Va Press Release - Disability Benefits Questionaires

[hedgey]

I saw this discussed elsewhere, and thought it might be great news for some of us... especially when we're using a private doctor. This should make things more streamlined and uniform for the VA practitioners, and make it easier for a private doctor to cross all the VA t's.

Right?

Here's the headline & the link:

New Medical Forms Will Streamline Veterans Claims Process

Physician Questionnaires to Boost Disability Exam Efficiency

http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1987

The part I like:

For Veterans who receive their care from private physicians, VA has placed the disability benefits questionnaires on its Internet site (http://www.vba.va.gov/disabilityexams) with instructions for physicians to submit examination results on Veterans’ behalf.

There's a "remarks" section where a private doctor could write in the Nexus Statement. If the VA will accept this form as a true evaluation, then they should accept any nexus that it contains, right?

[broncovet]

I dont know, Berta, maybe we could post the exam questionaire for PTSD, and the Vet could print it off and give it to his private Doc, since the VA apparently wont make it available online.

I have to say I tend to agree with retiredat..Shinseki seems to have made more promises than what he can ever possibly deliver on.

His newest is that he is going to break the backlog this year. Did he count? There are only 2 months left of this year, and we have a major holiday in Nov and Dec, so if Shinseki only made the backlog worse his first 20 months, I highly doubt that he will fix it in the next two months. If he does, great, but I think I have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting my claim done this year. My guess is the earliest I can realistically expect my claim to go through the BVA is year 2014, and even then, it will probably be remanded to the RO and take still longer.

[john999]

The point Berta makes about the VA only accepting PTSD DX from a VA doctor is bad news. This was supposed to make it easier. Right! Anyone heard of Adjustment Disorder.

[Chuck75]

Yes and no--It depends on what mood the RO is in, or what direction the RO has been given. (No more approvals, you have reached your quota, or, you are taking too much time per claim, deny some to get the time down.)

The RO can easily go into a CYA mode, and ask for a C&P, even when the medical evidence proves the claim, or cite and ignore the evidence and deny. This also stops the "clock" for the RO.

Somehow, veteran's need to gain "right of discovery" to combat such goings on. Such a right can be used to disclose patterns of behavior that might fall under the Rico act and other laws.

I have a veterans claim in process that has been going on for several years.

It seems that SSA declared him totally disabled for Diabetes and Ischemic Heart Disease some time ago.

He tried to continue working, prior to the SSA decision, and lost two contract jobs paying 50-60K a year due to the two disabilities.

I won't give details of the cardiologists reports and diagnosis, except to say that they are conclusive, as are the medical records.

The VA has tried to schedule treadmill tests more than once, even though the severity of the veteran's condition precludes such tests, and against VA guidelines;

and more definitive tests and surgery are of record.

It looks like the VARO is just delaying decisions, for any reason they can think of, hoping the veteran dies, or the medical tests already of record age out.

The VA is also issuing "minor" decisions relating to the claim that require NOD's due to low balling, then delaying any decisions on high % portions of the claim further by tying up the claim package in the Appeals process.

Delay, Deny, and Low Ball seem to be in full force for this claim at the Decatur GA VARO.

As to IMOs, treatment by private doctors, etc.

The history is that the MO, etc of a private doctor is often discounted by an RO, in favor of a VA friendly C&P. Fortunately, the C&P examiner is often less qualified, something that does usually get taken into account in an appeals process that reaches a court.

Hopefully current direction from "on high" in the VA will stop or significantly reduce this practice.

I saw this discussed elsewhere, and thought it might be great news for some of us... especially when we're using a private doctor. This should make things more streamlined and uniform for the VA practitioners, and make it easier for a private doctor to cross all the VA t's.

Right?

Here's the headline & the link:

New Medical Forms Will Streamline Veterans Claims Process

Physician Questionnaires to Boost Disability Exam Efficiency

http://www1.va.gov/o...ase.cfm?id=1987

The part I like:

There's a "remarks" section where a private doctor could write in the Nexus Statement. If the VA will accept this form as a true evaluation, then they should accept any nexus that it contains, right?

[Stretch]

Bluewater Vets, off shore, can not have AO presumptives because they were not exposed...

Bluewater Vets, off shore, can have a AO presumptive of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. This is a half-step, in saving the v.a. some money, until full grant of AO presumptives and when most Bluewater Vets die of AO conditions.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

excerpt from VA post:

Outside Vietnam Exposure to Herbicides

Veterans who did not serve inside Vietnam and were exposed elsewhere to Agent Orange or other herbicides may be eligible for service-connection on a "direct" basis. These Veterans must show that their diseases are related to their military service to get disability compensation.

Additionally, these Veterans must show that they were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service. This includes:

• Blue Water Veterans who served on ships off the shore of Vietnam that did not dock to the shore of Vietnam or operate on the inland waterways of Vietnam
• Veterans who served in the Korea demilitarized zone in 1968 to 1969
• Veterans who served on or near the perimeters of military bases in Thailand during the Vietnam Era
• Veterans who served where herbicides were tested and stored outside of Vietnam

Exception: Blue Water Veterans claiming non-Hodgkin's lymphoma as a disability may be granted service-connection without showing inland waterway service or that they went ashore when their ships docked to the shore of Vietnam. This is because VA also recognizes non-Hodgkin's lymphoma as associated with service in Vietnam or the waters offshore of Vietnam during the Vietnam Era.

Edited October 28, 2010 by Stretch

[Berta]

"There's a "remarks" section where a private doctor could write in the Nexus Statement. If the VA will accept this form as a true evaluation, then they should accept any nexus that it contains, right? "

The service nexus for these 3 disabilities would be documented service in Vietnam (or within the Korea southside civilian control line DMZ reg time frame and unit list)

[cooter]

"There's a "remarks" section where a private doctor could write in the Nexus Statement. If the VA will accept this form as a true evaluation, then they should accept any nexus that it contains, right? "

The service nexus for these 3 disabilities would be documented service in Vietnam (or within the Korea southside civilian control line DMZ reg time frame and unit list)

Berta

Would you happen to have the time frame and units for Korean vets, or where I could find it?