C&P pain advice

[SPO]

I addressed a similar subject in a different topic, but here it goes.  I submitted my arthritis claim yesterday through DAV.  I asked he he thought I should handle a C&P and letting them know about pain even if i'm having a better day.  He said just "make it seem like my worst day", more or less.  He also said that explaining to the doc what my worst days are like doesn't mean anything to them.  I have to take my meds on a schedule and flares usually happen at the end and beginning of a dosage period (every 2-3 months) and I just took my meds a week ago, so symptoms will start to reduce very soon.  I'm at a loss on how to handle this, I don't want to get screwed out of a rating, but I don't want the VA to think I'm full of crap and deny.  The difference between DAV's advice and what I have gotten through everyone on here is so different I'm not sure what to do.

[broncovet]

Here is the deal:

You go to a C and P exam.  Lets say you feel fine on that day, with no symptoms.  You tell the examiner this, you get denied.  

Instead, go to the C and P exam.  When he asks "How are you?" Your answer could be similar to this:

"Im ok, TODAy, but last thursday (or whenever your WORST DAY was), here is what happened.   Now talk about what your symptoms were on your worst day.  Its perfectly legit to tell them what was wrong with you on your worst day, even if you feel fine the day of the exam.  I mean it happens in private care also.  You go to the ER because you are vomiting, have a temp, and very sick.  You wait 4 hours to see the doc in the waiting room, and you feel a bit better.  So do you tell the doc you are fine and go home?  No, you explain your symptoms even tho you are not experiencing them this second.  Its not being dishonest, you are simply explaining your symptoms.  Its not necessary to be at your very sickest when you see the doc...you still want to tell him how you felt, so he can diagnose and prescribe meds for you.  Its kind of like when your car has problems.   It dies.   You manage to get it started again, and take it in for warranty work.  You dont want a car that starts "some" of the time, you want a reliable car that can be counted on, so you explain your symptoms even tho it may not fail while its in the shop.  

 

 

[vetquest]

Broncovet has some very good advice.  Do not do what the DAV told you to do.  They can spot a fake as they do this so much.  If you are so inclined you could start a pain diary and bring that with you to the examination.

[SPO]

So how is the va supposed to rate based on a day when it doesn’t hurt and my description of a bad day since they tend not to believe anything a vet says? 

[Carl the Engineer]

I may be of some assistance, and you may not like what I am saying, but here it goes,

I have 5 joints service connected for arthritis.  Some by x-ray, some by Range of Motion.  ROM is where the monies at.

2 joints I have had increases on and 4 are secondary to the original claim.  These all go back to 09, 11, 12 and 2016.

In Nov 2016 I did a claim for left ankle tendinitis secondary to my other stuff.  This had just manifested itself probably up to a year before the C&P.  At the exam, I was having a great day.  I had very little pain and good ROM.  Luckily, I had x-ray evidence.  I was granted SC, but at 0-%.

Fast forward to last Friday's C&P.  I put in a claim for an increase (along with other claims) for my left ankle tendinitis.  Now, in constant pain, I can barely push off with my left foot, active and at rest, have a note from an orthopedic surgeon recommending cut and reattach my calf muscle and some more notes from 13 weeks of physical therapy.  The examiner was more concerned with the medical records than my Achilles, and when she did examine it, I think it was very favorable towards me.  Time will tell, but I feel good about it.  

What I am trying to say is, with arthritis, if you can get it service connected, it is a gateway to further claims (compensation) as the arthritis spreads.  I'm not saying it spreads like chicken pox, but more like it overworks other parts of the body that compensate for the affected joint.  

If you have other joints that you are having issues with, claim them secondary to your original joint when it gets rated, etc.

Arthritis and joints aren't big money makers. 

As a wise person on here once said on the Hadit radio show, "don't mess with the nickel and dime stuff".

But hey, it's all I got, 

LOL,

Hamslice