Proving In Service Connection

[hayley3]

They say in the denial that I failed to relate the arthritis condition to the service connected condition.

How can I show them that it is connected? What concrete evidence are they looking for? It almost seems like they didn't read anything I said.

This is what I typed up:

Timeline of disease history:

Cervicitis (treated in service) Symptom of reactive arthritis

Hemorrhagic Cystitis (treated in service) Symptom of reactive arthritis

Salpingitis infection (PID) resulting from the cervicitis/cystitis: Symptom of reactive arthritis (treated in service and service connected)

Acute knee pain (treated in service) Symptom of reactive arthritis

Back pain (sacroiliac arthritis) Result of reactive arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease.

I don't have the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) nor did I have an intestinal infection prior to the arthritis which is what causes IBD.

But like I said, my Dr was a jerk. The resident said it was reactive arthritis but the Attending? said it could be either Reactive or (IBD). I had a colonoscopy which should have ruled out the inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) because they found nothing but a polyp.

Anyway, I just thought I'd pass this by someone who may have some ideas. I think they didn't do their job.

[hayley3]

Thank you Berta! I used to say those same things, because they are true. But,

I lost the ability to fight like I used to. I always said that, you will win if you are right and persevere, but it is so hard. Keeping up with day to day is hard enough.

I have had to fight so many doctors to try and understand how sick I was, and no one would listen because the lab tests never showed anything and the whole time my back was disintegrating. And VA doctors are the worst. This last rheumatologist I saw, mentioned that he didn't like people getting diseases service connected and said something about veterans being there just for the money. And so I think he didn't give me a diagnosis for that reason.

Thanks for the uplifting talk. It really helps!

Susie

"It almost seems like they didn't read anything I said."

Veteran I just went through 5 years of VA BS- all of the claims filed and all the stuff that went with them and all of the SOCs and denial letters (a copy of my C file)

I found right in the c file something the VA said they didnt have- yeah right-

I just said the very same thing to myself!

The VA in initial letters for each claim NEVER gave me the right decision and never read the evidence until I got tough.This involved DIC as well as Chapter 35 and other

stuff.

I won all of those claims ----still I have years and years of VA BS here- and some of the denials were extraordinary.and very creative.

and all were blatantly wrong.

I even filed for an Administrative Review in VA Central in DC at one point.

The VA lawyer called me up within days- he said they never get these requests -he only saw one before mine and it was from a VA employee-and he wondered why I filed it-

and I said because VACO has lawyers and lawyers know how to read.

I could not find anyone at the Buffalo RO who seemed to have that ability.

Well long story-I won that one too-

but I noticed that-in many submissions of my evidence on these older claims- someone at VA had highlighted part of the statement but failed to address the medical evidence it reffered to at all.

I knew the c file had what VA said recently wasnt there but I took the time to check it anyhow- and I hope this encourages someone-

denial after denial, fight after fight, considerable overwhelming evidence----

and years later the war of the words was over.

The evidence that they listed in the initial denials never changed-it was all in the veteran's medical records-

but it took them years to read it.

That is why Persistence as well as evidence is the name of the VA game.

[hayley3]

How do you go about getting a different doctor? Unfortunately my primary care doctor is a friend of the rheumy's. How can you get a copy of your medical records from you military time?

hayley3,

A doctor who specializes in your particular medical problem needs to examine you AND your inservice medical records so the doctor can establish, on paper, the most probable CAUSE of your medical condition and WHEN it was first treated and HOW the inservice medical condition is directly related to your present medical condition.

The inservice medical condition has to be connected to your present medical condition through the opinion of a true expert within that particular medical specialty.

The opinion should be as short as possible so the person reading it at the VA doesn't get bored.

It needs to spell out in plain language why the medical condition is directly connected to your service.

The doctor has to list his qualifications.

If you can supply supportive statements to back up your service connection contentions, from friends and/or relatives, be sure to have their signatures notorized and dated.

Then be prepared for a stupid denial that does not reflect the actual facts as they existed at the time that you submitted them to the VA.

sledge

[carlie]

If you check out the recently posted topic --titled -- Questions, you will find quite a few answers to your current and upcoming questions.

Hope this helps a vet.

carlie

[LarryJ]

"How can you get a copy of your medical records from you military time?"

Write a letter to your local VA Regional Office, requesting copies of ALL your Service Medical Records, to include all doctor's and nurse's notes.

Then wait a little while and this big package will show up. Or, you could tell them to hang on to it and you'll be by to pick it up, for them to call you when they have it.

And, as far as your VA quacker making statements, or even acting like, you're there to bilk/milk the VA, then him doing so is strictly against VA Policy and Procedure and you should see your Patient Advocate and have a little visit with them concerning this quack's attitude, and request at that visit that they provide an unbiased primary care physician and an unbiased specialist. Put the above in writing. Turn it over to the Patient Advocate. Request an acknowledgement that you did, in fact, give the Patient Advocate such a document.

[Pete53]

I got my Service Military Records from St Louis. After filing my claim the second thing I did was ask for them.

When you are having problems with the VARO the only way to cure in my opinion is to get an MD Medical Opinion that establishes a diagnosis and links it to service.

Good Luck

[john999]

A good medical opinion can turn your claim around 180 degrees. It is worth every penny you pay for one if it does what it is supposed to do which is get you SC or an increase. My IMO's got me TDIU and then got me P&T and it cost me 500$.