brokensoldier244th

They are not required to- that information is supposed to be uploaded to your VA file, ideally prior to the exam, but if after it can still be evaluated by the Rater, or can be appended to the existing exam, or an addendum can be requested.

From what I remember they have 2, one for the eastern half of the US and one for the western half of the US. They don't make decisions like "prescribing" you different medications- that's your doctor. But, legally, a pharmacist can override a doctor and say "hey, this prescription is going to conflict with *whatever*" and then the doctor has to re-write for a different medicine in the same family, usually. Pharmacists are much more on top of drug interactions, they study it for 4 yrs straight. Doctors have a few classes here and there (my BIL is a pharmacist). There is a centralized VA formulary list that is all the drugs that VA can prescribe. I don't know who makes the decisions on that but it's similar to private insurance- there are some drugs that VA just doesn't carry due to cost or availability. I'm taking one now that I had to wait 6 months for because some TikTokker told the world that it helps you lose weight (it does) but it's also a major diabetes drug. SO, for several months VA couldn't get any of it anywhere because every naturopath, dermatologist, whatever that had letters after their name could order it from the company that makes it- and they were more than happy to sell it to anyone (ozempic). SO, VA had to schedule/prescribe me an alternative which is less effective but still works and isn't quite as in demand because its only about 1/2 as effective. Im not diabetic- I'm taking this in conjunction with VA MOVE for weight control, so I understood the hold-up and why, and I'm cool with it. Diabetics need it more than I do. Here is a post from T-Bird that links to some info about it.

Followed by the 2nd, slightly less known corollary "you are your own best advocate". Okay, back to work for me, at least for a few hours. Enjoy your weekend, gents and ladies.

FYI- While information may still be missed in federal records like VAMC, STR,OMPF- you not submitting these records is not enough to remove your claim from FDC- Reason being because we are supposed to reach out to all federal entities already as part of or job to gather records. If we don't that would be a DTA. Now, is it possible that you have that piece of paper/pdf/thumb drive full of your STR, personnel jacket, whatever, that we don't? Yes. I find late following records sometimes years after your original personnel and STR transmission to us from the services (triggered by filling a claim for personnel records that are newer than early 2000s for personnel, and early mid 2000s for STR). If we gathered them at the time it's not a DTR. We are SUPPOSED to check every time a claim is filed, so eventually that stuff should end up in there but we all know how that goes. They are time stamped/date stamped when they come to us in the system and it...is...not...editable, short of a complete deletion, and there only people that have that level of access are IT. I've got 15 yrs of IT experience as a civilian and a masters degree in IT Admin/Sec, and I've tried, with dummy records, and only succeeded at getting in trouble for testing it. Later added stuff that is uploaded is time/date stamped, and flagged as a "new upload" to your file to call attention to itself. If you have an open claim submitted new documents from you, us, NPRC, whatever, triggers that claim to go back out to get looked at.

The cfr says The criteria for assigning an asthma VA rating is as follows: 10% — For this rating, a veteran must show a predicted FEV-1 of 71-80%; an FEV-1/FVC ratio of 71-80%; or a need for intermittent inhalational or oral bronchodilator therapy 30% — For this rating, a veteran must show a predicted FEV-1 of 56-70%; an FEV-1/FVC ratio of 56-70%; a need for daily inhalational or oral bronchodilator therapy; or a need for inhalational anti-inflammatory medication 60% — For this rating, a veteran must show a predicted FEV-1 of 40-55%; an FEV-1/FVC ratio of 40-55%; physician visits at least once a month for required care of symptom exacerbations; or intermittent (at least three per year) courses of systemic (oral or parenteral) corticosteroids 100% — For this rating, a veteran must show a predicted FEV-1 of less than 40%; an FEV-1/FVC ratio less than 40%; more than one asthma attack per week with episodes of respiratory failure; or daily use of systemic (oral or parenteral) high dose corticosteroids or immunosuppressive medications

Drat, I knew I forgot something. My brain is fried today.

Wont hurt- may result in an SMC depending on what they are and if/how they are rated.

Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.

If we are break or lunch it is authorized. Otherwise, you could have reported it to someone. *shrug*

THANK YOU. You are correct, though sometimes I/we can see something in that innocuous record that to you doesn't look like evidence. Like with the MST claims I review- there are lots of things that point to a prior assault/rape that aren't something like "Veteran was assaulted" in block print. Pregnancy records, performance review changes, STD tests outside of the normal yearly, sudden changes in family/dependent dynamic, etc. My big pet peeve is uploading medical studies that didnt' involve the veteran, or are totally unrelated except for a few words here and there. Better to let your doctor do that. If you do it its only 'lay evidence'. If you doctor does it it's being used to support a medical opinion and your doc has looked over to make sure that "it" applies to "you".

VA VRE has no control over VHA benefits, nor can they request that a veteran be reviewed or that their benefits be altered. They are a whole separate thing. The VRE Records do show up in VBMS, though, that they exist, but if we have to review them for something like IU we have to request them specifically. VRE can't just look at all of VBMS, either. They can see come things like your rating, and they can see VHA medical records.

You can always submit evidence up to when the claim is Ready for Decision.

The VRE guys aren't in claims or benefits- they dont' take near the amount of training in that area- doesn't forgive their lack of knowledge since all of it is 1- in the M21, and 2. available online internally for us to cross train. Im on there all the time in my down time, what little I have, just for this reason. I like to 'know' things.

Nope. You aren't employable just because you are in VRE. You migh not even finish. And if you do, you might not end up employed, or, employed for long. Your normal protections are still in play also, so even if your IU went away eventually your rating and SC are still covered under 5,10,20 yr rule. I was rated at 60 when I started VRE, and 80 at ther end of it 4 yrs later.

You don't. We have access to a multi service database created by the DOD. We can see where you were stationed, what you were exposed to, so long as DOD has it in there. It's all presumpive if you were 1.there, 2. Have a condition on the list, 3. Within the time frames. It's based on totality of exposure. Some of the reports I've printed to pdf are a hundred pages long. Lots of repetition, but still, the reports are pretty thorough.

When did you go through? In 04-08 the understanding for vocational rehab was some veterans needed a 4 yr degree, some didn't, but Voc wasnt solely a 4yr degree+job program. It depended on whatever their program setup was.

Pick major, sign up for school, go. There isn't anything inherent in going to school that has anything to do with being 100S% disabled. I have 2 master's degrees since being P&T 8yrs ago. I'm bored like that. Unless you are asking about how to pay for it- then GI Bill, Voc rehab, or out of pocket/FAFSA.

Potentially- they may review the record on hand and rate based on that, too. As for backpay they would go from the date of claim, or from where/when in the record your symptomatology went from "SMC whatever you are" to SMC R.

Awesome.

Why don't you just ask the treasurer and assessor? They would know, they have to carry it out.

Why is Clark AFB specific? Unless you are claiming exposure to something or a presumed contention like RVN service or looking for 'buddy's that were there with you around the time of whatever happened the location shouldn't matter.

Okay? What about? You haven't asked a question.

If his discharge is upgraded it overcomes the regulatory bar because there won't be one.

Useless to you, maybe, but not to the tens of thousands of others that now fall into this class. We don't know your mind or what you want to file or not file for. Anyway, we didn't have a choice. Congress passed it, then mandated that we notify everyone in the identified class. We also have to develop any claim in that time period so that we mark any contention that wouldn't be related in any way to exposure as exempt, and then document how, with documented research of your area of operation and how the contention is not related to toxic exposure from that area. So hangnails and claimed physical contentions, and MH issues that you claim directly due to injury or other things still have to be ruled out for that contention for toxic exposure. So it adds an average of almost an hour, sometimes more, per claim even if it's obvious you weren't exposed to anything or that exposure wouldn't cause it. For contentions that are covered by toxic exposure we have to type up a potential exposure report that averages 2-3 pgs to the examiner for each exam. We'll do it, but Congress didn't think or care about the extra time it would take to type up these reports for contentions that aren't covered by PACT just to say they aren't, but also still wants there to not be a back log. Not everything is the VAs fault.

We are required to notify all PACT Act-era veterans under PACT guidelines. If you are already 100% P&T and SMC S and arent actively pursuing a claim or an appeal we still have to send it. Likely yours was a letter generated automatically because unless you were actively seeking a benefit there would be no reason for a human to send you the letter, but the computer system identifies based on several criteria and for those veterans not actively seeking a benefit, sends the notice.