Have Medical Records/do I Highlight?

[SueEdel]

I acquired a pretty lengthy medical record package from my doctor. 1995-now. What are your thoughts and opinions on highlighting items so they are not missed? I did so on my original package that I sent in. These are the records requested by the VA from my doctor. If I do highlight--do I hit every time it says fibromyalgia, insomnia, chronic pain etc?

Just did not want to do this and have the VRO reject it.

[SueEdel]

Another item I was wondering about--I will be submitting medical records requested from one of my doctors. How did you package yours up so they aren't loose papers. I hesitate to punch holes in them as no matter if I go 2 hole punch or 3 hole I could be deleting info. I have about 250 papers from one doctor. I thought I might number them and then look for a large clip type folder. Just obsessing here....

[Stretch]

I wouldn't mark up the originals. Make copies if you want to mark them up.

[Philip Rogers]

I agree w/stretch, copy them and do the highlighting on the copies. I would number the pages so they are kept in order. You could then download onto a CD and send them that way, also. You could use some of those large paperclip type things and that would keep them in order. I would highlight every mention of fibro, insomnia and chronic pain. jmo

pr

[Berta]

I agree. I often circled or underlined with magic marker and then put a yard sale colored sticker in the right margin and marked it as Exhibit A, B, C etc (if there was a margin) and then on my enclosed evidence list I listed in order the Exhibits that held the highlighted parts.

Such as Exhibit A 1988 ER Med cert dated August 13,1988.

Exhibit B November 1988 ER visit ,etc.

Exhibit C VA rating sheet 1988 and so forth

On my pages I would count them and total them in my last statement regarding the enclosures and then I would nuber the pages as 1 of 25, 2 of 25, 3 of 25, etc.

The new NOD form,in this respect, I think , will make it harder now for VA to overlook our submissions as the form asks for info as to how many enclosures there are with the NOD.