tinnitus New Here; A Question Regarding Private Health Insurance

[buzzard]

A little about me: I am a veteran of the Army (1968-1974), having served two tours in Vietnam as a Crew Chief/Door Gunner. I live in Ohio.

I had some mental issues when I returned, and continue to do so. I have hearing problems and tinnitus (driving me crazy; it is just getting worse with time): as well as a few other problems. I've been inpatient/outpatient at VA in the past.

I work part-time for now, though it is a real challenge. I applied for VA health care just this past Thursday and have my first appointment in less than two weeks, and then I guess they will set up an appointment for me to go to Chillicothe for the Agent Orange physical/registry (I was in many areas in VN where it was used). I sent for all my military records via eVetRecords last week, but I don't anticipate receiving them as fast I got the VA heathcare approved.

My question: I have private health insurance (Anthem) and I plan on dropping it, as I can no longer afford it; the premiums, co-pays and deductibles are killing me! I don't know if I should drop it before my first appointment....am I even allowed to drop the private health insurance at any time?

Thanks Brothers!

Dave

[Tbird]

Buzzard

Yes the VA will log the call, create an informal claim and mail you the proper forms including release of information forms. You will need to provide dates, places, names, times all of that and you will also need to connect each condition you are claiming to something in your service records that as least as likely as not caused the disability you are claiming.

Go ahead and starting putting this together now, you type or use a legal pad. Start from the date you left the service, if you are having trouble remembering, some tricks are if any appointments were paid with private insurance you probably have those old bills somewhere which will have pertinent information on it, if you have been treated at the VA, you can review your prescription history on myhealthvet or ask the pharmacy to send you out a list. It goes back pretty far, not as far back as you go, but still good to look at this to help jog the memory. The other day I was trying to remember when they had me on a Effexor which did not agree with me, so I looked up my prescription refill history and there it was, in 1994, so then I had my answer.

You will need

Doctors Name

Doctors Contact Information

Type of Doctor

Conditions Treated

Medications Taken what kind, what dosage and so on

Dates of treatment inpatient and out patient.

Perhaps others can chime in here.

I understand what you are saying about the mental health issues, but honest brother get help now. I know it is hard to open up to someone, but remember the journey of a thousand miles starts with one step, so just take the first step and then the next and so on. Your therapist is going to understand your reluctance to talk and your trust issues and you should bring those up when you meet with him/her the first time. It's a partnership and your common goal is the quality of your life. So take that step and remember you are not alone you are following in the footsteps of other's and leading the way to future veterans in healthy ways to get help. Hang in.

Good Morning Sir,

And thank you again for your help, and Thank YOU for serving my country!

I am planning to call the VA today at the number in your post and will tell them I want to file an informal claim, and let them know for what ailments; will they then log this call and send me the proper claim form (I have already saved the 12 page claim form in my favorites)? Will he/she want specific medical information, such as dates of treatments and where?

Yes, you are correct about the mental health issues...like stated earlier, I was inpatient/outpatient years back, medicated, counseled...blah, blah, blah...although I don't have specific dates and thus and waiting on my medical records (I plan also on requested at my local VA clinic for them to send for the records); I have stuffed and tried to compartmentalize for years now...but am coming apart...don't like to talk about it, but need to....I am trying to wait till next Tuesday to seek help (the day of my schedule VA physical)...although maybe I should do it now....it is hard to open up to somebody/anybody about it.

The staff does seem caring and wonderful at the local VA clinic, from what I gathered last week when I filled out and turned in the application....

I await your reply re: calling the VA today...

Thanks again.

[Tbird]

Buzzard you said you got through to the 800 number and they filed an informal claim for you and are sending you paperwork. So there is no need to follow up, imho with IRRS which is just an electronic messaging system for the VA. Gather your information, fill out the forms with a service officer as best as you can, things don't need to be that exact and you can add more to it later. I hope you get a good service officer much like your relationship with your therapist, your relationship with your service office should be a partnership.

I reviewed the IRIS info, but I am still confused here...should I go ahead and just do the VONAPP...guesstimate medical treatment dates?

[Tbird]

Another tip, I recommend printing a set of small labels with my your name, claim number and date of birth and contact phone number and put one at the top or bottom of each page you submit, that way if it get's put somewhere it's not suppose to at least they will know where it belongs. You can also handwrite it on each page. I just find labels easier.

[carlie]

And as for that medical treatments/dates; I will wing it to the best of my recollection (I have some of my medical records from private physicians being sent out to me next week, and have already requested VAMC records, and as you stated Larry, they should already have them!). I note there is a Release the VA wants me to sign, to release private medical records....should I give them permission to obtain my medical records from private (NON VA) doctors, hospitals, clinics?

YES - sign and submit the ROI's.

ALSO - be advised - the VARO will not necessarily have your medical records from the VAMC - the VARO and the VAMC's are 2 different

animals.

For the VARO to get those VAMC records you need to tell them to get them and/or supply copies to them.

When vets have a claim in, many assume, well I went to 4 different VA doctors in the last two months so the VARO will get those updated

medical records to consider in adjudicating my claim - well, no - it doesn't work like that.

They VARO makes a request for medical records and gets some from the VAMC

and then if more medical records are generated after that, then you need to advise your VARO of this and it is best in my opinion

to get them and submit them in person, to the VARO yourself and get a date stamped copy.

Just because you have an active claim in does not mean at all, that the VAMC automatically continues to submit your medical records

as they continue to accumulate - to the VARO.

In other words if the VARO doesn't request them and you don't get copies and submit them to the VARO -

THEN the VARO has absolutely no idea that there are more medical records.

Keep in mind that medical records can contain Evidence and Evidence is what wins claims.

I plan on filing for disability for hearing loss, tinnitus, PTSD...all of which is and has been documented ....I don't know if I should include my chronic sinusitis and all the nasal polyp removal surgeries I have been battling for decades as a disability (possibly due to AO? Though I know it isn't yet a recognized AO illness by the VA, but who's to say how many of us exposed to AO has them???). I do know that the sinusitis/polyps CAN CAUSE TINNITIS, however, I had the tinnitis before the sinus/polyps began.....

Since you are filing an original claim (you only get one shot at an original claim) list EVERYTHING that you feel might be SC'd,

either as direct SC or anything that maybe secondary to something that they do SC down the road, ESPECIALLY if it's something

you were treated for on ad and continue to have residual effects from and of course anything that may now or down the road be AO related.

At least put the condition out there for the VA to adjudicate it and let them be the one to say no, denied.

Then if you feel you have the medical evidence to rebut the denial, you will file a NOD on it later, but if you do not

put the condition out there for them to decide you will never know.

Believe me they are real good about saying no, denied - but if you don't list it you might miss a grant of a disability as SC'd.

I note also in the instructions that I should "attach any materials that support and explain my claim"; if I file it VONAPP that's not possible...

I believe you can scan them into your computer and send as an attachment with the VONAPP, or send by follow-up fax.

Larry or a geek will probably jump in on this.

[LarryJ]

ALWAYS "scan" EVERYTHING that you either get from, or send to, the VA. EVERYTHING!

And, yes, you can scan your "other"evidence and send it along with the VONAPPS.

Or, you can simply FAX it in to them ( I dearly LOVE my FAX machine and intend to use it until I wear it out and have to purchase another one (matter-of-fact, I have a new one sitting in the box beside my desk))!

ANYTHING THAT YOU SEND TO THEM, ANYTHING! MUST HAVE YOUR VA CLAIM NUMBER (YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER) AND YOUR NAME IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE PAGE!

Like Berta has suggested, just make some labels up (Avery Labels that you can buy and print up), not anything but small lables that will "fit" on the paper, with your name and SSA#, AND PUT THEM ON EVERYTHING.

If you will do this, then you won't HAVE to ASK why, okay?

This is an experience that, when you have "finished" with it, will qualify you to be the head librarian in the Library of Congress, USofA!