diabetes Examples Of Medical Documentation

[Armand]

I am going to apply for Individual Unemployabilty due to my Type II diabetes. I am currently rated at 60%. I was wondering if anyone could give me suggestions on how strong of a letter my physician needs to provide to the VA to help my claim . Any help would be appreciated.

Armand

[john999]

If you are going for IU your doctor needs to say that you cannot work due to your DMII. That is the basics of an IU claim. He should explain why your DMII makes it impossible for you to work.

[fanaticbooks]

I am going to apply for Individual Unemployabilty due to my Type II diabetes. I am currently rated at 60%. I was wondering if anyone could give me suggestions on how strong of a letter my physician needs to provide to the VA to help my claim . Any help would be appreciated.

Armand

Armand,

Something else you might want to do (kind of convoluted, but might help)...

- Go to the O*NET ONLINE website ( http://online.onetcenter.org/ )and find the job(s) you have been doing.

- Once you find them, investigate all the tabs. These tabs go into minute detail on what is involved in doing the job.

- Examine these details and note any/all that are ones you can no longer perform

- Take these details and write a letter to the VA explaining the detail and then WHY you CANNOT do them.

- Include any physical or mental difficulties as well as how you interact with others.

- Include documentation (medical and others you might have) that help support this, such as eye info or aches and pains, stress, whatever.

This is how we got my hubby's SSD for him, by analyzing his ability to work. I also used the stuff I noted in my website on organizing and assembling to create the attachment.

Now whether this will help you get IU, I don't know since we had enough wrong with my hubby we didn't need to go into this detail, BUT maybe in your case it might help.

Anyway, just a suggestion in case you end up needing more than the doctor's proof.

fanaticbooks

[tssnave]

Armand,

John is correct. Thanks, books, for the post on how you won your SS claim. That is useful information I hadn't read before.

There is a lot of good info on hadit about getting an IMO (Independent Medical Opinions) but here are a couple of things to remember:

The doc needs to give a medical opinion with a rationale (even if the rationale is covered previously in the report). He also needs to use one of the following statements:

1. "is due to" (100% sure)

2. "more likely than not" (greater than 50%)

3. "at least as likely as not" (equal to or greater than 50%)

4. "not at least as likely as not" (less than 50%)

5. "is not due to" (0%)

So he would write something along the lines of, "It is my medical opinion that veteran is unable to work which is due to his service connected diabetes. Veteran's diabetes causes symtoms x, y, and z which render him unable to perform on any job."

Now, I am assuming that it is only due to your sc diabetes that you can't work. If you also have a bad back from a non military injury then the doc has to attribute what part of your not being able to work is due to your sc disability and what is due to you non sc disability.

This is from the VA Diabetes worksheet and could provide a good outline for your doctor to use in writing his IMO rational:

E. Diagnosis:

1. State whether the veteran has diabetes mellitus. Indicate type.

2. Specifically list each identified complication of the veteran's diabetes. Indicate these conditions as "complications of the veteran's diabetes". If the veteran has peripheral edema, indicate whether it is a consequence of diabetic kidney disease or other non-diabetic related etiology.

3. For each identified complication of the veteran's diabetes, provide a brief rationale for your conclusion. You may base your rationale on such things as the duration of the veteran's diabetes, whether the veteran's diabetes has been poorly controlled, the onset of the condition that you deem to be a complication of the veteran's diabetes in relation to the onset of the veteran's diabetes, the severity of the complication, or anything else you consider relevant.

4. Where the veteran has visual impairment, cardiovascular disease (including hypertension), kidney disease, neurologic disease, amputations, or any other disabilities which, in your opinion, are not complications of the veteran's diabetes, please state so and provide a supporting rationale as to the basis for your conclusion.

5. Where the veteran has a condition that is worsened or increased by the veteran's diabetes but is not a diabetic complication, discuss the relationship between the condition and the veteran's diabetes. In particular, discuss what the degree of disability is of the condition over and above the degree of disability that existed prior to aggravation/worsening by the diabetes. Provide your rationale. Indicate if this is not possible to do without resorting to speculation.

http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Benefits/exams/disexm13.htm

Hope this helps.

TS Snave

Edited July 30, 2009 by tssnave

[Pete53]

Good Luck

The most important is Doctor saying that you can't work and why.

[Armand]

Thanks a million.

Armand,

John is correct. Thanks, books, for the post on how you won your SS claim. That is useful information I hadn't read before.

There is a lot of good info on hadit about getting an IMO (Independent Medical Opinions) but here are a couple of things to remember:

The doc needs to give a medical opinion with a rationale (even if the rationale is covered previously in the report). He also needs to use one of the following statements:

1. "is due to" (100% sure)

2. "more likely than not" (greater than 50%)

3. "at least as likely as not" (equal to or greater than 50%)

4. "not at least as likely as not" (less than 50%)

5. "is not due to" (0%)

So he would write something along the lines of, "It is my medical opinion that veteran is unable to work which is due to his service connected diabetes. Veteran's diabetes causes symtoms x, y, and z which render him unable to perform on any job."

Now, I am assuming that it is only due to your sc diabetes that you can't work. If you also have a bad back from a non military injury then the doc has to attribute what part of your not being able to work is due to your sc disability and what is due to you non sc disability.

This is from the VA Diabetes worksheet and could provide a good outline for your doctor to use in writing his IMO rational:

E. Diagnosis:

1. State whether the veteran has diabetes mellitus. Indicate type.

2. Specifically list each identified complication of the veteran's diabetes. Indicate these conditions as "complications of the veteran's diabetes". If the veteran has peripheral edema, indicate whether it is a consequence of diabetic kidney disease or other non-diabetic related etiology.

3. For each identified complication of the veteran's diabetes, provide a brief rationale for your conclusion. You may base your rationale on such things as the duration of the veteran's diabetes, whether the veteran's diabetes has been poorly controlled, the onset of the condition that you deem to be a complication of the veteran's diabetes in relation to the onset of the veteran's diabetes, the severity of the complication, or anything else you consider relevant.

4. Where the veteran has visual impairment, cardiovascular disease (including hypertension), kidney disease, neurologic disease, amputations, or any other disabilities which, in your opinion, are not complications of the veteran's diabetes, please state so and provide a supporting rationale as to the basis for your conclusion.

5. Where the veteran has a condition that is worsened or increased by the veteran's diabetes but is not a diabetic complication, discuss the relationship between the condition and the veteran's diabetes. In particular, discuss what the degree of disability is of the condition over and above the degree of disability that existed prior to aggravation/worsening by the diabetes. Provide your rationale. Indicate if this is not possible to do without resorting to speculation.

http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Benefits/exams/disexm13.htm

Hope this helps.

TS Snave

[Armand]

Thanks so much. I really appreciate it.

Armand,

Something else you might want to do (kind of convoluted, but might help)...

- Go to the O*NET ONLINE website ( http://online.onetcenter.org/ )and find the job(s) you have been doing.

- Once you find them, investigate all the tabs. These tabs go into minute detail on what is involved in doing the job.

- Examine these details and note any/all that are ones you can no longer perform

- Take these details and write a letter to the VA explaining the detail and then WHY you CANNOT do them.

- Include any physical or mental difficulties as well as how you interact with others.

- Include documentation (medical and others you might have) that help support this, such as eye info or aches and pains, stress, whatever.

This is how we got my hubby's SSD for him, by analyzing his ability to work. I also used the stuff I noted in my website on organizing and assembling to create the attachment.

Now whether this will help you get IU, I don't know since we had enough wrong with my hubby we didn't need to go into this detail, BUT maybe in your case it might help.

Anyway, just a suggestion in case you end up needing more than the doctor's proof.

fanaticbooks