georgiapapa

You are indeed a good friend for helping your friend's wife. Berta is the hadit DIC expert so I hope she sees your post as I know she will give you her best advice. Good luck

IMO - Independent Medical Opinion.

Congratulations. You are to be commended on your patience.

Welcome to Hadit.

Welcome to hadit.

My mother has had Champva insurance for years and it is outstanding insurance. She gets her prescriptions filled free of charge with Meds by Mail, never pays any premiums and has a $50.00 annual deductible. Champva along with medicare gives her 100% coverage. Now my wife has Champva to go along with her regular insurance. I agree with Berta. Give veterans Champva insurance and the VA healthcare problems will be almost nonexistent.

According to the VA website, surviving spouses are entitled to Champva if the veteran died from a service connected disability.

Barbamatt, I hope you get your appointment problems worked out. Good luck to you.

Welcome aboard. Your rating will depend on your C & P exam, your VA medical records and any other relevant evidence provided to your VARO. After you get a copy of your C & P exam report look at the subsection under 38 CFR part 4 related to PTSD to get an idea on how PTSD is rated.

I have also had this problem in the past. To be on the safe side, periodically go to ebenefits and click on medical examination schedule. It will show your VA medical appointments scheduled for the next three months. By doing this I have learned of VA medical appointments scheduled for me when no other notification was given. I know it is hard to believe any info on ebenefits is reliable or up to date but so far the info regarding my medical appointments has been reliable and up to date. Good luck to you.

Congratulations on your new rating.

Congratulations

Kate, Many of the VSOs are located in the same building as the VARO and they would have better access, including computer access, than an individual. However most VSOs have a large number of active claims going at the same time and most VSOs can not devote the time and individual attention that a claim needs and deserves. It is just a matter of personal choice. I believe the individual veteran who knows what they are doing has a better chance than a VSO of having a disability claim approved. Just my opinion.

Jazyj, Different people have different opinions regarding the use of VSOs. Personally, I would rather handle my own claims. Whether you use a VSO or don't use one, you will still have to do most of the work if you want to be successful. You are your own best advocate and should not depend on or trust someone else to do the work for you. Learn as much as you can about the VA disability claims process before you file your claims. Everything you need to know about how to file a claim can be found on this website. Gather all of your medical records and other relevant evidence yourself. Don't depend on the VA or a VSO to do it for you. Any question you have regarding claims ad other veteran's issues can be answered on the forums on this website. Do your research regarding your particular medical condition so you will have a better understanding as to what the VA is looking for to confirm your diagnosis and connect your particular medical condition to your military service. Good luck to you.

Congratulations Navy. I hope you continue to get good news as I know you have gone through so much at such a young age. I enjoy reading your posts and hope to see them for many years to come. God bless and continued good luck.

I totally agree with PR. An IMO definitely carries more weight if the same doctor performed the IME. I also believe an IMO and a IME from a doctor who has been treating you over a long period of time is even stronger. Obviously you are better off having a doctor who specializes in treating your particular disease or condition provide your IMO rather than a general practitioner. JMO.

The VA pays 41.5 cents per mile with a $6.00 per round trip deductible (maximum $18.00 per month). To receive travel pay, you must have a rating of 30% or higher. Exception: VA will pay travel pay for any veteran traveling to a C & P exam regardless of rating. Hope this helps.

I have heard the term "predetermination notice" used in connection with a proposal to reduce a rating and as part of the process to deny a rating. I am sure there are other hadit members who can give you advice or info regarding "determination notices" It would help if you would post the content of your predetermination notice and provide more details regarding your claim situation. In order to protect your rating, make sure you read the notice carefully, comply with the instructions and meet any deadlines.

Peggy can be wrong but only time will tell. I would still be surprised if your AB8 letter is wrong. It would be the first time I have heard of an AB8 letter being wrong. I know you are anxious but this is normal.

The issues you pointed out are not petty and I agree with your concerns. Since the doctor invited you to proof read the IMO and let him know if you saw any errors, I would point out the items you listed in your post as errors of omission or suggestions to clarify issues in his original IMO. You could even rewrite your version of a rough draft of the IMO on blank paper using as much of the exact language and content used by the doctor and making changes or insertions in the IMO without changing the doctor's final intent or opinion. This would keep the doctor from having to spend even more time rewriting the IMO since you already had a rough draft available for him. Hopefully the doctor would be receptive to some or all your suggested changes and instruct his secretary or medical assistant to take your rough draft and rewrite it on his letterhead. Even if the doctor refuses to make any changes to his original IMO, at least you will not have any regrets that you didn't at least make an effort to have the doctor make the changes.

I have never been in your shoes but I don't see how you can do anything other than continue to listen to the medical experts when it comes to your son's care. With your son's medical history, the suggestion of a power of attorney for your son also sounds reasonable. I hope you and other family members are receiving counseling to assist in dealing with your son's complex medical issues. I know it has to be hard on all of you. Hopefully other hadit member's who have experienced similar situations will be able to offer you better advice. I wish you and your family well and hope your son receives the treatment he needs and the benefits he has earned.

Good luck to you.

A lot of veterans with hearing loss also have tinnitus (ringing in the ears). If you have tinnitus, make sure you advise the examiner. I have had tinnitus for years and it can definitely cause depression and anxiety. Service connected tinnitus is automatic 10% rating. Good luck to you.

When I first arrived for my C & P the NP gave me a form to go have lab work (blood tests, urine tests) and a bone marrow biopsy. I told the NP that I had brought my medical records with me with the results of recent lab tests and a recent bone marrow biopsy. She asked to see the records, made copies of some of the records and told me the records would suffice and it would not be necessary for me to undergo additional tests at my C & P. She also used information from my records to answer some of the questions required by the VA. I would also point out that having medical records available for the examiner's review lends credibility to the answers provided by the veteran to the examiner. The examiner is less likely to insert their personal opinions (veteran appears to be malingering, faking, lying, etc.) in their responses to the questions required by the VA when there is strong medical documentation in front of them supporting the claimant's contentions. How many times have veterans requested copies of their C & P exam reports and discovered the examiner had harmed their claim with unfair or unsupported comments? I stand by my recommendation that veterans should bring records and anything else they have supporting their claim to their C & P exam. Even if the examiner does not review the material, the examiner may give more credence to the veteran because the veteran brought their records to back them up if the examiner wishes to see them. JMO.

Congratulations.