Is The Va Getting Ahead Of Themseves

[Hughie]

Hi all,

Did some searching of the forum first to see if there was already an aswer to my quetion but no luck. I am currently rated at 10% for cluster Headaches under 8100 and have been since getting out in 97. Over the years my Headaches have gotten worse and in April of 09 while in California I put in for a re-evaluation via local County VS. I have since moved to North Carolina and finally gotten everything moved to Winston-Salem.

After getting everything moved myself. The DAV suggested doing it myself as they were afraid if they tryed taking over prolong the proccess but have offered to handle any chalenge. I had to do a lot of the paperwork over again to get medical records requested and send in my statements again which is fine but I got a compensation exam scheduled for next week with QTC and after that was scheduled I just got a letter from the VA saying they just sent requests for medical records out.

My question is "Don't they normally get or attempt to get all medical records before scheduling a compensation exam?"

I am also affraid they don't have all my statements since these were sent in with my forms to request medical records.

[Hughie]

I also take Propranolol which I have been taking for years with no side effects. The Topiramate is the one that is causeing the side effects. Both are preventatives. My private doctors originally put me on both and the VA currentlly prescribes and fills both as well as a prescription pain med to help with the headaches that the preventatives do not stop.

[john999]

Topomax can affect your eyes. Watch it.

[Berta]

"Berta,

I don't mean to detract from this topic, but are they really supposed to do that? If they identified a potential secondary condition and even diagnosed it during a C&P exam (which was never provided to the Veteran), what recourse would the Veteran have and would they be able to get a corresponding EED based on that? "

Yeah possibly- if this was diagnosed as secondary at a C & P exam-and if the veteran appealed the lack of ratng for a documented secondary.

[Hughie]

It has been a while or at least feels like it but I have two new QTC C&P exams for what they separated now. Looks to be 3 separate conditions. Both in September two different locations.

C&P 1:

Condition CONDITION TO ACCOUNT FOR BILATERAL HANDS NUMBNESS

Condition CONDITION TO ACCOUNT FOR BILATERAL FEET NUMBNESS

C&P 2:

Condition CONDITION TO ACCOUNT FOR LIGHT HEADEDNESS

Since these are conditions that stem from medication i take for my headaches are they looked at differently or are they looked at as there own independent condition?

[carlie]

It has been a while or at least feels like it but I have two new QTC C&P exams for what they separated now. Looks to be 3 separate conditions. Both in September two different locations.

C&P 1:

Condition CONDITION TO ACCOUNT FOR BILATERAL HANDS NUMBNESS

Condition CONDITION TO ACCOUNT FOR BILATERAL FEET NUMBNESS

C&P 2:

Condition CONDITION TO ACCOUNT FOR LIGHT HEADEDNESS

Since these are conditions that stem from medication i take for my headaches are they looked at differently or are they looked at as there own independent condition?

They are all looked at medically speaking, as to how they relate and if they are secondary to your currently SC'd conditions.

[Hughie]

Okay, I understand that these new conditions are looked at to see if they are related to my rated headaches and/or medication I take for my headaches. These were conditions the VA found during my Cluster headache claim and I didn't claim directly. My question is more how are they rated if it is decided by the VA they are related? Are they rated as a separate condition or are they rated by some other means? Thanks, I appreciate the response!