Fighting Bad C & P Exams

[pacmanx1]

Before a veteran files his or her claim for disability, it would be best for them to seek treatment that would establish their medical condition and get a diagnosis. Getting IMOs and IMEs can be quite expensive but having current medical treatment could really help.

A veteran should never let the C & P examiner's medical opinion be the only medical opinion in his or her VAMC treatment records. I agree that IMOs and IMEs are worth the cost but if the veteran can get this from their treating doctors then even if the local VARO denies their claim or low ball their claim, the veteran should win his or her claim on appeal.

Always keep in mind that the local VARO will always force claims to go to BVA. It doesn't matter how much evidence a veteran has in his or her file. If the Rater, DRO, and or Supervisor overlooks or ignores the pertinent evidence then the only thing a veteran can do is file an appeal.

Hope this helps

[pacmanx1]

bump

Before a veteran files his or her claim for disability, it would be best for them to seek treatment that would establish their medical condition and get a diagnosis. Getting IMOs and IMEs can be quite expensive but having current medical treatment could really help.

A veteran should never let the C & P examiner's medical opinion be the only medical opinion in his or her VAMC treatment records. I agree that IMOs and IMEs are worth the cost but if the veteran can get this from their treating doctors then even if the local VARO denies their claim or low ball their claim, the veteran should win his or her claim on appeal.

Always keep in mind that the local VARO will always force claims to go to BVA. It doesn't matter how much evidence a veteran has in his or her file. If the Rater, DRO, and or Supervisor overlooks or ignores the pertinent evidence then the only thing a veteran can do is file an appeal.

Hope this helps

[carlie]

Berta,

I find it disturbing that for a exam for PTSD you need to have a psychiatric physician but for IHD the VA can use a Nurse Practitioner. Now I have nothing against NP's but this just seems wrong. They are using the opinion of a NP over surgeons, cardiologist and physicians to make the rating decision.

handler,

I'm not Berta but wanted to throw in my dollar's worth (inflation).

If we take the time to look the C&P results over real good, you will most all times find somewhere

that a doc signs off on the NP or ARNP's work.

Sometimes it's a bit difficult to find as some are printed on both sides of the page, the pages are sometimes out

of order and many times 1/2 of some progress notes can be mixed in with the actual C&P, along

with pharmacy records, MRI's, EKG, Echo's, etc...