I was discharged Nov1995 and Finally got my BVA decided in the Fall of 2008. My VSO was The American Legion and at the end they sent me a letter stating that they had help me as much as possible.
I had surgery on my right knee in Aug 2012 and decided that would be a good time to file for an increase. After going through the Georgia Dept of Veterans Services and filing my claim, I began researching here and in other fourms.
What I found amazes me. Yes,The American Legion did a good job but at the same time, they really blew it.
In making their decission, The BVA relied on information from an inadequate C&P Exam. Plus, they (The BVA) changes the wording of the C&P examiner from within to without:
“In summation there is some progression in the Vets L/S strain and degenerative arthritis there, but within any neurological disability.”
To:
“In summation there is some progression in the Vets L/S strain and degenerative arthritis there, but without any neurological disability.”
This completely changed the meaning of the examiners statement. The word “within” used in this particular situation meant to include or encompass all of the neurological disability, in this case bilateral spinal stenosis to the L/S strain and degenerative arthritis.
The BVA decission also stated in conjuction with my Left Knee Claim:
"appeal dismissed in part, and vacated and remanded in part sub nom. Sanchez-Benitez v. Principi, 259 F.3d 1356 (Fed. Cir. 2001)."
Last week, I had surgery on my Left Knee. I do not have as of yet, a post-op report from the doctor. According to my wife, the doctor stated that most of the damage in my left knee was the result of an old injury. The only injury that I have had to my left knee was while I was stationed in the Marine Corps.
My C&P Exam of 1996 did not include Deluca, My C-File was not view, The Examiner stated to me that he had looked at my x-rays and could not find anything wrong. At the end of the exam, he sent me for x-rays as he stated he didn't have any. All of my complaints of pain or my statements concerning military treatments were ignored. The doctor basicly stated I was a quack.
I have also found the medical reports sent in 3 1/2 months after my discharge and a year later with a diagnosis of dengenerative Arthritis of the Spine were ingored.
I believe there was a CUE committed as well with my first Audio C&P as I mentioned I had Tinnitus along with my hearing loss. I was service connected for the Hearing Loss but as I didn't know the Tinnitus was seperate, I wasn't service connected for that until 2010. According to what I can find, that would fall under Failure to Fully & Sympathetically Develop Claim.
This is just the tip of the ice burge.
OK, After reading all of that, can anyone give me some good advice.
I'm not sure how to handle the BVA and both their usal of a C&P exam that was I believed, previously considered inadequate or their deliberate changing of the examiners wording to deny an increase.
What did the BVA mean when they stated: "appeal dismissed in part, and vacated and remanded in part sub nom. Sanchez-Benitez v. Principi, 259 F.3d 1356 (Fed. Cir. 2001)." And what does that mean for me still trying to service connect my left knee with my current claim?
Is my statement concerning the Tinnitus being a CUE, correct?
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elcamino_77us
I was discharged Nov1995 and Finally got my BVA decided in the Fall of 2008. My VSO was The American Legion and at the end they sent me a letter stating that they had help me as much as possible.
I had surgery on my right knee in Aug 2012 and decided that would be a good time to file for an increase. After going through the Georgia Dept of Veterans Services and filing my claim, I began researching here and in other fourms.
What I found amazes me. Yes,The American Legion did a good job but at the same time, they really blew it.
In making their decission, The BVA relied on information from an inadequate C&P Exam. Plus, they (The BVA) changes the wording of the C&P examiner from within to without:
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john999
If you think you have a lot of retro coming I would hire a lawyer. I say this because the more you make off retro the more the lawyer makes ....20% of retro. You have 120 days to appeal to Court of Ve
Berta
“This completely changed the meaning of the examiners statement. “ I certainly agree. It was probably a typo but it could have changed the outcome of the claim...hard to tell here. “got my BVA de
Berta
A final thought here....most CUEs occur when the VA has given a disability a NSC rating in past decision, unappealed, which subsequently became SC. One can assume that the rating (although NSC in th
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