diabetes Nexus In Smrs

[Berta]

This is one of my local vets.

I got him awarded about two years ago-

mega retro-----long time case------

His rep brought him to my home. I had limited info but had managed to access this BVA case and fortunately it was his because he forgot to bring all of his stuff-

http://www.va.gov/vetapp00/files3/0029422.txt

This was for SC of diabetes but not AO diabetes.

The Nexus is in the BVA decision-

one single word that no one bothered to even look up to see what it meant.

I couldn't wait until they left to delve into this word and what it meant-a few hours later ---

it meant service connection!

I will buy the VBM for the very first person here who posts that they have found the nexus word.

My point is that even with his SMRs the veteran himself nor his rep nor his attorneys at CAVC even read the SMRs carefully or used a medical dictionary to understand them.

Edited May 17, 2007 by Berta

[hayley3]

Hey Josephine,

It sounds like we are having the same problem. The medical people have changed the name of my disease 3 times and the VA still doesn't have it listed. And sounds like your VA doctors are like mine as well. Best of luck to ya!

Susie

[Josephine]

Susie,

What are the names the VA has given your illness ? Maybe, I can help you make heads and tails out of what they are doing.

Josephine

[hayley3]

Let's see.

First it was called Reiter's syndrome (it was supposed to be a man's disease) and then it was changed to reactive arthritis, and also uroarthritis, seronegative arthritis and lastly spondyloarthritis. Now the VA still calls it Reiters and in my case they called it reactivated arthritis. I think the VA lumps it under Rheumatoid arthritis for rating purposes. I am really not sure. Anyway some medical people still identify it as a man's disease and believe it lasts only 3 to 4 months.

Thanks,

Susie

quote name='Josephine' date='May 19 2007, 08:25 AM' post='52097']

Susie,

What are the names the VA has given your illness ? Maybe, I can help you make heads and tails out of what they are doing.

Josephine

[Josephine]

How can it last 3 to 4 months?

Josephine

[hayley3]

They used to think the arthritis died out after several months, but depending on which report you read, 50% to 70% develop a chronic systemic condition (autoimmune).

Hope that makes sense.

How can it last 3 to 4 months?

Josephine

[Hoppy]

Susie,

The VA raters will have great difficulty with your claim. When my claim was first denied I suggested that VA raters not be allowed to process claims for systemic diseases unless they were MD's or immediately forwarded the claim to a specialist for review of the entire medical history priot to a decision.. It takes an MD to sort out the progression of symptoms and changing names of these diseases. Raters are just wasting everybodys time trying to figure it out.

I filed a claim for angioedema. The first decision was denied saying I was not treated in the service for this condition. Consider the following. Angioedema was considered a psychiatric condition for 150 years. It was called Angioneurotic Edema. It is the only disease I have heard of that had the word neurotic stuck right in the middle. It was listed in all of the DSM's up to the DSM IV.

With the development of modern medicine they figured out that it was not a psychiatric condition and dropped it from the DSM. They have since identified about five different forms of the disease. There is a hereditary form, allergic forms, non allergic forms, etc. Doctors call the disease Angioedema, allergic edema, urticaria, anaphylaxis. The symptoms can result in swelling of any portion of about 90% of the body. Skin, intestines, brain, mouth, nose, joints, etc. The form I have is considered an occupational illness under labor law.

Obviously I was treated in the military and the RO refused to schedule a C&P for five years. Eventually, I got one and only one report from the first specialist (head of immunology at the local VA) that read my file that was a slam dunk winner. It was just a question of symptoms and diagnostic terms that raters would never comprehend. Would you believe the rating schedule still calls it "Angioneurotic Edema"