Ten Year Old Forgotten Claim Now In Administrative Review.

[leadbelly1981]

Hi I served three years in the Army from 2000-03 as a 11c with an honorable discharge. I ets from camp casey korea and had filled a claim during my exit exam for my left knee and left shoulder. Both were approved for tendonitis and i was rated at 20 %. At the time of my exam i also complained of lower back and hip pain on my left side. I belived it was due to my left knee. We were road marching and running a lot in korea, thats what the infantry does. In 2004 when i got my 20% rating for my knee and shoulder the claim for lower back and hip pain were deferred.Fast forward in jan 2013 i went to the county vso and had them help me file for an increase for my shoulder it has continually gotten worse. The claim took a year and at the end i was granted 30%. The weird thing is when i received my rating in the mail the old claims were addressed stating we see that your claims for lower back pain and hip pain in nov 2003 are unreloved sorry for any inconvenience. Online on e benefits the claims for lower back pain and left hip pain just appeared one day and are in administrative review. My question is what do i make of this what do i do?

[ketchup56]

Update

I spoke with the va today and according to them my service medical records have been lost now what should I do?

To start with if they have somehow have lost your treatment records ask the va to issue you a "FORMAL FINDING OF UNAVAILABILITY"of records and. to issue you a VCAA notice acknowledging this onus.This must be done before they give you verbal lip service like this.Make them follow their law/regulations. In the meantime if you have treatment records copies in your case I would really think hard before i send them a second copy(effective date/new and material evidence) as explained by ASKNOD above. IMHO I think it an stall tactic and your treatment records are in the files. Make them do their job......JMHO after already gone through what they are trying with you........Good Luck and reread asknod and berta responses above....Very Important Info....

[leadbelly1981]

Ok will do and thank you.

[FormerMember]

We're probably going to find out his records burned up on Friday, the 13th of July, 1973 at the NPRC-29 years before he enlisted. Shit happens in St. Louis.

a

clear prop!

[leadbelly1981]

After I request that what is my next step I have buddy letters from when I fell off a supply truck and landed on my back should I send those to the ro

[leadbelly1981]

After I request that what is my next step I have buddy letters from when I fell off a supply truck and landed on my back should I send those to the ro

[Berta]

Yes, that is evidence, send it in...

were the buddies in your same unit, same time and place????

Did they give as many details as possible and also give the VA contact info in case the VA calls them up?

Send VA copies, they like to lose originals.

I feel buddy statements should be notarized but it is OK if they aren't.Usually someone's bank will have someone who can notarize stuff for free.

What Asknod said happened to a vet I know......he was 12 years old during the St Louis Fire but somehow his SMRs got burned up in it..

We did get the SMRs.

A few other vets I know contacted NARA when VA told them their records were lost in the fire.....

and they got their SMRs in the mail a few weeks or more later.