Combat Veteran Claim Question

[atc_tj]

I was wondering how to claim something that I cannot find in my military med-records. In Iraq I started suffering from overactive bladder. I complained to the clinic and they told me it was because of the increased amount of water I was drinking. I do not have any records from the clinic. When I got back from Iraq I went on my 2 weeks of leave and then seperated from the military 2 weeks after that. I was unable to secure an appointment before I sperated. I now see a private doctor and recieve medication for this problem. Is there any way to try and claim this or is it a lost cause? Thanks in advance.

[timetowinarace]

This brings to mind how the DOD is storing in theater med recs for this conflict.

For GW1 Vets, it's a nightmare to find them. They are not included in SMR's. Just stored under facility or unit name and date. Then the individuals records must be searched for by facility-date of treatment-soldier treated-and treatment.

If it is still being done that way, you might have success requesting the records from the records center as listed above.

I bet it is still done like this. It gives the veterans a huge bridge to cross in the claims proccess when they can say there is no record of an injury/illness in the SMR's. That is how they denied my claim for brain trauma twice. They know full well these in theater records are not in the SMR's and they don't request them. They also know that the veteran has no idea he has more med records than are in the SMR's in the majority of these claims. That means no appeals.

I'll have to try and remember to research this Med records thing for the current wars as I'm sure it will come up again here at Hadit.

Time

[john999]

Time

That is a scandal. We are just supposed to trust the higher ups to do the right thing and they hardly ever do anything to help the average soldier. How is a 19 year old supposed to know all this stuff to protect themselves. 20 years later when they start breaking down from some injury or illness they got in the service the VA will say "the records are silent on this issue" ...denied.