diabetes The Value Of Research-

[Berta]

you all know- and are probably tired of hearing this-

that VA denied my AO direct death claim due to lack of diabetes diagnose and due to lack of diabetes as contributing -on my husband's death certificate.

I obtained a complete IMO from Dr. BAsh, who determined that the veteran did have diabetes, reflected in numerous statements and lab tests etc in Rod's med recs.and including the veteran's autopsy.

The VA has refused to even read the IMO and I recently sent it to their director who I believe is literate.

It is not complex and fully states the rationale and references the specific medical records, etc to render the opinion sound- also another VA doc had sent me an additional opinion-brief but Dr. Bash felt it was very helpful and he incorporated this other opinion into his.

Also I pursued getting my husband's death certificate changed over 3 years ago-

For over three years I have not had a good response from the ME-but really did not pursue it-enough.

the Medical EXaminer , two years ago, sent me a letter stating that he could not rule in or rule diabetes but the veteran exhibited no ketoacidosis, or diabetic glomerosclerosis, indicating diabetes at death.

He stated this was the criteria at the ME's office to determine undiagnosed diabetes.

When I reviewed my War Plan this AM ( that is the tactical plan I developed to get my claims resolved)

I realised that I had overlooked this significant medical info about my husband's autopsy ,that is erroneous-since I now fully know what these medical terms mean.

The Med Examiner has changed and I have contacted the new one- as I realise that with the death certificate changed (and I have helped others get them changed in other states)

the VA would award on that basis or on the IMO- if they ever read it.

Either way- they would have to award.

Also I have significant info that an Oral pathologist would be able to render a DMII opinion on-yet I hesitate to send VARO another costly IMO when they have been unwilling to read the initial one.

But I am pursuing that too-

My long point here is this-

within a mere ten minutes on the net at good medical sources I found enough probative medical info to emphatically challenge what the former Medical Examiner stated to me.

The autopsy, as the ME stated in 2004 "cannot exclude" DMII, and suggested the IMO -which the ME than chose to ignore Dr. Bash's IMO-ljust like the VA did- are they in cahoots?

Just kidding there -??? This Medical Examiner's office -as far as I know-handles all autopsied deaths in Steuben County which would include any autopsied vets who die at the Bath VA or are patients of the local Bath VA and yet died elsewhere in Steuben County.

I have certainly seen at hadit -when a vet is willing to do the leg work- and I regret that any vet has to do all this-that legwork and persistence does pay off.

You have to try any approach you can to get the evidence you need to get your claim resolved.

[john999]

I can say that due to depending on a VSO I lost many thousands of dollars over the years in compensation. I was low balled from the day I got out of the service. If my VSO had said "Go get a good IMO from a board certified pyschiatrist and here is the format you should use" I am sure I would have been rated much higher. Not until I started doing my own research did I get the rating I deserved.

[Pete53]

John:

Back when we needed IMO's it was almost impossible to find any Doc willing to differ from another Medical Opinion. I finally found one in 1992 and even than I had to expalin he would be putting a VA Clerks opinion out to dry.