Filing a Claim Question Agent Orange

[kit141]

Filed an AO claim one month ago. Went to all appointments, waiting for rating letter.  My VSO only applied for a heart condition.  After reading some of posts here, I could also file for my legs which were affected by my cardiac arrests along with some other problems I see mentioned here,  Well yesterday I received a letter from the VA telling me that they have requested copies of my medical records for my  claim.  I also requested records  which I received after a two month wait.  The letter also encouraged to send my records.  It went on to tell me my claim could be decided within 15 days if they do not hear from me.  I have no problem with me sending the records but the records are 10 inch high which would make the task  almost impossible to do.

My VSO told me not to worry about this letter.  Should I have filed everything together or separately? Called the  the Private Medical Records Retrieval center and got pretty much what the letter said, so not much help there. 

What should my next step.  

[kit141]

Just a quick question.  Can anybody tell the procedures for filing an appeal.  Just the part about meeting with the VA and my rep.  I live in northern MN, have a VA hospital in Minneapolis 140m away and it looks like the Doc that is making the decision is in Texas working for VES. So how does this happen Thanks  

 

[Berta]

sorry no one answered and I am confused by the question........

The VA will give you appeal rights when they decide the claim, to include asking for a DRO review- if that is what you mean....if you are denied......

 

Has the VA accepted the travel vouchers as proof of your service in Vietnam?

This might be the problem: as I had posted here before:

"I think maybe VA is trying to separate the A fib from IHD.

Atrial Fibrillation has a different diagnostic code than IHD and is not AO presumptive.."

Did you send the private Medical records of your diagnosis of both the A Fib and the IHD?

This concerned me, as you stated in early April:

"My VSO told me not to worry about this letter" ????

I think all of us hardcore VA claimants would worry about (and act on) ANY letter from the VA.

I also think this was filed as a FDC, and that is why VA wanted med recs within 15 days.

Gastone is correct here:

"Your "10 inch Stack" may seem imposing but there are probably less than 15 actual pages that you need to be sure the VA Rating Dept has.  Any Clinician's (MD or DO) actual Diagnosis (DX) regarding your Claimed SC Conditions.

As to your Heart condition, you have DX records regarding the Heart Attacks, what about Stent placements and Artery Grafts (as in By-pass surgery)?"

That is a point I made in this thread myself.

My husband never received any medical diagnosis or treatment from VA for his heart condition, that ultimately,since it was malpracticed on,

(they called his first heart attack- while he was on the job, employed at VA- a "Sinus condition")

caused his death. His VA med recs were so voluminous the SSDI office had to push them around on a dolly.

So in spite of the fact there were limited VA records that I used to prove FTCA malpracticed IHD,long ago , I needed very few for my AO IHD claim....EKGs, ECHO, a few more and also the Section 1151 award and FTCA info.

If you get a denial we can help more if  you can scan and attach their Reason and Basis for the IHD denial and also the Evidence list they used.

(Cover C file # and name prior to scanning it)

It isn't over yet...don't be discouraged.You said you filed in March 2017.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 20, 2017 by Berta

[kit141]

Thanks for the reply.  The VA has not notified me on what they have accepted or rejected as my as far as my travel vouchers go.  The last I heard they have received one set of private medical records (190 pages) which contained my A-Fib problem and my addmentice  for the heart attack. The other set of records, from a different hospital contained medical records pertaining to the pace maker. These records were sent two weeks age to date. Have not heard if they had posted them to my C-File.   The first set of records also contained the follow up hospital stay for the next three months.

I thought  the same thing about the letter from the VA.  But since the medical records are included in my C-File, hopefully that problem has been solved.  I started the process thru my VSO the end of January 

I did not have stints or grafts on my heart.  The only thing that is in my records that makes my claim is AO presumptive my condition was stated as ischemic as I had complete blockage also, chronic diastolic, coronary artery disease. The name might note say ischemic but these are all the same.

I guess I am glad I was not admitted to a VA care facility.  My cardiac arrests left no doubt what was going on arrived at the ER with a zero pulse and a blood pressure of 20.  The gave my a 5% chance to survive the aircraft ride to the next hospital  but here I am with my big problem of walking

When I asked about viewing my C-File, I was told I had to file a Freedom of Information which could take any from 6-12 months to get.

Will just keep on plugging away,