IMOs and Private Doctor Opinions

[Dustoff1970]

Okay folks this is not a question but an observation about attitudes of former government lifer VA raters, DROs and some VSOs.

There is an AO SOB 30 year former DRO and then VSO on another veterans benefits forum that is fanatical about several items.  He maintains over and over and over again that an IMO opinion are not private doctors medical opinions but instead VA requested medical opinions from outside doctors to clarify issues in order to make a claim decision and according to VA definitions he is correct.  HOWEVER for many many many years both veterans and VSOs have referred to private civilian doctors medical opinions on behalf of veteran claimants as also IMOs and there is also truth in this and absolutely nothing wrong in using this term IMHO!!!!

This same AO also lies and says that CUE errors are extremely rare and CUE claims nearly impossible to win for the vet.  Again this is BS and he is saying VA raters/DROs never commit any serious errors in their claims decisions when in fact thousands of BVA/court public decisions have found thousands of errors in VA raters initial decisions over many decades and many of these were serious errors to include CUE.  His typical lifer government attitude is on full display in a great many of his post to younger or new naive veterans and I feel sorry for them and there are others like him on that particular forum.

Over a period of 30 years filing my own mostly successful claims and appeals including CUE  I have read hundreds of BVA and court decisions and many vets won their claims on appeal due to them having to pay for a private doctor IMO when in fact the VA raters/DROs denied their claims with these private doctor IMO opinion statements.  He and others like him are always dismissive of these private doctors and lawyers who represent veterans in their appeals.  Lifers are Lifers and they always stick together in their arrogance towards us other unclean vets. This is another example of something stinking smelling bad anti veteran attitude in D.C. unless of course you are a member of a special veteran groups.  This is the end of my truthful rant and I enjoyed it very much.

The above info from me is strictly my personal opinion and in no way legal advice as I am not an attorney, paralegal or VSO.

[Buck52]

A lot has change since us old dog Nam Vets got out..

Nowadays when a soldier gets out  they take him to a nice quiet room and ask him if he has any injurys or anything wrong at this time  if you do  you should file a claim right away  or within one year of your seperation.

And some of the Veterans do just that and they usually are approved within that one year or sooner.

Back when i got out they gave me a clip board with this sheet of paper on it  to turn in all my gear and I went to different stations to process out and the NCO checked the boxes for each Item I gave up..and then they sent me to the mess hall to have a streak Dinner in the officers quarters....nothing was said about how I feel or if I had any injurys or anything medical  they said they gave me a hearing test  but I flat out don't remember it?  if they did so what noise induced hearing loss don't usually occur until a few years down the road and each person is different  when they get their eardrums damage ....I never know anything about claims or if we were injured  we just sucked it up because we were anxious to get home ....the Veterans today are  told about claims and what to do how to file and the form # to file a claim   back when I got out nothing like this was mention to me...so this is a great advantage for the new veterans just getting out..

And through the years most of us Nam Veterans has had to Educate ourselves to fight the VA and we learn what the IMO was for. (jmo)

Educate yourself learn the VA Guidelines and study the CFR's and past Bva cases and learn from them to perfect your claim, save this information you get to help other veterans down the road.

Knowledge is Power  for any veteran  and I say live and learn and fight the VA with your last breath  never give up...its for your best Interest as well as your family's.

[vetquest]

Buck, I was a Marine SSGT on Tuesday and got a checkout sheet.  I was seen by a doctor who signed me out as fully fit for duty so I could be discharged as disabled, RE3P.  I had an attitude after that and because I was being railroaded and refused to sign my checkout for secret information with S2.  They told me I could not get out if I did not sign so my WO3, who they called, told me to go home and come back on Friday to be discharged.  I did not complete the legally required checkout procedures.  No one talked to me about the VA.  Heck, I did not learn about the VA until I had a service organization (NCOA) tell me to file for benefits. 

[Buck52]

I hear that vetquest  basically the same thing happen to me but I did not get an attitude I guess because I was so glad to be getting the hell out I did not think things over like I should have  I have no clue as to what they might have written on this check out sheet..I was just happy to be coming home  after two consecutive years over in Nam I was ready to get the hell home I did have a week R&R but most of my time was spent in country in the RVN  I loved my unit and my Commanding officer and all my buddys  but nothing had never felt any better until I sit foot back on American california soil.I kissed the ground when I got off the plan at Oakland Calif out processing center.

I never had or new about theses claims   it was years later before I filed a claim  ...Until I woke up one morning hurting like crazy my stomach and side was on fire  and I was in Chronic Pain  we didn't have medical Insurance back then and my neighbor mention to my wife that I was a Veteran and could use the VAMC 40miles away...anyway I had exploratory surgery and my appendix had rupture and infection had set in I was at the VAMC FOR ABOUT 8 WEEKS it was there I learned about these claims...an Audiologist tested my hearing on the count of the Dr that was treating me mention that I must be hearing impaired .

I worked at a gas station pumping gas and changing oil  12to16 hours a day and had two kids and a wife to support. on about 80/90 dollars a week. after that I swept out airplane hangers for 2,35 cents  an hour and I just never thought about these claims  and with no insurance  there was no way I could afford hearing aids,  so I just brushed it off...and one day I did file for hearing loss because I lost my job GOOD OIL FIELD JOB because I could not hear well enough , if it hadn't been from  that VAMC Dr that had treated me  years earlier and mention about my hard of hearing  I probably would not ever known about filing a hearing loss claim caused by loud noise occurred in Vietnam years ago.....Live and learn after we get out  but the newer veterans can file claims now  and that's good that they are told to do so.  we just never had that when I got out.

I hope all the new Veterans getting out will do this  if they don't and wait years later to file for something that comes up military related   heaven help them win their claims  because it will likely be just has hard for them then as  it was for us or harder to win their claims.

[Oceanbound]

Same dude said he doesn't use the VA but private health care. won't mention this again.

Also, not one of them brought up in the where to get a used car thread in off topic, about buying a used car at the auction. This website or that car site, not one mentioned the auction where car dealerships get half their used cars and then double the price of them.

Which is why I left that site and came here.