Due To Lack Of Chronicity Of Treatment?

[c&p man]

well i was reading my award letter and ...it stated something like this... service records show treatment in 1996 for ankle strain. va exam finds current strain of rt ankle with pain with plantar flexion the examiner opinion is that, due to lack of chronicty of treatment,the current strain is less liekly than not not related to treatment in service.??? ok what this mean,,, the record show treatment in service they said i have current ankle stain.. does this mean that i need to show longe amounts of treatment like i should start complaining more at the va appts? does this sound like with some treatment i will get awarded? bc i am sc left ankle heel tendnitis so i dont want to try to secondary a condtion that has a chance by itself. or should i secondary and firstadary it...

[Berta]

They need treatments records after service that show the strain was chronic and disabling at a ratable level.

And they also need a medical statement that opines this was as likely as not due to the service connected problem.

It certainly makes sense that since you had an inservice treatment record and have the SC for the plantar flexion-that this strain could certainly be due to the service connected condition.

But they are questioning the chronicity here as well as direct link to your service connected disability.

[broncovet]

I agree with Berta.

Unfortunately, if you suck the pain up, and dont go to the doctor, you dont get any benefits. I really dont agree with the VA..people have a widely different pain tolerance level and some people almost never go to the doc, no matter what. So, if you have a leg blown off, and dont go to the doc for pain every few months, I guess that means (to them!) that it is not bothering you, and you dont get benefits. Pretty ridiculious. Its just one more VA "gotcha".

The really bad part of it is that the VA gets to decide your treatment plan..you dont. Example: You are depressed and seek a very credible treatment for depression out of Germany, that is, treatment with St. Johns Wort. The VA Docs insist you must take pills, such as Prozac, Zoloft, etc., or you are not depressed enough to suit them. So, Veterans must either forego their benefits, or comply with the VA. Why is it that Social Security recipients can treat their conditions in a manner they see fit, yet Veterans must comply with the VA way or loose bennies.

The really sad part is that many of these drugs prescribed are terrible for your health long term (or even short term), have huge adverse reactions with each other, sometimes causing death/suicide, but are still mandatory by the VA. Its a political agenda which trumps our health.

Edited June 11, 2009 by broncovet (see edit history)

[Hoppy]

Did you have a C&P exam? Or was this a treatment note from a recent treatment at a VA hospital? Who said it was less likely than not? Was it a doctor or a rater.

If it was a rater you need to appeal on the basis that the rater made a medical determination? Hopefully they would give you a C&P. Get your SMR's and find the diagnosis. Wss the original problem a severe strain or sprain? The question of whether or not the condition in service is related to the current condition can only be made by a doctor. Get an IMO if you think they are pulling the reason for the denial out of a place where the sun don't shine.

Edited June 11, 2009 by Hoppy (see edit history)

[c&p man]

Did you have a C&P exam? Or was this a treatment note from a recent treatment at a VA hospital? Who said it was less likely than not? Was it a doctor or a rater.

If it was a rater you need to appeal on the basis that the rater made a medical determination? Hopefully they would give you a C&P. Get your SMR's and find the diagnosis. Wss the original problem a severe strain or sprain? The question of whether or not the condition in service is related to the current condition can only be made by a doctor. Get an IMO if you think they are pulling the reason for the denial out of a place where the sun don't shine.

this was from a recent c and p exam and its just says

service treatment records from june 7 1993 to june 1996 show treatment in 1996 for righr ankle pain. a examination dated march 31,2009 finds a current strain of the ight ankle with flexion from 0 to 30 degrees. exaimner nores pain wiht plantar flexion.the examiners opion is that, due to lack of chronicity of treatment, the current strain is less liekly than not elated to treatment in service. said it was denied bc it condtion nethier occured nor was caused by service.

it just says grade one sprian in my smr.... but as of now i do have a heel spur in that foot i got exrays last week at a private poditrist.