Finding In Country Medical Records

[akwidow]

In the process of making my claim, I have asked for in country Viet Nam service medical records for my late husband. I started with St Louis. Many times in fact, from every stage of my case which has been 1st denied, denied at BVA, appealed to COA, then remanded for readjudication and it is now at AMC. I have asked at every stage and VA has not produced. They have sent everything around the in-country records but not those for the time he spent in country in 1968, where he was overcome with CS and treated, then for treatment of the shrapnel wounds he received there.

Today I formally charged them with spoilation.

Have any of you out there been able to get these records from any other entity?

I could sure use some ideas...

Thanks, and hope this topic helps more than me -

Akwidow

[deltaj]

In the process of making my claim, I have asked for in country Viet Nam service medical records for my late husband. I started with St Louis. Many times in fact, from every stage of my case which has been 1st denied, denied at BVA, appealed to COA, then remanded for readjudication and it is now at AMC. I have asked at every stage and VA has not produced. They have sent everything around the in-country records but not those for the time he spent in country in 1968, where he was overcome with CS and treated, then for treatment of the shrapnel wounds he received there.

Today I formally charged them with spoilation.

Have any of you out there been able to get these records from any other entity?

I could sure use some ideas...

Thanks, and hope this topic helps more than me -

Akwidow

Please review his military discharge DD214 for the notation RVN which stands for Republic of Vietnam. Also have you directly requested copies of his service records from the National Personnel Records Center at St. Louis? There is a form for doing this available from V.A. Also inpatient hospital records for inpatient hospitalization while in the military must be requested separately from the National Personnel Records Center.

[akwidow]

Yes, I have done all of those things. I do not however have a copy of the dd215 (or his C-file), just the addendum dd215 that adds his purple heart. He has a purple heart and a CIB badge, I have notes of when he received the purple heart. Can't get the others, and am on the prowl for them. I found a guy last week who thinks his buddy knew my late hubby in RVN. I had to dig through and find an old 70's photo to scan in and send for possible id because they only remember the nicknames. I am still waiting for the results of that thread.

Some well meaning VSO told me I cannot see the C-file, and I believed him. From reading on Hadit, I am interpreting that that is wrong information and I have a right as his survivor to see it. Since the file is at AMC, I hesitate to do anything about that viewing until I get a decision....been waiting since April of last year. as I wrong?

Yes, I even went to the extent of looking for a map of the field hospitals in RVN, then finding the geographically closest ones to Chu Lai in 1968, and noting them on the application for records to St. Louis. St. Louis wrote back and told me his file was at VA and to ask there. I have been doing that ever since - asking VA for those in-servie Med records. Maybe I should be asking for other records in the C-file that support my stressors? Battion clerk records? I have all his induction, Basic Training, relocation to Ft Lewis for going to VN, his extraction papers from VN, his relocation papers to Ft Hamilton, NY. There are no records for his time in VN...what would an example be other than being wounded?

2nd Plt, Co. D, 1st Bts, 6th Inf. USARPAC-V "Coconut" Chu Lai on the hills "Nanny Goats" june july aug sept 1968 Sound familiar to anybody?

Please review his military discharge DD214 for the notation RVN which stands for Republic of Vietnam. Also have you directly requested copies of his service records from the National Personnel Records Center at St. Louis? There is a form for doing this available from V.A. Also inpatient hospital records for inpatient hospitalization while in the military must be requested separately from the National Personnel Records Center.

[Berta]

He already had the PTSD award-you dont need to seek additional stressors.

You need a medical opinion that states his PTSD caused him to ignore symptoms and fail to get medical care -for the colon cancer and that this is how his PTSD contributed to his death.

It looks to me that his asthma was not claimed as contributing to death.

The past asthma claim denial is over.

You would need some medical nexus between the tear gas and his asthma, or something that reveals in service asthma, and then a medical opinion that connects his asthma as somehow contributing to his death since asthma was not on the death certificate.

You would need to re-open the past asthma claim denial with new and material evidence.

Your rep is wrong.Of course you can obtain a copy of- or see in person-his C file.

You might have to supply VA with proof of your relationship as survivor-even though they already have that info they might asked for it again-

and you can request a free copy of the C File.