C & P Exam Only 10 Minutes. . .

[dereekbanks]

Hello all!

I went to my C & P exam today. It was for a claim to have my current rating of 40% awarded back in 2003 raised.

I think it went well. . . I think . .

I entered the waiting area, went to the desk and handed the secretary the documents that QTC sent me to complete prior to my appt. I sat down and waited about 10 minutes and was called back at exactly 1:00pm as scheduled. I was given my check for travel, weighted, asked about the most I have weighted over the past year, had my blood pressure checked then escorted to a room to wait on the doctor. After waiting about 10 mins the doctor knocked and stuck his head in the door and said he would be with me in a few more minutes. I then heard him in knock and enter the room next to me. He and the patient in that room talked about the problems that guy was having and what he did in the military. They then started laughing out loud and the doctor started saying what a small world it was because his father (whom is Korean) worked with the same unit this guy was apart of. They laughed some more as they moved into the hall outside my room door, said goodbyes then the doctor entered my room

He introduced himself, looked over my paperwork and asked if the VA knew about my injury. I said yes. He then said that is why they only want one x-ray. He asked me to stand and touch my toes. I bent forward until I felt pain and stopped. He said wow, your in bad shape. He told me to lean back and to both sides. I sat down and he attempted to straighten my left leg, I jerked back due to pain and he said the VA should not have even bothered sending me to him because clearly I have severe nerve root compression. He did the same to the other leg and I could not lift it at all without leaning back to do so. He then asked if I had hemorrhoids or bleeding in my rectum. I said no. He asked me to stand and drop my pants. He helped me up and wen to get a glove. I pulled my pants just below my buttocks and he saw my TENS unit and wires going to my back and asked if it was VA issued, I said yes. He said forget the anal exam pull your pants up this is ridiculous. He then asked how far I had to travel to get to his office. I told him about 50 miles. He apologized for me having to drive that far and said the VA should see these things every time I go see my primary care doctor. He then asked me what about some papers I brought with me, I told him they were my medical records and a list of medicines I take in-case he needed to review them. He looked at my list of prescriptions, said wow as he put his hand on his jaw said the side effects alone from my meds would render me unemployable. He asked if they made me dizzy and sleepy. I said yes. He said I probably cannot climb stairs or walk too far either. I said that is also true, nor can I be intimate with my wife anymore or do anything physical with the family. He said don't worry, he will write it up so that the VA will have to take care of me and give me proper compensation. He started jotting down notes about my range of motion being very poor, my TENS unit and meds. He told me to take my time gathering my stuff and that was it. There was no need for x-rays because the VA already has numerous sets and he would write it up so that it will be a no-brainer for the VA. He then shook my had and walked out

All this occurred in less than 10 minutes.

Is it really that easy. . . I'm still sitting here in disbelief!!

Some feed back would be nice on this one!!!

How long do I have to wait before I can get a copy of those records?

Edited November 22, 2011 by dereekbanks

[tanker2]

seems to me this is a no non sense doctor who knows his stuff. he was concise and to the point.

[justrluk]

I've had mixed results from the QTC in ATL. I've had some interesting appointments, but don't know if the reports have been received by the ATL VARO. I've not had any decisions, so I can't speculate as to how long QTC takes to get their results in. Thinking I should contact my VSO to see if their reports are in the system??

[dereekbanks]

Thanks for the replies!!!

VA told me I have to wait until a decision has been made on the claim and it has been closed to get a copy of the C & P Exam. Being an optimist, I look at everything as a good sign so I appreciate the feed back that provides a different view point!

I had my 2nd Exam on the 28th of Nov for PTSD. The exam lasted about 45 mins to an hour and I think it went well.

At the end of the exam when asked if I had any questions, I asked what her thoughts were based on my records, which were on her desk in front of her and our conversation. The examiner stated that I do indeed have PTSD and it is more likely than not caused by the same accident I got my current sc'd injuries from. She said that her report will state the same but VA makes the final decision.

So now hopefully my claim will move to the decision phase and I will get a brown envelope in the mail!!!

[Pete53]

If you go to the VARO and ask to see it they have to let you view it. Its in your C file just ask to review your C file.

Good Luck

[dereekbanks]

But won't that delay my claim? Isn 't my C-file being used by whomever is working on my claim?

(Forgive my question. I just learned that there was a such thing as a C-file a few weeks ago on this site!)

[Loki]

Thanks for the replies!!!

VA told me I have to wait until a decision has been made on the claim and it has been closed to get a copy of the C & P Exam. Being an optimist, I look at everything as a good sign so I appreciate the feed back that provides a different view point!

I had my 2nd Exam on the 28th of Nov for PTSD. The exam lasted about 45 mins to an hour and I think it went well.

At the end of the exam when asked if I had any questions, I asked what her thoughts were based on my records, which were on her desk in front of her and our conversation. The examiner stated that I do indeed have PTSD and it is more likely than not caused by the same accident I got my current sc'd injuries from. She said that her report will state the same but VA makes the final decision.

So now hopefully my claim will move to the decision phase and I will get a brown envelope in the mail!!!

Sounds promising from what they said, if that is what she indeed puts in the report. Who did you see?

Hubby had his depression exam today, and we think it went well, better than we expected since we had previously heard poor reviews about the examiner he had. But she was very nice to him and very professional, and had all his doctor's records from his primary care doc right in front of her, and was referring to them when she asked him about different things. She seemed to accept his primary care doc's diagnosis, even though he's not specifically a psych doc, he's an internal med specialist, but she realized that his doc has known him for a long time before this all started and knew that there were definite changes in him and in how his life was affected, and she mentioned that she could see that it definitely was affecting him. I think it helped that his primary doc was very specific in what changes he saw in my husband and specified what effects it was having on his life and work, every single time he had an appointment, and always stated that both the physical symptoms and emotional symptoms were related directly to his prostate cancer. I think maybe he's dealt with VA stuff before, because he documented hubby's records very well in that regard at every visit. She spent an hour and 15 minutes talking with him, and told him he should have been getting someone to talk to since he left Vietnam, and asked a lot of questions about his experiences in Vietnam and afterwards, especially about work history and previous marriages and stuff, and and said that it was very obvious that the physical problems that he's having especially recently have been affecting mental outlook and his employment and income and daily life and social life, and talked to us BOTH about resources that the VA has that can help like vocational rehab and therapy and stuff, for both recent and past issues, and said that while it may take a while to get in, and that we may have to keep after the VA, if we stick it out, they will help him. So it seems very encouraging, but of course we don't know what she actually wrote until we can see copies of the exam. He said she spent a LOT of time typing in between each question, so I'm guessing it wasn't just a quick "everything's ok" report, huh?