Examining your service medical records...

[Tbird]

* First thing I do after receiving a service medical record is number each page when I get to the end I go back and add 1 of 100 and so on.

* Second I then make a copy of my service medical records on a different color paper, yellow or buff something easy to read, but it will distinguish it from the original.

* I then put my original away and work off the copy.

* Now if you know the specific date it's fairly easy to find. 

* If on the other hand you don't know specifically or you had symptoms leading up to it. Well this may take some detective work and so Watson the game is afoot.

* Let's say it's Irritable Syndrome 

* I would start page by page from page 1, if the first thing I run across an entry that supports my claim for IBS, I number it #1, I Bracket it in Red, and then on a separate piece of paper I start to compile my medical evidence log. So I would write Page 10 #1 and a brief summary of the evidence, do this has you go through all the your medical records and when you are finished you will have an index and easy way to find your evidence. 

Study your diagnosis symptoms look them up. Check common medications for your IBS and look for the symptoms noted in your evidence that seem to point to IBS, if your doctor prescribes meds for IBS, but doesn't call it that make those a reference also.

[broncovet]

I wish I would have thought of that!   You have awesome organization skills.  

[Carl the Engineer]

Very good advice.  I think after I got my first c-file (paper) from the VA I had four copies of everything all mixed up.  And then my original papers, etc.

I still go over and over it all looking for stuff.

Binder time for me, soon,

Thannks,

Hamslice

 

[vetquest]

I strongly agree with making a storable copy of your medical records.  When I got out I was convinced the VA was there to help me and turned over all of my medical records.  Long story short I never got them back.  I had a C&P with a doctor once who took the time to go over my medical records and gave me some pages that contained valuable evidence.  Without this evidence I probably would have never reached 100% retirement.

[broncovet]

If you have a scanner, (most printers have them), then you can also "scan in" your cfile and store it on your computer, OR make it available to you on ANY computer with internet, by storing it on "google drive" or similar online storage.  Google drive is free up to so many gigabytes, and your cfile is unlikely to go over that.  

[kanewnut]

I really need to understand this. This is a listing from one of my C&P Exams

 

I don't know how this is going to work. I can't get copy and paste to work to put stuff on this message. Any idea what I am doing wrong? I am hoping the attached file will show what I want but I would much rather copy and paste and see it myself as I am trying to write the message.

Well after much searching I am beginning to believe that copy and paste doesn't work on this web site. I really don't like that because as I read older posts sometimes the links are dead, making it very hard to follow what was actually going on. 

 

As I was saying I really need to understand this. I have attached a couple of pieces from prior C&P Exams. You will note that GERD or Gastroesophagael   Reflux Disorder is mentioned in both. This is coming from Diclofenac for arthritis pain or Meloxicam for arthritis pain. The pain is service connected. Am I to understand that this should  be pointed out to the VARO so this can be rated as a secondary condition to my chronic pain condition?

 

2018-03-26 VA AXIS III From C&P Exam 2009-07-24 for Hadit.pdf

2018-03-26 VA AXIS III From C&P Exam 2013-07-22 for Hadit.pdf