Veteran Service Officer Just Quit

[Getting Old]

I just called in to the office to check on my claim and add more information to it and found out that the officer in charge of my claim quit about a month ago. unfortanetly she was the best in the office. the person that is there now is in training and im not sure if i want someone in training dealing with my claim. so what is my next step? can i do this all on my own? thank you in advance.

[bobbyq]

It was nice of the Service Officer to let you know he was leaving right? Your only other option is to find a new organization and get another rep. Problem is the same, they do not know your case and will have to study up. You are really in a hard place sorry to say. Sorry, this is bad especially if you have been at it for awhile. Your rep was probably DAV right? Just a guess, but good luck I hope it works out for you.

[Getting Old]

Yes on the DAV. She was doing a great job on my claim as she has already got 30% for SC asthma and we were working on getting SC for my back and i was about to put in a few more claims. Does anyone know of a good service officer that is close to Zanesville,ohio.

[bobbyq]

I figured it was the DAV, I am not as dumb as I thought I was.............any hows.............Do you have medical records that show your back was injured, been treated for back injury? If so you can do it yourself. Just get a 21-4138 and put down that you wish to file for a back injury, name the areas affected, tell them you are including the medical evidence that relates to the injury, when and where, and including any new treatment records. Make a copy of anything and everything you give the VA and keep it in a safe place in case you need it again. If the injury is service related, you can go to the VARO office and ask to see your C file and take a look at the medical records in there from you military days. Ask for copies of these medical reports and use them to further your case. Good luck. Bobby Q

[carlie]

If you don't already have it I would request a complete copy of my

claims and 201 files.

JMHO

[Getting Old]

I have poof of it happening while i was in the army. And we submitted a claim back in 2010 and they denied my claim. Here in the article. Then we appealed the claim as soon as they denied it.As of today i am about to go for pyshical therapy because its getting to bed where i can sleep at night and/or move around threw out the day.And im only 30. Thanks for your help.

Service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease claimed as lower back.

Your service treatment records noted an injury to your back in service. X-rays of the spine were taken on October 7, 2002 after you complained of tenderness over the T10 T12 after trauma. The x-ray was normal. Your separation examination noted a “normal” spine and there were not complaints voiced by you at the time concerning your back and/or spine.

At the recent VA examination conducted on February 1, 2011 you complained of pain stiffness, weakness, and fatigability. You stated that you had an injury to back in the service when he went to stand in a tank and the tray where ammunition is loaded hit you in your back. You stated that you had mild problems afterwards, but notice more problems when you worked for the prison system from March 2009 to August 2010. You noted that with prolonged standing for a few hours as well as with sitting while driving for a few hours, you would feel low back pain. Lying down will help this. You saw a private provider and was scheduled to get therapy before trying back injections. You have numbness in the right leg to the foot that would occur with the back pain flare ups but currently you denied any numbness. You also start limping during a flare-up. The pain is located across the lumbosacral area and does not radiate. You are able to walk normally without any assistive device. This condition has no effect on your usual occupation. You are able to perform all activities of daily living. Range of motion of the lumbar spine: forward flexion: 0 to 90 degrees without objective evidence of pain; extension: 0- 30 degrees without evidence of pain; right lateral flexion: 0-30 without objective evidence of pain; left lateral rotation: 0-30 degrees without objective evidence of pain. There was no additional limitation of motion following 3 repetitions. The examiner stated that on exam today, there was no objective evidence of painful motion, spasm, weakness, or tenderness. You denied any incapacitating episodes in the past 12 month period. Strength was 5/5 in all muscle groups of the upper and lower extremities. Straight leg raise negative bilaterally,. Sensation to light touch was intact in the upper and lower extremities. DTR’s: 2+ bilaterally, babinski negative. MRI of the lumbar spine dated June 29, 2010 noted mild bulging of the annulus at L4/L5 may abut but does not displace the exiting right L4 nerve root. The diagnosis provided by the examiner is lumbar degenerative disc disease. The examiner opined that this condition is less likely as not caused by or related to veterans service. There was no evidence found of periodic treatment for low back condition continuing from service. No low back condition was noted on exit exam from the service.

A disability which began in service or was caused by some event in service must be considered “chronic” before service connection can be granted. Although there is a record of treatment in service for pes cavus claimed as right foot condition, no permanent residual or chronic disability subject to service connection is shown by the service medical records or demonstrated by evidence following service. Therefore, service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease claimed as lower back is denied.

[Pete53]

First of all it is your claim. While you look for another Service Officer or use the rookie in training Hadit can help you with your claim. Ask questions and also make sure that you look at the information on the Home Page it is better than a Service Officer in my opinion.

Good Luck you will do just fine.