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Read Those C&ps Carefully

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Bill (USAF Retired)

Asked by Bill (USAF Retired),

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Bill (USAF Retired) Enthusiast

Bill (USAF Retired)

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I'm currently at 90% and being evaluated for TDIU. The doctor did a C&P psych eval (depression, PTSD) plus a Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). FWIW, he said I'm unemployable.

Two weeks later, my medical record had the BDI-II score but no C&P eval. Spoke with the doc and he said he had transmitted it to VARO but hadn't cut and pasted it into my medical record.

Uh oh. He promised to cut and paste it into my medical record. He kept his word and it was in there the following day.

Good thing I checked! He answered the question "Is patient capable of managing benefit payments to own best interests" as NO. I touched base with him again and he agreed he'd made a mistake while doing the checklist. He did an addendum right in front of me and put it in my computerized record.

The take away lesson: Don't be passive, if docs are saying stuff about you to VARO you should know what's being said and be ready to rebut any areas of disagreement. All it takes is one thing like that to stick in your record and you can spend a lot of time trying to undo it later.

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  • Content Curator/HadIt.com Elder
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Vync

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I agree completely! Great advice! I did this too and found something fishy.

I read my award letter and found the RO mis-quoted a number from my C&P exam. I verified the C&P exam number and confirmed the RO was way off target. I was supposed to be due an extra 10% rating. Time to challenge it!

Additionally, this says a lot about the checking, double-checking and quality analysis that the VA boasts about in press releases and when you check your claim status.

"If it's stupid but works, then it isn't stupid."
- From Murphy's Laws of Combat

Disclaimer: I am not a legal expert, so use at own risk and/or consult a qualified professional representative. Please refer to existing VA laws, regulations, and policies for the most up to date information.

 

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