How Long Does A Gulf War Illness C&p Exam Take?

[puppyduks]

I have an exam scheduled. The guy said it is a 4 hour exam. What will happen in the exam, and will it really be 4 hours, or is that just a "guesstimate"?

[k5one]

What I was told was that they block 4-5 hours for the examiner, so they have time to review your c-file. Your exam will only last as long as you, need to explain your symptoms to the examiner. There was no blood work, no testing. She did a basic check; listen to heart and lungs, checked reflexes, asked me if i was currently being treated by a physician. I said no, she said there is nothing wrong, and sent me on my way after about 20 minutes. Hopefully yours goes better. I have since went to a private physician, and after months of testing and exams I think I have everything I need to complete my claim.

[puppyduks]

I am not sure what "secondary" means. I put Fibromyalgia, PTSD, Depression, IBS and CMI on the original claim. When the VA closed out and denied my claim in error late last year I got them to re-open my claim. They re-opened my claim but it now says for Fibromyalgia, GAD, MDD, PTSD. They did not put IBS or CMI on the re-opened claim. So I am not sure how the "claimed conditions" thing works.

I have two C&P exams coming up. One is for "medical" and one is for PTSD. The one for "medical" is the 4 hour exam. I just don't know what they are going to examine. I am guessing an exam for Fibromyalgia since my IBS claim did not get re-opened?

Edited to add that the VA has already taken about 21 vials of blood, done x-rays (everything normal, no arthritis) and sent me to the VA neurologist.

Edited February 28, 2015 by puppyduks

[Navy04]

Glad to see that your claim is finally moving bud. Good luck

[georgiapapa]

puppyduks,

You can file for a "secondary condition" when medical evidence shows a secondary medical condition was caused by a medical condition already service connected. A veteran with service connected Type 2 diabetes often files a secondary claim for peripheral neuropathy because diabetes causes neuropathy.

If you have filed a claim for a medical condition you believe was directly caused by your military service and it was denied, it is still possible to file a claim for the same medical condition as a secondary medical condition if you have medical evidence showing the secondary medical condition was caused by a service connected medical condition.

Take copies of any supporting evidence with you to your exams. Having the evidence with you and readily available for the examiner's review because it could make a difference between approval and denial.

Good luck and thank you for your service.

GP

[63SIERRA]

According to the answers you provide to the examiner, you will likely be told to follow up on the issues with your PCP. Make sure you run down EVERY contention that is discussed. The VA seems to be more interested in collecting the data, than treating the veteran or obtaining proper diagnosis.

[rootbeer22]

Folks:

You can see my experience in a previous post. I know that every doc is not the same but I'm even more convinced that even with bullet proof evidence with Gulf War Issues, most of it comes down to the "Luck of the Draw" and the doctor that one draws to do your exam. Although, I don't have the full results, there was a very fast cursory exam, he asked a hand full of questions and I was out of the office in very short order. It was pretty clear to me that he had already predetermined what he was a going to write and I bet that one could lay several vets examinations and most would look very much the same in terms of the conditions and the final outcomes. Although I have not experienced this before, I've now seen it and will include the experience in the article that I'm currently working on about experiences with the Fully Developed Claims Process and some of the challenges that vets face.?. I'm an Analyst and my world is a lot about the data and the evidence that is provided to arrive at a diagnosis or a decision. That said, this end game of disbility is about American Citizens and their families that have sacrificed and served the nation. So, an examiner has an obligation to follow the rules precisely and to look at absolutely "all" of the relevant data to arrive at an all important decision. However, I have not seen that in all cases and that is very disturbing to me.? I had a GW exam on Friday so I'll see if my theory holds true...the examiner made very little eye contact and I felt like I was going through an assembly line? But I'll reserve any final judgement until I get the final results? However, my intuition has been "spot on" since filing this claim and I've learned that there is a wide difference in terms of abilities and attitudes by the medical examiners that hold our fates in their hands.

Edited March 1, 2015 by rootbeer22