georgiapapa

I donate to Fisher House Foundation at www.fisherhouse.org They help veterans and their families. Check out their ratings on charity navigator. Although they are not officially a charity or tax deductible., I donate to the Hadit website because it helps veterans and their families. JMO GP

Andy, Good to hear. I hope you get some good news in the near future. GP

www.IME.net

danangmonkey, I agree with Chuck. Definitely check out your examiner. Once you find out the name of your examiner, go to the VAMC website and look on the left side of the home page for a tab titled "Health Care Providers." This is a list of all health care providers (doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, etc.) at the VAMC and their specialties. There is a good chance your examiner will be a NP or PA. Even if the examiner is an MD, it is highly unlikely the examiner's expertise and qualifications will equal that of Dr. Ellis. Good luck with your exams. GP

Your commissary letter is usually in ebenefits under the downloadable VA letters. Sometimes referred to as the AB3 letter.

Kim rider, Even though you are employed with Bureau of Prisons, you can still sign up for VA healthcare system and get a VA ID card. Just go to your nearest VA medical center and sign up. I am retired from federal government and signed up for VA healthcare system before retirement. If you sign up, you have to notify the VAMC of any other health insurance coverage you have so the VA can bill them for their part of bills for VA healthcare if appropriate. They will scan your insurance card into their system. Personally, I would suggest that veterans not use the VA for their healthcare unless it is the only healthcare available to them. In order to stay in the VA system, I go to my VAMC once a year for a physical exam and I provide them with copies of medical reports from my private doctors that I want scanned in to my VA medical records. Others use the VA just for prescriptions and dental care (100%vets only). JMO Good luck to you. GP p.s.- I conducted a lot of business at several U.S Penitentiaries when I worked with U.S. Marshals Service from 1978 to 2004.

ArNG, I agree with your above comments except for the cell size. It should be smaller. GP

TALON II FE, Since your VA claim was filed only three weeks after your retirement, I do not think you will have a nexus problem for your claimed conditions. I would attempt to get the rest of your SMRs as further evidence of your current claimed conditions and possible future claimed conditions. The longer you wait to get your other SMRs, the more likely they could be lost and unavailable in the future. I assume you have Tricare and availability to private healthcare. Your health problems sound serious and I would not trust my healthcare to the VA. You will find it much easier to get CTs and MRIs for your soft tissue issues in the private sector. Also, much easier to get timely appointments, especially with specialists. You may need CTs and/or MRIs as more evidence of your claimed soft tissue issues and you should get them as soon as you can. The sooner you get the CTs and MRIs after your retirement, the more weight they are likely to be given as evidence of any new conditions discovered during the CTs and MRIs existed during your military service. If you have not already done so, try to obtain copies of any type of event reports related to your injuries or medical conditions incurred during your military service. These would be good evidence of your claimed conditions. Also, buddy reports/statements from your military coworkers, supervisors who witnessed your injuries in the military are also helpful. These could be helpful now and in the future if new medical conditions come up as you get older. Much easier to get this info now than years down the road. JMO Good luck, good health and thank you for your years of service to our country. GP

Buck, I don't know anything about SSDI but I wish your wife well. I wish I could help you. Good luck to you and Mrs. Buck. GP

dauzzo, I saw a previous post on Hadit where someone suggested the following website to find doctors who do IMEs: www.IMENET. com I have never used the website so I am not sure if it will help you or not. I have noise induced hearing loss and tinnitus. The only secondary condition I have heard mentioned as secondary to these conditions is depression. If you believe you are suffering depression as a result of your hearing loss and/or tinnitus, you should seek treatment from a mental health specialist (psychologist or psychiatrist), obtain an IMO and then file a claim for depression as a secondary condition. JMO Good luck to you and thank you for your service. GP

Rude1122, I would send an email ASAP to Undersecretary Hickey explaining the problem and requesting her assistance. She has been able to help other vets on this website who were having problems such as yours. Don't delay, send the email today. Her email address is: allison.hickey@va.gov Please let us know when you receive a response from Undersecretary Hickey. Good luck to you. GP

seejeremy, According to your post, the VA did not state your disability was permanent. If your disability is scheduled for review in five years, your disability is considered temporary with a possibility of improvement. The reason for the future review is to reevaluate your disability to determine if your disability has improved and your rating should be reduced. Scheduling a review is normal for temporary ratings and does not mean you will definitely be reduced. The review could also result in a permanent rating if the VA believes your disability will not improve in the future. The VA could also continue to keep your temporay rating the same and continue to schedule future reviews. If you believe your service connected conditions should have been rated permanent and total, you could send a request to your RO asking to have the rating changed to P & T. A letter from your medical specialist stating they believe your service connected conditions are permanent and will not improve in the future could help your request. The specialist's letter should contain reasonable medical rationale supporting their opinion. If you are under 55, it is less likely the VA will rate you P & T unless you have some really strong evidence showing your service connected conditions have no chance of improving. JMO Good luck to you and thank you for your service. GP

KansasNavy, Congratulations on a well deserved award. Good luck and take care of yourself. GP

I agree with Pete. I also think a veteran should be able to audio record any VA appointment, especially C & P exams. In some cases, veterans should be able to video record C & P exams when the doctor is conducting performance tests like ROM tests, etc. We have all heard stories about veterans getting copies of their VA medical reports including C & P exam reports and the reports contain significant errors, omissions or false responses to questions never asked. This has personally happened to me. Why not record the exams to insure accurate reporting. Also, good evidence if needed for appeals. I am getting off topic a little but I wanted to further explain why I support recording medical appointments. I use to go to the Myeloma Institute of Research & Therapy at the University of Arkansas when I was first diagnosed with Cancer. When you went in to see the doctor, you were offered the opportunity to record your session with the doctor. They even provided recorders for the patients and copies of the reports of all tests performed. I had a Dutch doctor who was great but I had trouble understanding him at times. I recorded the sessions and played them back when I got home and had more time to listen to them. I also let my children (all medical professionals) listen to the recordings so they knew what was going on with my Cancer. JMO GP

KansasNavy, Checking your Ebenefit's account daily will drive you nuts. Check your Ebenefit's account periodically until you see your claim status go to "Preparation for Notification" and/or "Closed." When this happens, start checking your "Benefits Summary Letter" under "Downloadable VA Letters" daily. Usually, any change in actual rating status will show up on the "Benefits Summary Letter" before you receive the BBE from the VA. Also, start checking your direct deposit account for retro at this point. Good luck to you and thank you for your service. GP

USMC_VET, Unless you have a long standing relationship with the doctors you ask to complete a DBQ or IMO, they may be reluctant to help you. Hopefully, they will help you. However, there are doctors out there who are familiar with the VA system and know how to properly prepare an IMO meeting VA requirements. You just have to do a little research and find them. Others on this website may have suggestions on the doctors. Personally, I think you should get an IMO because it is much stronger than a DBQ when trying to show a nexus between your claimed medical conditions and your military service. The doctor preparing your IMO should be a specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of your claimed conditions. A copy of the doctor's curriculum vitae should be included with the IMO. The doctor must include reasonable medical rationale to support their opinion in the IMO. I think there are samples of IMOs on the Hadit website. Provide your doctor(s) with the sample IMO along with all of your relevant medical records (military, VA and civilian). JMO Good luck to you. Semper Fil GP

USAFP, I may be wrong. I think the Schedule of Ratings for your condition would have to include language in the rating criteria about the effects of medication on your disability in order for medication to be considered. Otherwise, the VA can not consider the effect of the medication when rating your disability. JMO Hopefully, others will chime in and give you a more definite response. Good luck to you and thank you for your service. GP

Tbird, Just sent you a donation through my Paypal account. I encourage all fellow Hadit members to do the same. We should all remember what it was like before we found Tbird's Hadit website. Veterans need this website. JMO Thank you Tbird. Georgiapapa

Detel, Congratulations on your quick award. Apparently, you had your ducks in a row. You are now in priority group one of the VA healthcare system. You can get free VA healthcare for any medical condition (service connected or non-service connected). No copays for VA appointments or VA prescriptions. If you have already paid any VA copays since you initiated your claims last February, you can get reimbursed for those copays through the business office at your VAMC. Good luck to you and thank you for your service. GP

Mike, Thank you for taking the time to express your thanks. Please keep us posted on your AO IHD claim Good luck. GP

Wingnut, My response is the same as I posted under your topic titled "Frustrated." Send an email to Undersecretary Hickey explaining your situation. You are dealing with enough right now with your treatment. Let Allson Hickey try to get your C & P exam rescheduled for you at the Huntington VAMC. You have a legitimate excuse for being unable to attend your previously scheduled C & P exam and Undersecretary Hickey should not hesitate to help you. Again, her email address is: allison.hickey@va.gov Good luck and take care of yourself. GP

Mark, I got my most recent (2014) VA Identification card at my VA outpatient clinic. If you are already in the VA healthcare system, I am surprised you do not already have a VA ID card. GP

OSC, Excellent information provided by Asknod and yourself. We are very fortunate to have people like Asknod on Hadit who are willing to share their knowledge and time to help other vets. Knowledge is power and the more knowledge we have of how the VA disability claims process really works, the better our chances are of beating the VA at their own game. GP

harrysday, In case you were not aware of it. You also no longer have copays for VA appointments or VA prescriptions. You can now receive treatment at the VA for any medical condition (service connected or non-service connected). You can get reimbursed for any VA copays you paid back to the effective date you received an award of 50% or higher. Just go to your local VAMC business office to request reimbursement. Good luck to you and thank you for your service. Semper Fi. GP

If all else fails try sending an email to Undersecretary Hickey at allison.hickey@va.gov GP