Copy of Hearing Test records

[Ranmic]

So I am planning on filing a claim for an increase for hearing loss as I am currently at 0% but SC.  When I was initially tested a couple of years ago it was though a Doctor that the VA sent me to during my C&P process.  I asked the Doctor before I left if I could get a copy of the test/records he performed but he said it would be available through the VA.  In the past year or so I have not been able to locate a copy of those results even though they did yield me Service connected hearing loss.  Does anyone have any tips on how I can get a copy of those records so I can submit as evidence for my hearing loss increase request?  Hoping they will send me for another C&P as I was kinda surprised when they put me at 0....even though I was happy to see they at least service connected me.

Thank you in advance.

[brokensoldier244th]

Can you access MyHealthVet? They keep three years worth, but not c and p records. Just clinical visits.

[Ranmic]

31 minutes ago, brokensoldier244th said:

Can you access MyHealthVet? They keep three years worth, but not c and p records. Just clinical visits.

Thank you.  I do have access so I'll go look.  If they don't do you have any recommendation on where I would get them if at all possible?

I'm filing for an increase so I'm not sure if I actually need them seeing as how I'm hoping the will send me for a new test.  Or should I just go to an ENT/Audiologist and have new test performed and use that?

 

[brokensoldier244th]

Under Personal History, Download My Data, Then Blue Button. You can select date ranges and what you want to download or view. I usually select all of it when im not sure, then when viewing I use CTRL F to search for keywords like "hearing" or "audio" (in your case). They can only go back so many years, though- im not sure the limit. I usually log on every so many months and pull down whats in there and save it over the top of the file I already have. Reading the Blue Button User Guide, it looks like C and P's ARE on there. Apologies for that. I haven't had a C and P in over 5 years, so I didnt know that they changed it. 

 

You don't really need the C and P, though, you just need your Hearing audio information from that point forward to show a change. 

 

 

Edited May 30, 2020 by brokensoldier244th

[MarkInTexas]

If that doesn't work, I'd do a FOIA request for those records in particular from the VA.  You could ask for your entire C-File from front cover to back cover, but you might also include language, "...including, but not limited to, all records from the audiology compensation and pension examination performed by the XXXXX on the date of XXXXX in XXcityXX, XXstateXX for the claim of hearing loss, made on XXXXXX."  Just a thought.  Good luck!

Mark

 

Edited May 30, 2020 by MarkInTexas

[brokensoldier244th]

FOIA can take a couple months or more, especially now due to Covid  because no one is in the RO or RMC/NPRC to pull records except for special case claims like AO/Homeless, etc. If I can't get it via electronic means by querying the RMC or NPRC and I have to wait for someone to actually research it and pull the records, that particular claim is going to be waiting awhile. Its affecting us, to, and our ability to work your claim quickly, but it is what it is. VA is not RMC/NPRC. They have their own thing going on. 

Including the language won't make any difference. Once evidence is submitted into the electronic folder via upload its there (that is, only claims information evidence) VA health records are a whole different system and are not part of your C file unless you sent something in particular in for a claim, or one of us queried VHA records to upload treatment records into your folder for something in response to a contention claim. Asking for your C file is going to get you whatever is of record in your Claims folder at that time. We don't go and query the entire VHA for medical records that aren't already in there in response to a C file request.

To put it more simply- I get a contention claim, I access VHA and pull everything I can find, along with RMC/NPRC for personnel records and STRs- but that is only in response to a claim. There will be a lot of medical stuff in there that is NOT related to your particular claim- I only annotate the parts I can find that are relevant to your particular claim at the time. However, all that other stuff is still in there, so if you file a claim for something else a lot of the time we don't have to requery again for everything, we only query VHA again to get the most recent things that weren't already there. 

That is why there are gaps in VHA information in C-files. VHA information is not automatically fed into them, its queried by VSRs when they are working your contentions on a claim. Those data grabs may contain other medical info- in my opinion, the more the better (for future claims). Otherwise, VHA and VBA are separate. When I query VHA for records, I don't get too selective- I grab everything I can between Date A and the Present. IT makes it harder on me because Im visually scanning and CTRL-F searching through a lot of stuff not relevant to your contention of -HEARING LOSS (for example) but at least all that other stuff is in there for the next person if you claim something else. This is current policy per M21 that we search for everything we can find when working a claim. I have no idea what it may have been 2-3-5-X years ago.

KIM that the efolder system has only been in place for a few years though- older vets with paper records or VHA going back 20 yrs ago aren't going to have those data dumps in their Efolder unless someone queried for them for a claim after they were scanned. 

Edited May 30, 2020 by brokensoldier244th

[MarkInTexas]

Good point!