Vha Response To Changing Medical Records

[wallyg]

Had a trip to OPC Manila yesterday, where I had a chat with the OPC Director, about the failure to correct the erroneous medical report of examination last May.

Some of you may remember, that in making comments about muscle tone, the Orthopedist added a comment about upper extremities, even though he never touched or examined them.

After 4 months of e-mail correspondernce where the Patient Rep kept telling me she can't find a reg that would allow that, even though I referred her to a VBA reg, which she apparently never bothered to check with VARO; the Director flat told me that there was NO way to make a correction to the report.

That I needed to file a formal letter, which would then be given to the doctor for his comments, and then that would be entered into the computer record as a supplemental to the original report.

Notice, even though the Director was involved in the problem after I had given the Patient Rep two weeks to solve it, I was still being BSd for the next 3 months. Also note that the doctor, who claimed when asked, according to the Director, that he 'viewed' my upper extremities. The doctor also gets to have the last word in the matter when putting the rebuttal in the record.

Every doctor that I have talked to about this in the past 3 months, has agreed that you CANNOT determine muscle 'tone' by visual examination alone.

Edited September 24, 2005 by wallyg

[Angela]

Had a trip to OPC Manila yesterday, where I had a chat with the OPC Director, about the failure to correct the erroneous medical report of examination last May.

Some of you may remember, that in making comments about muscle tone, the Orthopedist added a comment about upper extremities, even though he never touched or examined them.

After 4 months of e-mail correspondernce where the Patient Rep kept telling me she can't find a reg that would allow that, even though I referred her to a VBA reg, which she apparently never bothered to check with VARO; the Director flat told me that there was NO way to make a correction to the report.

That I needed to file a formal letter, which would then be given to the doctor for his comments, and then that would be entered into the computer record as a supplemental to the original report.

Notice, even though the Director was involved in the problem after I had given the Patient Rep two weeks to solve it, I was still being BSd for the next 3 months. Also note that the doctor, who claimed when asked, according to the Director, that he 'viewed' my upper extremities. The doctor also gets to have the last word in the matter when putting the rebuttal in the record.

Every doctor that I have talked to about this in the past 3 months, has agreed that you CANNOT determine muscle 'tone' by visual examination alone.

[wallyg]

Terry

Your memory must be getting as bad as mine ... I still live in Angeles City. :D

[Angela]

Kumusta

Where in the PI are you located at. I go to Mabalacat Pampanga area.

I did the same thing your trying to do. The VA absolutly refuses to allow a correction of errors in medical records.

I applied for that. It was called correction of defencays sec 5.04.

The VA refused to respond to my request. I had to go to COVA to get the VA to send me a SOC. The VA said I needed new and material evidence for them to re open my claim to see if there were errors.

That of course is total BS. However that VA think was approved by CVAC and the federal courts. In the end everyone ruled that by trying to correct the record. I was trying to obtain benifits by other means.

Terry Higgins

Terry,

My neighbor had a VA (non) evam where the examiner showed up late, talked for a few minutes, and wrote a book about the in-depth exam he gave. He ended up contacting his congressman; once the congressman got involved the error was corrected in record time. I suggest you try this avenue.

Good Luck

Angela