Dr. David Anaise or Dr. Craig Bash for a IMO

[Bobalou]

any opinions on who is better for IMO ?

[Oceanbound]

I agree with Mark in Texas, in fact, I plan on making a trip to see the good doc Ellis soon. Like I've said before I used Dr. Anaise. Currently I've been seeing locals, a Rheumatologist, and starting now a neurologist, until I was able to fund additional IME/IMOs. You will be better off going with Dr. Ellis than with Valor4vets! I posted the reason why on another thread and pasted my response below:

 

If you go back to the main forum page and scroll down you will see that there is a section for IMO.

Valor4vet has been posted there. One member used them, posted about it, but hasn't responded with the outcome--since appeals take years.

She is a physician assistant, who after becoming one, worked for the VA as a C & P Denier to pay off her student loans.  Her husband's a marine veteran (likely had her do all his IME/IMOs for free and cheated the system, so what she is married to a marine vet, they're not one of us) and helps in the office reviewing the c-file for her since she does the exams and write poorly written reports. They have a baby. They are located in Tempe down the street from Arizona State University and market to the wet behind the ears veterans that recently left the service while attending college.

For me, I wouldn't spend one of my bahrain dinar on her, when the VA it self can get one of their bottom of the barrel medical school flunkies to write a bogus opinion and continue the viscous develop to deny cycle against you.

"You get what you pay for." 

Which is why I went local with seeing a board certified specialist having this real competent private physician know my conditions for over a year and not just a Jiffy Lube McDonald's burger. And physician assistants under law aren't allow to work for themselves, they need to be under medical doctor supervision. But what about CVS and their one minute nurses?, well they got that covered with one doctor in every state to circumvent that law. So shes violating AZ law and the VA can laugh at you after you believe their fluff website and denied you again at the BVA level because you wanted it quick. Rome wasn't built in a day. General Patton said "A pint of sweat will save a gallon of blood."

[MarkInTexas]

7 hours ago, Oceanbound said:

I agree with Mark in Texas, in fact, I plan on making a trip to see the good doc Ellis soon. Like I've said before I used Dr. Anaise. Currently I've been seeing locals, a Rheumatologist, and starting now a neurologist, until I was able to fund additional IME/IMOs. You will be better off going with Dr. Ellis than with Valor4vets! I posted the reason why on another thread and pasted my response below:

 

If you go back to the main forum page and scroll down you will see that there is a section for IMO.

Valor4vet has been posted there. One member used them, posted about it, but hasn't responded with the outcome--since appeals take years.

She is a physician assistant, who after becoming one, worked for the VA as a C & P Denier to pay off her student loans.  Her husband's a marine veteran (likely had her do all his IME/IMOs for free and cheated the system, so what she is married to a marine vet, they're not one of us) and helps in the office reviewing the c-file for her since she does the exams and write poorly written reports. They have a baby. They are located in Tempe down the street from Arizona State University and market to the wet behind the ears veterans that recently left the service while attending college.

For me, I wouldn't spend one of my bahrain dinar on her, when the VA it self can get one of their bottom of the barrel medical school flunkies to write a bogus opinion and continue the viscous develop to deny cycle against you.

"You get what you pay for." 

Which is why I went local with seeing a board certified specialist having this real competent private physician know my conditions for over a year and not just a Jiffy Lube McDonald's burger. And physician assistants under law aren't allow to work for themselves, they need to be under medical doctor supervision. But what about CVS and their one minute nurses?, well they got that covered with one doctor in every state to circumvent that law. So shes violating AZ law and the VA can laugh at you after you believe their fluff website and denied you again at the BVA level because you wanted it quick. Rome wasn't built in a day. General Patton said "A pint of sweat will save a gallon of blood."

I've never dealt with Valor4vet, but you reminded me about the VA's own use of contractor's that hire PA's, NP's or MD's/DO's that are running haphazard practices and were forced go work for QTC/VES, etc.  You can use this to your advantage though.  From what I've seen from the BVA, if the things roll your way and they provide opinions that are affirmative to your claim, they might get used later on in the appellate process, even if the VARO ignores them.  Smile and say "thank ya" and don't forget to file your travel voucher.

However, if they shoot you in the foot on the C&P report, which so many do, immediately search them out online.  (As a matter of fact, go ahead and do your research after you leave their office, even before you get the C&P report so that you can know what and who you were dealing with.  If you get their name BEFORE the C&P, it doesn't hurt to research them then too.  You might key in on something that plays with their heartstrings.)  And when I say search them out, I mean go look them up on the various medical rating sites and pull their medical practice history, license dates, employment locations and curriculum vitae if it is out there, and use it against them in your NOD or Form 9.  Facebook is also an awesome tool to see what/how they think about life, and to see if they make comments about veterans, etc.  If they say negative things about veterans or the C&P process, print it and keep it dry with your powder.

However, you should do this WHILE also detailing the curriculum vitae of the doctor or practitioner that performed your IME/IMO for you.  Show the disparities in education, training, experience ,etc to show the VARO and the BVA that your guy/lady is the professional and theirs was a scrub.

But ALSO insure that you comb through the C&P report to note and bring up where the VA's medical contractor failed to address your IME/IMO reports, your military, civilian and VA medical records, military job hazards, etc that you or your own doctor may have provided as affirmative evidence, or that the VA contractor just simply failed to provide a medical basis for his/her opinion period.  Also, use the VA's DBQ form filling program against them.  Most of these quacks don't know how to use it properly and leave things blank, or copy/paste, like you wouldn't believe, leaving a trail of errors.

On the same token, make sure that you give your IME/IMO doctor EVERYTHING they need to make a report, even the VA's C&P reports if you've had any done at this point, so that when you end up at the BVA raising your right hand, you can swear that you provided them with the whole enchilada, even the IME/IMO's from other doctors.  They can and do use a lot of this as a basis for their medical opinions as well, and quite often see something you may have missed.

On the question of who is best, I really don't know.  I can only speak from my own experience.  I was new to it all, had not hired an attorney yet and was using an American Legion VSO two hours from home, and found both of these doctors on this website.  The VA had already shot me in the back once by ignoring a great C&P that actually was in my favor and then got me once more with a second C&P with a nurse practitioner in a pony tail, so I poured through the forums and decided to use Dr. Ellis first for the whole IME/IMO in Oklahoma experience.  I sent his staff everything via U.S. Mail, including the IMO's from my oncologist and the audiologist, as well as the affirmative C&P from my first VA examiner and the negative one from the surfer dude with the pony tail.  (Again, it doesn't hurt to give other people's homework to your doctor so he can see what has already been diagnosed.)

After the VARO gave in a little, but not enough after the second C&P (which was kicked off by my new evidence from Dr. Ellis), I decided to use Dr. Anaise and once again sent everything to him via e-mail.  This also included any new medical records from current treatment and Dr. Ellis' own IMO.  Dr. Anaise and his staff produced a huge IMO based on everything, which caused the VARO to yawn a little, but give in a little more after putting me through another C&P with some doctor who worked for QTC on the side and ran a beauty/collagen lip treatment office in Florida selling beauty products.

What really made the difference was after it all finally made it to the BVA, the work finally paid off.  (So far....still waiting on the VARO to handle the grants and remands.)

I used it as a one/two punch.  I can say that Dr. Ellis does a great job and his staff is ultra-friendly, but if the VARO shuts you down, you might want to look at why they did it and if you can do a little more development on your claim, either by yourself, or in coordination with your attorney or VSO, it doesn't hurt to provide that additional medical evidence to the BVA hearing table.

Dr. Anaise was the additional evidence I needed, and was cited repeatedly and nearly equally with Dr. Ellis' opinions in the BVA decision, but so were my IMO's from my oncologist and audiologist, as well as my military and private treatment records, and like I mentioned before, they even cited some of my personnel records that had nothing to do with medical history, but showed deployments and career related hazards.  Whole enchilada...….just sayin'.

I think I got off track, but I hope I helped.

Have a great week and good luck!

 

Mark

 

 

 

[Buck52]

Just a Side Note

I would sure call around for a IMO/IME and see what you can find.

Nothing personal against Dr C Bash  He is very good Dr and helps a lot of Veterans  but in my opinion  he is just to expensive .

However its the Veterans Choice.

[doc25]

9 minutes ago, Buck52 said:

Just a Side Note

I would sure call around for a IMO/IME and see what you can find.

Nothing personal against Dr C Bash  He is very good Dr and helps a lot of Veterans  but in my opinion  he is just to expensive .

However its the Veterans Choice.

Yea he's good at what he does. He went through my smr and found I had stomach issues that started in-service and they've gotten worse over the years but I have a claim pending. So, I'm gonna hold off on that.

[Magnesium2]

On ‎3‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 2:17 PM, doc25 said:

I went with Dr. Bash and he's charging me 10k. I'm on a payment arrangement. I've only received DBQs for flat feet,knees,and lower back.

I suppose because I didn't give $$$ upfront I will have to wait for my IMOs.

I'm fine with waiting. No biggie.

 

If this guy charged you 10k for an IMO....

That's way too much money for an IMO. Something's not right.

 

 

[doc25]

3 hours ago, Magnesium2 said:

 

If this guy charged you 10k for an IMO....

That's way too much money for an IMO. Something's not right.

 

 

I mentioned in a previous post Dr.Bash's fee is based on the complexity of the claim or appeal.

I reopened a previous claim that was denied twice dating back to 2007. While he looked at my records he did find a Clear and Unmistakable Error that would make my effective date to july 2007.

My symptoms for acquired flat feet are at 30%. So if we do the math to 2007 it's about 60 grand in retropay.

10 grand will pay itself back in the long run.

I have secondary  conditions that I'm going to claim soon as this one is granted or denied.And if I'm denied I will appeal.

There is a twist to the claim because the VA changed some laws that may eliminate the effective date.

So, i'm probably screwed but its not the first time it's happened.LOL.