Can "buddy" statements actually hurt your claim?

[allansc2005]

Got a veteran who is filing for SC sleep apnea. He's already had his sleep study done, diagnosis is "Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea"

Vet also has a VERY well written Nexus letter and DBQ from a prominent sleep study professional, which includes the famous "more likely than not" entry that connects his sleep apnea to active duty. The sleep study professional IS NOT a VA employee, and is a Ph.D., NOT an MD.

Considering the veteran has the Nexus letter and DBQ, are buddy letters really necessary since they actually had little contact with the veteran while they were in the same unit for a SHORT period of time?

Will the fact that the sleep study professional is NOT an MD also hurt the veteran's claim?

As a footnote, this is a veteran who's ENTIRE C file, including all sleeves, is only a few pages long, and doesn't shed light on ANY early indicators of sleep apnea, i.e., snoring, coughs, frequent colds....ZERO ZILCH.

Comments, opinions, questions..?

Thanks,

Allan

2-2-0 HUAH!

 

 

[Buck52]

Roger that Allan.  sorry buddy

[allansc2005]

Buck, it's a first time claim. And of course once it's won, we will go back and secondary it with other conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, etc., which the veteran also suffers from.

As you know, secondary conditions can be a little tricky, so we will let the "experts" handle it after the sleep apnea case is won, and of course, we will always be on the look out for SMCs.

Allan

2-2-0 HUAH!