VA says no to reconstructive surgery?and also filing a claim

[Buck52]

  I need some help here.

I got a 4 year Navy Vet I am helping , he tells me he had a tumor come up on side of his Nose while on active duty in Japan, ok he had surgery at the Navel Hospital in Japan, and  the tumor has spread into the top of his mouth, the Navy hospital did surgery on the inside of his mouth and put some type of mental plate in the root of his mouth. the Dr's told him he will need more surgeries in the future ect,,,ect,,, (this is all fairly recent he is just 24 years old.)

 ok since he has been medically discharged, and came home to Texas...ok he went to the VA for reconstructive surgery and they said its not necessary he have any more surgerys  ..... he wants to file a claim for all this.

Also I don't think he can work with this type of condition..I will ask him today when he calls.

He is to call me today...do I ask him his locations and name of the hospital and dates this was done and also he needs all his medical records up to date,STR's, his MOS, and what he was around that may have caused this tumor??

Do any of you know what type questions I need to ask him?

,I ask him to join hadit and maybe he will , but so for he wants to talk to me about it first, I mention to him to join hadit  that there are members on hadit that are most like Attorneys and could help him or  members that are familiar with this type of condition can help

I believe we can get this Veteran the surgery he so badly needs and also service connected with a rating a possible high rating.

Thanks All

 

[Buck52]

I will need to hook up my headphones to my phone to be able to communicate with this veteran..and after I talk with him I will repost our conversation & for any additional help we can get him here on Hadit is much appreciated.

[Berta]

what disability was he medically discharged for? 

Maybe the tumor situation but  we can't be sure....

"the Dr's told him he will need more surgeries in the future ect,,,ect,,, (this is all fairly recent he is just 24"

".ok he went to the VA for reconstructive surgery and they said its not necessary he have any more surgerys  ..... he wants to file a claim for all this."

He needs to get this service connected but I have no idea how he should word the claim-he has above two conflicting medical opinions and would probably need an IME.

I think you need to ask him for his SMRs- and anything he has from the medical discharge-we dont even know what type of tumor this was, 

and what actual ratable residuals he has, that would warrant more surgery.

[Buck52]

Thanks Ms Berta

I will ask him all kinds of questions, if he was around a chemical that maybe was the cause or related to this tumor...Jet fuel or even A.O. Maybe?  definitely find out his MOS or what he was ordered to do on active duty locations and   what ship he was on if any? and of course check his STR'S

He lives fairly close to me about 20 miles away  and I may get with him at a restaurant buy his dinner and ask him to bring some of his medical records and DD 214 STR's ect,,ect,, and I will skeem through them to find out more information.

[Buck52]

ok

I talked with this veteran today

He has a Honorable Discharge  completed 4 years in the Navy

He E.T.S. in Feb of this year,.

ok.while on active duty he had a tooth TWO MOLARS  removed in the rear of his mouth, & at the time of extraction the Dr Noted this Tumor Growing under the tooth that was extracted, they went in and did surgically remove the tumor, and fitted him with partial plates..on one side of the partials they had to make the partials to fit over the hole caused from the removal of the tumor.

This all was done while on active duty in Okinawa Japan at the Naval Hospital,  the VA surgeon that did the surgery mention to him that he will require reconstructive surgery to re-cover the hole left where the tooth was... Now that he is home  he went to  VA Hospital in Dallas Tx (North Tx VA Medical Center) Where he ask for the reconstructive surgery that  the Okinawa VA  Dr said he needed.....he has no medical records of this  nor does he have any STR's available..however after talking with him he mention that they gave him a CD and he never has looked at it??

  So he needs to put it in his computer and read what all is on it  I told him it may have all his medical records and his C-File in it but doubt very serious his STR's will be in it but its a possibility.

He is a medic assigned to the hospital clinic as his MOS As he did his Active Duty  he was not on a ship. he was considered a CORPSMAN as his MOS,  But he did attend medic school in San Antonio Tx has his MOS..So I am not really clear as to what his MOS is?

He stated he was not around any harsh Chemicals or Jet fuel or any thing that might cause this tumor  he worked in the clinic as his duty requirement giving injections to the military personal within his base station in  Okinawa Japan

He filed a claim while still on active duty on this surgery for removal of tumor and was awarded  S.C. 10% just this last Feb ...and he ask me if he can get a increase  because of the VAMC in Dallas said it would be to risky or much abrasive to do more surgery and things would be worse if he has this surgery??

I ask him what they gave him the 10% S.C. for?  what did it say on his Award letter? reasons and bases or what we decided?  he didn't know but will try to find that Award letter tonight.

He still has 10 months left for filing NOD But I am not sure what to have him file on  for increase?  I do not know what this condition is called?  he got the 10% for?  He can still disagree with the rating decison.

I believe this type of surgery will give up to a 30% rating  but  is 10% without complications & 20% 30% for not having a prosthesis.

If no prosthesis is fitted then a 30% is warranted according to the rating criteria  so his partials would be considered a prosthesis...correct? he stated without the partials he has a hole in the back of his mouth where the Tooth was extracted   (not where the root of the tooth was) but where they did the removal of the tumor.

I might ask him to let me see and read that CD he has?

and see why the Okinawa Dr mention he needed the reconstructive surgery for? he thinks its to cover up the hole left from the tumor removal?  hopefully that medical record in in this CD?

It was a little hard to get the information I needed from him..so he might have a mental Issues as well? I covered that too for him and any more conditions that he may have that would be military related that he may have today after he got out

.So we can file on any of those too at this time. likePTSD if he had been traumatized?  or hearing loss or tinnitus  ect,,ect,, he maybe denied but it starts the EED Clock

he said he said he couldn't think of any.other health conditions that he has &  so for now just the surgery and for the S.C. 10% He was awarded back in Feb 2018

SOOOOOOOOO now what?

Edited June 27, 2018 by Buck52

[Buck52]

Anybody know what this type surgery is called? and how its rated?  he supposedly has a plate made into his partials that cover the hole where the tumor was removed.

I've never heard of this?

 

[Gastone]

Oral Surgery, just because there was a tumor removed, not necessarily a Cancerous growth. A Naval Oncologist wasn't involved with the post-surgery Treatment, right? What did the Tumor pathology report indicate?

I think he needs a face to face with a POA-VSO. He may or may not have a Ratable Comp Condition.

Didn't he get a DOD Rating for the cause of his Med discharge?