Additional Claims

[Ranmic]

Hopefully this is not a silly question but if so please entertain me.  I have an SCD rating of 10% as of this moment and when I filed the claim and was awarded it I had done it all on my own with no help or guidance.  I didn't know that I could file a claim for my knees causing me issues or carpal tunnel (call it ignorance on my part) but after talking to a gentleman last week at work that helps guide Vets on their claims he said now that I have a 10% SCD it will be difficult to get anything else as I should have claimed all of my ailments in the beginning.  Claiming everything at once makes since but I obviously didn't know that.  Now comes my question.  So is it or will it be worth trying to move forward with a claim for the two conditions I just mentioned?  Lastly for whatever reason the VA last time the looked could not find my medical record, so what do I need to do to prove I have these issues?

Thank you for any guidance you can provide.

[GeekySquid]

16 minutes ago, paulstrgn said:

Ranmic I would suggest going through your medical file and marking anything that may be considered a disability.

To piggy back on Paul's post, the VA calls your Benefits file a C-File, presumably for Claims File.

If you don't have a copy, you need to order one from Janesville WI

It theoretically contains all you Military Service and Treatment Records (STRs).

It also contains all your claims related stuff and any treatment you get at VAMC's.

It should have any and all medical records you submit from Civilian Sources and any files the VA obtains performing their legally mandated Duty to Assist.

It comes as single PDF on a CDROM.

Right now it seems to take between 4 and 6 months to get a copy, which eats into your 1 year time to file an appeal if you wait until you get your BBE with your claims results.

The first one is free but you can get other copies by saying you can't afford the costs.

You can search Hadit for ways to organize and use your C-file once you get it. I highly suggest you be meticulous and detailed when you do this.

As Paul said identify every thing in your file that looks like it might be a harm.

If you don't know what a word means mark it, look it up, and then look for medical analogues of that term.

You will then want to look at all the potential conditions listed in 38 USC that can be compensated

You will then want to look at the Disability Questionnaires (DBQ's) for each potential claim you might have.

This can be a full time job if you do it properly and if you file properly with the right evidence that work will pay off in the long run.

 

[Ranmic]

Thank you all!  I was pretty sure that dude was out to lunch as it didn't make much sense to me but then again the government doesn't make much sense to me on a daily basis.  I will dig though my med records an make sure all my "ailments" are in there.  If not, maybe I'm screwed but we'll see.

 

Again, thank you all for the quick responses and information!