diabetes Medical Records

[Berta]

If you cannot afford an IMO , at least try to get someone with some medical background to review them for you.

Many of us have nurses, EMTS, and medical students in our families or know someone with some background in medicine.

And the internet itself has made this easier to do than ever- to help us understand medical notations in symbols and how to read Blood chem reports etc.

The award I just got from BVA goes back to 1994 with a potential back to 1988.

It is for direct service connected death of my husband due to AO (from DMII diabetes Type II with complications of DMII causing death)

Neither the symbols or words 'DMII' nor 'diabetes mellitus' ever appears in Rod's entire VA medical records.

Only one abbreviation (DVD) and one entry that was very difficult to read "cf diag"

followed by 'fingerstick to R/O' contained the initial basis for my claim.

My prior Section 1151 DIC award was based on these four entries:

"RO CAD" ,"WU next week for CAD" , "diaphoretic" , "It is in the 1988 records"

Also these few entries were the basis of my award under FTCA.

Of course there was more evidence then this that I found-the EKGs etc- but my point here is-

these were the sole medical entry written documentations from VA that I had found -which triggered all of my claims -all awarded-

Medical records need to be thoroughly read over and understood for many of our claims.

Often only a real doctor can do that for us.

Bu the internet has made it easier for all of us to understand what these records reveal.

It is worth it to take the time to get familiar with your medical records even if your claim seems obvious and easy to award and rate.

Older handwritten VA medical entries often have to be blown up on a scanner or even read through a mirrior to decifer them.Entries that are crossed out should be carefully considered if you can still read what they crossed out.

Medical symbology is for the most part the same today as it was in your SMRS. All symbology can be decifered through many medical web sites.

You can learn how to interpret an EKG and even CT scans and MRIs by accessing numerous medical sites on the web.

All entries by any medical person in our VA medical records are clues to succeeding in many of our claims.

Many claims certainly do not need this detailed investigation of what the records reveal -yet many denials are based on a VA rater or C & P doctor)certainly not taking the time necessary to study the whole record -and this is something it pays to do ourselves.

VA will not connect the dots on anything unless it is obvious and takes them little time to do.

And their is nothing better then sending them copies of your own records highlighted and then expalined as to how the specific entries or test results support you claims.

or having a real doctor do that in a well prepared IMO.

[Jayg]

Good sound advice. I just wish there could be some sort of fund set up to help those who desperately need but simply cannot afford those IMO. I only managed one through the charity of an acquaintance.

"And their is nothing better then sending them copies of your own records highlighted and then explained as to how the specific entries or test results support you claims."

Not necessarily true, unless you refer strictly to personal satisfaction. My records were lost in 1980, and after many applications for records miraculously turned up in my mailbox in 2005. VA only had my last 5 months service of records, which of course, contained nothing of consequence :o

I supplied copies from this stash of records with my new claim based upon them. But there is a remark in a communication from VA, (I couldn't find it in a quick scan of my record file.) that reflects that they have not managed to acquire such records themselves and that apparently I have the only copies in existence and, as such, may be questionable. In reply I submitted the NARA letter that came with the records and there has been no complaint since.

Whether any debate as to creditability remain, I have no idea.