Copies of C&P Exam Results Must Now Be Requested from Your RO?

[lotzaspotz]

This is interesting and unfortunate, if true.  My husband had another C&P exam yesterday. It was at a VA office in town dedicated to these exams, but not at the VAMC.  While it was going on and I was waiting in the lobby, I asked the receptionist for the form to complete to get a copy of it, as I've always done.  She replied, and the examiner later concurred when I asked him the same thing, that the VA nationwide has implemented a new policy.  Copies of exam results must now be requested directly from the RO, and will not be available until after a claim is decided.  VAMC's will no longer provide copies to veterans.  You can guess what's going to happen (or more likely, not happen) if veterans have to jump through this brand new hoop to get medical information that rightfully belongs to them in reference to their claims and appeals.

Has anyone else heard this?  I'm wondering how the HIPAA laws impact this.  Our Congressman is also an M.D., and I'm ready to contact him, but I'd first like to get my facts straight.  I asked about accessing the information on ebenefits, but they told me to expect a change in that, but they didn't know how that was all going to shake out.  

 

Edited April 8, 2016 by lotzaspotz

[Navy04]

I guess we are Lucky in the DFW area, cause I had my exam last Wednesday, and by Friday the Results were on MyHealthEVet VA Notes

[iceturkee]

btw, aren't there lawyers who handle va claims that are members of this group? if so, perhaps you should ask one of them about your concerns regarding exam release.

[purexattrition]

You don't need to do any of that... just log on through the healthevet website, then go to your blue button and check "va notes", you have access to all your exams right there, no forms.

[broncovet]

Buck, I just read one  of your earlier posts.  This is important.  You posted:

"1) A request from a Veteran to amend a C&P examination report must be in writing and submitted to the Privacy Officer at the VHA health care facility that performed the examination. Upon receipt, the VHA Privacy Officer, or designee, notifies the VBA Privacy Officer that an amendment request has been received. Amendment requests are processed by VHA for all C&P examinations in accordance with VHA Handbook 1605.1. VHA uses standard letter templates to notify the Veteran whether the request for amendment has been granted or denied. The VHA Privacy Officer, or designee, forwards a completed amendment packet to the VBA Privacy Officer, or designee. VHA and VBA are both responsible for providing all parties, to whom they have previously released the C&P examination report, a corrected version of the report."

Now, isnt this just like the VA?  The Veteran has to know the procedure, and if he does not know it, his request is ignored.  YOu have to contact the PRIVACY OFFICER at your VAMC.  NOt the doc, not the RO, not the BVA.  The privacy officer.  Naturally, the VA "buries" this regulation somewhere so deep, and does not inform the VEteran of this valuable information except in some obscure memo.  This is a big help, Buck.  Awesome.  

[Berta]

Yes, that is excellent info Buck.

I think C & P exams should fall under HIPPA but sure don't know.

I used to print off C & P exams here from time to time ,to go over them carefully but I no longer do that. It meant that unexpected company could not come in for a visit

but I hate unexpected company anyhow..... my point is I felt it could have been a HIPPA violation on my part if anyone else was able to see the exam , as a print off or even visible  on my PC screen  , and even if they did not try to read it.

A friend of mine was a medical transcriber , who worked from her home and she had the same problem, trying to get people to understand that just because she was obviously home every day, it didnt mean anyone could expect to just drop in. She mentioned HIPPA too and felt that protects patients , but then again we do have a right to see our own medical records.

 

 

 

 

[flores97]

Excellent advice, Bronco! Might I add that also works with bank overdraft fees. Now, I am by no means encouraging anyone to overdraft, but I have boa and, before I began receiving benefits occasionally an emergency would arise(such as missing a week of work due to now sc disabilities and being out of sick hours due to same), and I would have no choice in order to buy food or pay the electric bill. I found if I called the bank and asked them to return the fee due to hardship and one employee said no, I simply called back until someone said yes.