not make a difference?

Sure enough Hoppy, after being jumped on the bridge, the visit to sick call does say headaches to go along with insomnia!! WOW, things are looking up!

OK, thanks for the information.

I was a month away from turning 31. The surgery was October of 2001. My first exams for back pain was in 1999 when I first got insurance. I got out in March, 1993. Nothing about birth defects and nothing about a recent injury. I know that I never filed workers comp. Side note: My doctor at the time, now has a service that kept his old records, They had destroyed the records in my file prior to 4/2002. But, in October of 2001 when I had my surgery, this doctor is listed as being my PCP. The point is that I have record of this doctor being my PCP farther back than my records indicate. Which would be 1999. Several times in the file he talks about me complaining of chronic back pain for a long time. In July of 2002 he mentions me having DDD as fact. Never any record of an injury to my back post service. And I have a very clear statement from the +2 month back episode , from my ship and Boone Medical Clinic that I had hurt my back while carrying heavy equipment during decommissioning. Unfortunately, I missed my follow up appointment with Boone because I was on leave and the reported to a new ship after returning from leave. As far as the muscle relaxer prescription goes, through a friend of mine, a copy of most of my SMR was shown to another friend to try to decipher. He is a corpsman with SF (retired). The muscle relaxer is just a "night-night" pill. Thats it. Next, and this jibs with my feeling now and then about not always going to sick call over everything, he said that "most corpsmen would look at my record and write me off as a sniveler,, without giving much real thought to any serious condition. I laughed when this was told to me, cause it brought back so many memories, because it is true. The pressure to do your job, and be there to be counted on was enormous, and it stuck with me throughout life. So, my next move is to get my SMR translated and to work at putting a timeline together in visual form. And I think that maybe I should try to track down the NIS in Great Lakes to see if they have the record of this incident. Once again Hoppy, you bring me good information and I thank you. I have the case locator bookmarked and am finding it interesting to look through cases.

# 1 : Does anyone have a recommended "outline" of presenting a case? I just turned my requesting medical history in to my veteran service officer. And now that I've done that, I feel that I have turned in an elementary level case. So I am already beginning to work on my new version of it. #2 : Am I allowed to turn in a PowerPoint presentation for my case, as long as I have all of the hard copy paperwork to go with it? I would be more comfortable in my ability to present my case through a computer program in a clear fashion.

Wow Hoppy, Thank you! Ok, I'll try my best to post everything from my SMR that I could read or make out. But I will start with my current diagnosis: My VCAA letter has a vague claim for Neck injury, Back injury and Hernia Operation. Keep in mind, in 10/2001 I had a Spinal fusion from C5-C7 MRI on 4/08/2010: C4-C5 - DDD with Uncinate Process Hypertrophy and Osteophyte formation resulting in decreased diameter of spinal canal and foraminal narrowing, findings greater on the right. C5-C6 - Posterior Osteophyte results in flattening of the cord. Nerve Conductivity Study on 12/07/2009 : Basically <sic> shows decrease in recruitment pattern in muscles related to the C7 Nerve root. Also, "evidence of early active denervation seen in the right triceps muscle" CT Scan 12/14/2009: C3-C4 Degenerative changes and possible small disc bulge, spinal canal is 10 mm and minimal uncovertebral osteophyte formation. C4-C5 there is a possible small disc bulge, the spinal canal is 10 mm and there is minimal uncovertebral osteophyte formation. C5-C6 the spinal canal is 9 mm and there is a partially calcified disc bulge with minimal right foraminal stenosis. C6-C7 there is a possible slight disc bulge and the canal is 11 mm. The Neurosurgeon in Miami says that the condition (I assume the stenosis) is inoperable because of the danger and lack of successful recovery rate. I really don't know what the diagnosis is, other than what is listed in these test results. In my current medical records I can't find a black and white "diagnosis". I see "neck pain with right radiculopathy" but no real black and white clearly stated diagnosis. I may just not be able to find my way through these VA records printouts........ Ok, now for my service records, I can't really read much of anything in them, but am positive in what I can read : May 10, 1990 Boot camp Orlando (about a month into boot camp) : Sore throat, and pain in left upper arm. I can't read anything else. May 14, 1990 Follow up for May 10 visit, but I can't read this as well. Great Lakes ET "A" school : Jan 22, 1991: Nausea, sore throat, run down. Back Pain. Treated with Tylenol April of 1991: I was jumped on base, on a bridge and hit in both sides of head, went to sick call for R ear pain. April 16 1991: Insomnia for 11 days, treated with a muscle relaxer. "C" School in Norfolk, VA : August 26, 1991 : Diagnosed with hernia to R side of groin. Repaired by surgery around Sept 23, 1991 given light duty upon my return to the ship. USS Paiute ATF-159 : March 25, 1992 : Neck pain for 4 days straight R side. Treated with warm moist heat. Gave a general back exam, once again, I can't read anything. It looks like I was given a 2 day supply of a pill that starts with an "N". Certainly no x-ray ordered. June 18, 1992 : I reported to sick call for Back Pain of 3 weeks straight. "c/o LBP, described as sharp, constant and aggravated by bending over, climbing ladders. Denies trauma. " at this point I can't read anything but the phrase "related by patient " a few times with some other scratch. It says that I am taking Motrin 800 mg tabs every 4 hrs. with temporary relief. It says that I am also applying heat balm occasionally. The doctor again performs another back exam. No x-ray. Has "A=Lumbo-Sacral strain and P= 1 D/C Motrin 2 Mo. Eval. July 7, 1992 : Referred to Boone MSC for LBP. Unable to evaluate patient due to sick bay being disestablished for decommissioning. Then it refers the reader to the June 18 entry. July 7, 1992 at Boone Branch Medical clinic. Says patient presents with LBP for 2 months. Goes on to state what was written before that it's worse when climbing ladders and that this began while I was carrying heavy equipment. Denies PM# of Same (?). Denies Trauma. No mention of an x-ray or of Light duty. Prescribed Tolectin (?) for 15 days and then to be rechecked in 15 days. I have found no record of a follow up. At this point I should note that this was a small ship. And these last couple months we were stripping the ship for decom. So the workload was heavy for everyone. And I damn sure pulled my weight during this time. I got out in april of 1993. I did get an honorable discharge but the circumstances were because I refused level three alcohol treatment. My feeling at the time was that I wasn't going to a rehab for a month after just getting back from a Med Cruise. (One which I might add, that I didn't have a drop to drink abroad)!! Anyway....... that may or may not be relevant. As you can see, a big problem I have is that I can't really read my SMR. But am pretty sure that the only x-ray I had was for my arm at one point when I took a fall on board the Kennedy. And while my recollection of events is not proof, after reading my record, it did bring a lot of memories back, it was kind of useless to go to sick call, the standard fix for everything was motrin, which never did anything to help. Thanks Hoppy. If there is anymore information I can give you let me know.

I have found my question answered already: http://www.hadit.com/forums/index.php?/topic/35797-medical-statements-and-completion-of-forms-by-va-health-care-providers/ I was not making a distinction between the VBA and the VHA.

Ahhhh, yeah, I'm an idiot. I didn't get past the 3.3, so I didn't scroll all the way down to 3.303. Sorry

Ok, um, then I'm all messed up. This is what I've been referencing : http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?type=simple;c=ecfr;cc=ecfr;sid=274ba89a152f0dc1aec061e8f280434e;idno=38;region=DIV1;q1=PART%203;rgn=div5;view=text;node=38%3A1.0.1.1.4

Ok, CFR Title 38 3.303 is very helpful. Thank you, I wasn't aware that the CFR and the eCFR were different. I appreciate the direction.

And also, do I have the doctor fill out a form VA 21-4138 ?

So is it ok to take my medical records into my current doctor (at the VA) and have her browse through and make that determination? I mean, do they do that? Is this how these things are done?

I am trying to connect my current condition of severe neck pain back 16 years to my time in service. I have medical records that go back 11 years (am missing the first 6 because of a lack of insurance) ? I have 5 instances of Sick Call for back and / or neck pain over a period of a year and a half while in the Navy. Is this considered to be "Chronic"?

Looks like I'm catching a break for the Dr.'s statement. I just got an appointment reminder, and it seems as if my doctor has returned from Washington and will be seeing me later this month.

I think I found it. e-CFR title 38 part 4? Are there any other places to look?

Pete, you really gotta spell things out for me a lot of the times. (Apparently I have acquired the "memory loss", and "inability to process information" side effects of morphine.)