Vicki's Post-dav Rep-lawyers Etc

[Berta]

You are a few clicks away- VA has made this easy for you to do-

http://www.va.gov/oca/c2c_USA.htm

Tell your Congressperson how you feel about the right to hire an attorney to handle your VA claim.

[LarryJ]

"Your post about nurse practitioners (and by extension, PA's, interns, etc.) is exactly the reason why veterans should challenge the adequacy of a C & P exam when it's conducted by someone lacking the necessary professional credentials to make that evaluation."

My wife is a Nurse Practitioner.

She is not a "Doctor wannabe".

She has a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing.

She has a Master's Degree in Nursing.

She has a Doctorate ( PhD ) in Public Health.

She is a Certified MidWife, A certified Advanced Practice nurse.

She has gone to college most of her adult life and worked at the same time.

She has spent 5 years getting her Bachelors ( BSN takes 5 years ).

She has spent 3 years getting her Masters.

She has spent 3 years getting her PhD.

And, I assure you, when you combine the "Clinical Practice" requirements of her degrees, she could most certainly been a "REAL Doctor", but she did not want to be a "REAL Doctor". She is, instead, a REAL NURSE, and she certainly HAS the necessary professional credentials to do her job.

I suggest you rethink your obviously flawed statement.

[Dorothy Kansas]

"Your post about nurse practitioners (and by extension, PA's, interns, etc.) is exactly the reason why veterans should challenge the adequacy of a C & P exam when it's conducted by someone lacking the necessary professional credentials to make that evaluation."

My wife is a Nurse Practitioner.

She is not a "Doctor wannabe".

She has a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing.

She has a Master's Degree in Nursing.

She has a Doctorate ( PhD ) in Public Health.

She is a Certified MidWife, A certified Advanced Practice nurse.

She has gone to college most of her adult life and worked at the same time.

She has spent 5 years getting her Bachelors ( BSN takes 5 years ).

She has spent 3 years getting her Masters.

She has spent 3 years getting her PhD.

And, I assure you, when you combine the "Clinical Practice" requirements of her degrees, she could most certainly been a "REAL Doctor", but she did not want to be a "REAL Doctor". She is, instead, a REAL NURSE, and she certainly HAS the necessary professional credentials to do her job.

I suggest you rethink your obviously flawed statement.

No matter how much education she might have she is still a nurse not a physician. There are some NP's and PA's that do a better job than any physician, believe me I have worked with some of the best. I also have seen some of the most shoddy work from MD',PA's and NP's . These so-called exams should be recorded or video taped upon the veteran's consent of course.

[LarryJ]

"No matter how much education she might have she is still a nurse not a physician."

I take it, by your above statement, that you think less of nurses than you do physicans?

You must, then, ascribe to the view that all doctors, simply because they are doctors, hung the moon.

Well, I didn't.

[Stretch]

Larry,

Don't take it personal. Mistakes have been made to many Vets not necessarily seen by your wife, if she works for C&P.

C&P examiners get paid by whom?

A lawyer can challenge the C&P examiners credentials and questions that were ask of the Veteran as well as the questions that were not ask. Can you?

The questions, that are not asked of the Veteran, are usually the most important within Vets claims.

There is obviously a conflict of interest. Anyone who has been to a C&P knows that the C&P person only ask questions that favor negative evidence for the VA decision. This is not a question of education, but of VA policy. VA policy says "Ask these questions and we will pay you." In this way the examiner, is only doing their job with no responsibility.

VA policy is designed to present negative information to deny the VET. The VET must pay money to reach equipoise, in which case he will be given "the benefit of the doubt", sometimes, and maybe.

Has anyone ever seen a C&P where their service medical records were present or positive evidence available? I don't think so. Examiners will say that they do not have a place to store any more records.

Have you tried to give C&P positive evidence, in your claims, and been ignored as if the person was not concerned with your statement of evidence? Yep

The only way that I can see to change this fraud, is to go after responsible individuals using an attorney. Why should the VET, be put in actual mental dilemma and dishonor, due to unfair practice, usually right after election times when the little window closes(about 4 months every two years).

When a Vet wins their claims, nothing is done about this problem. When the Veteran loses their claims then there is mental inflammation and dishonor. The Veteran feels that they have to further dishonor themselves, and their country, in questioning VA decisions that could go on for decades using this current VSO nightmare.

If you read the House proposal, you will see that congressman want to assign NSO's, after VA claims denials, to further help the veteran. This is congress way of eliminating the back-log of claims. What a Joke.

Oh yea, I almost forgot.

If you took your VSO to the C&P, how would the examiner act? VSO, is so busy that their is not time for individuals.

If you took your lawyer to the C&P, how would the examiner act? Lawyer has the time

Edited August 26, 2006 by Stretch

[LarryJ]

Naw, Strecth, no problema.

The wife doesn't have anything to do with the VA (with the exception that she is a Capt. USNR, so she may have dealings with them in the future, I guess ).

She is in practice with a group of OB/GYNS.

She delivers babies and treats "female" problems.

She has "prescribing authority", etc.

She loves the teaching aspect of her profession and unlike most M.D.s she makes the point of teaching patients, such as childbirth classes, etc., and some ( a lot, actually ) of her patients are lower income patients, under-age girls, legal/illegal aliens, etc. ( she gets the patients that the REAL M.D.s are too busy for, or are afraid they won't get paid ) and she winds up not only delivering their babies but also teaching them basic childcare, health, nutrition, even how to change diapers and warm baby bottles and how to boil the bottles and how to get pooopy stains out of diapers.................stuff that a REAL doctor probably doesn't even know himself......... ).

And, when she is doing her "weekend a month, two weeks in the summer", then she is the one that you or your wife will see when you do the on-base health care thing if you are still serving...........and you will never know that you are being treated by a lowly R.N. ( it seems that those Captain stripes all look the same, for some reason...... ).

[vaf]

Larry, your wife has obviously worked hard to earn the credentials she has. However, she's still not a Board-certified physician who specializes in the area for which a disability rating is being pursued. The day she earns her M.D. and Board certification in a specialized area being rated is the day I would be glad, in principle, to have her conduct my husband's C & P exam.

If you think a nurse practitioner can replace a Board-certified physician, etc., then I believe it's your thinking that is flawed.

I did not see anything in your post that indicates your wife conducts C & P exams. If I'm correct that she doesn't, then I respectfully suggest to you that my statements do not pertain to her, they specifically refer to individuals who conduct C & P exams.

If your wife does in fact conduct C & P exams, then the fact that she is filling the role that is appropriately to be filled by a Board-certified physician, does in my book make her a physician wannabe.

Anyone who's been on the receiving end of a screwed up C & P exam, and subsequently received a screwed up rating, will attest to the fact that they deserved a Board certified physician (emphasis on "Board certified") making that call instead of someone with lesser credentials.

Which is a segway back to the subject of veterans access to attorney representation, in that an attorney would cite a C & P exam conducted by an individual without the necessary credentials to evaluate the condition being rated as inadequate and subsequently challenge its validity.

Edited August 27, 2006 by Vicki