I posted this in my other ongoing thread but I want this brought to the forefront. I was recently denied by WACO DRO Steve Wilbur and I believe I was retaliated because I simply asked Robert McDonald in an email to step in after 6 months of waiting for a decision when the DRO told me in the informal hearing to give him 60 days. My hearing was 45 minutes long and I was well prepared. The DRO Steve Wilbur has a very bad reputation at WACO for denials. I received a call from DRO Wilbur on August 18th, 2016 stating he received my request for a decision. He told me he would be deciding it within the week but in fact he had already decided it that day! Now I have yet to received the SOC but I have a Women's Outreach Coordinator in St. Petersburg VBA who is a very close friend of mine and happened to see the denial in my records. This idiot DRO failed to put a cover letter with my SOC and no date on my SOC. He simply submitted it to Evidence Intake and never mailed it to me! If it wasn't for my connection I would still not know and would not be within the 60 days to file the Form 9. I emailed Robert McDonald earlier this week, firing off my distaste for this DRO and my local congressman. I plan to further put him on front street when I do file the Form 9.
As for my NOD, I filed it back in 2014 for right foot (5th metatarsal fracture), right ankle condition, and left toe condition. I am attaching a lot of documents and I know we all have busy lives and I have helped a lot on here and now I need help please! I need your opinions on this situation.
Original denial for toe condition was on decision letter in June 2014. They put the denial of the toe condition on the wrong foot! It was noted on the right foot when it should have been the left foot. I pointed this out since my right ankle and right fracture had yet to be decided on. November 2014 received denial for right foot/right ankle and toe condition noted on left toe continued to be denied. This was after I had a C&P exam July 2013 where I provided TWO DBQ's from my current outside podiatrist stating my injuries to my feet/ankles/toe was all in-service injuries and I was still affected by them to this day. That was 2013. I was s/c in June 2014 and was able to start getting treatment by the VA. My primary had X-rays completed and in 2014 it showed an old fracture to my right foot, the 5th metatarsal. The C&P examiner made a rationale that stated he noted diagnoses in the C&P exam. He felt comfortable with the DBQ's from what I gathered. November 2014, a medical opinion by some doctor I never saw but supposedly reviewed my records determined either I was healed and no further treatment or that I had in-service injuries but no loner had issues. So I filed NOD November 2014 citing the errors and why I felt the denial was incorrect. Fast forward to February 2016, I had my informal hearing with DRO Wilbur. I had submitted a Nexus letter dated February 12th, 2016 from my podiatrist indicating he reviewed all my SMR's and my current conditions were all related to in-service injuries. During the hearing, DRO Wilbur even stated that a fracture in s/c with no further residuals is at least 0%. He further went on to review the Nexus letter noting that my Podiatrist stated all three contentions were in fact in-service, continuity continued. DRO Wilbur told me 60 days to decided. DAV rep was present. I felt good......WELL, then I was denied last week.
Here is the evidence I submitted to the DRO for review. I am just lost for words on this!
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Navy4life
I posted this in my other ongoing thread but I want this brought to the forefront. I was recently denied by WACO DRO Steve Wilbur and I believe I was retaliated because I simply asked Robert McDonald in an email to step in after 6 months of waiting for a decision when the DRO told me in the informal hearing to give him 60 days. My hearing was 45 minutes long and I was well prepared. The DRO Steve Wilbur has a very bad reputation at WACO for denials. I received a call from DRO Wilbur on August 18th, 2016 stating he received my request for a decision. He told me he would be deciding it within the week but in fact he had already decided it that day! Now I have yet to received the SOC but I have a Women's Outreach Coordinator in St. Petersburg VBA who is a very close friend of mine and happened to see the denial in my records. This idiot DRO failed to put a cover letter with my SOC and no date on my SOC. He simply submitted it to Evidence Intake and never mailed it to me! If it wasn't for my connection I would still not know and would not be within the 60 days to file the Form 9. I emailed Robert McDonald earlier this week, firing off my distaste for this DRO and my local congressman. I plan to further put him on front street when I do file the Form 9.
As for my NOD, I filed it back in 2014 for right foot (5th metatarsal fracture), right ankle condition, and left toe condition. I am attaching a lot of documents and I know we all have busy lives and I have helped a lot on here and now I need help please! I need your opinions on this situation.
Original denial for toe condition was on decision letter in June 2014. They put the denial of the toe condition on the wrong foot! It was noted on the right foot when it should have been the left foot. I pointed this out since my right ankle and right fracture had yet to be decided on. November 2014 received denial for right foot/right ankle and toe condition noted on left toe continued to be denied. This was after I had a C&P exam July 2013 where I provided TWO DBQ's from my current outside podiatrist stating my injuries to my feet/ankles/toe was all in-service injuries and I was still affected by them to this day. That was 2013. I was s/c in June 2014 and was able to start getting treatment by the VA. My primary had X-rays completed and in 2014 it showed an old fracture to my right foot, the 5th metatarsal. The C&P examiner made a rationale that stated he noted diagnoses in the C&P exam. He felt comfortable with the DBQ's from what I gathered. November 2014, a medical opinion by some doctor I never saw but supposedly reviewed my records determined either I was healed and no further treatment or that I had in-service injuries but no loner had issues. So I filed NOD November 2014 citing the errors and why I felt the denial was incorrect. Fast forward to February 2016, I had my informal hearing with DRO Wilbur. I had submitted a Nexus letter dated February 12th, 2016 from my podiatrist indicating he reviewed all my SMR's and my current conditions were all related to in-service injuries. During the hearing, DRO Wilbur even stated that a fracture in s/c with no further residuals is at least 0%. He further went on to review the Nexus letter noting that my Podiatrist stated all three contentions were in fact in-service, continuity continued. DRO Wilbur told me 60 days to decided. DAV rep was present. I felt good......WELL, then I was denied last week.
Here is the evidence I submitted to the DRO for review. I am just lost for words on this!
DBQ ankle conditions_Redacted.pdf
DBQ foot conditions_Redacted.pdf
medical opinion w-o exam_Redacted.pdf
Timeline for NOD hearing.pdf
Nexus letter-redacted .pdf
NOD - Denial Letter .pdf
NOD evidence notes.pdf
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