Another Grant. Again, use an IMO

[MikeHunt]

As I've stressed, use a doctor's opinion. You will win.

Go to your state's Military Affairs department to file- They have the best financed VSO- in my state, it happens to be they chose The Legion- Yours may be different.

Don't communicate with the VA- use the VSO. You are in, essentially, a trial- Calling the other side wouldn't be a good idea- and it isn't here. In short, they're not telling the Legion they called to drop your claim.

This site is becoming FAR to confusing.

[USMC_VET]

16 hours ago, deedub75 said:

I kept getting denied by the same VA nurse practitioner for bogus reasons and each time it went back to her she made up new reasons to deny me. I asked my VSO how to get my claims away from this NP and they told me get send it to BVA or get an IMO. I didn't want to send it back to BVA because they were the ones who remanded my claim back to the original VA NP who kept denying me in the first place. I typed up a nexus letter that I found on the internet and asked my personal orthopedic surgeon if he would support me. I gave him the letter that I typed basically as a template and told him he could add or change things in the letter that he saw fit. He just took the letter that I typed up, put it on his letterhead, signed it and mailed it to me. I submitted it as a supplemental claim and I was sent to a contractor for new exams and all claims were finally granted. 

@deedub75that is great.  I know vets find it hard to find local docs/specialists who will do this sometimes, and i have had the same experience often.  Alot of docs look at these requests like your asking them to help you in some insurance fraud against a gas station for slipping outside the door.  If you dont have the money for the IMO then you may have to ask around, pay the co pay for a initial counseling and just lay it all out. Alot of doctors dont know how the VA system works and are totally unaware that they will use NP's to determine a neurology issue and without their help thats basically the end of the road.  Youre going to pay either way when you seek a imo/supporting medical information, either in cash up front or time & anxiety trying to find a local doc to help you out. Its not fair but thats the world.

And to hit this again yes IMO docs charge what seems like alot but as has been said they spent thousands and thousands of hours to gain the expertise they have now and that expertise is what makes his/her words more powerful to the VA and thats what youre paying for.  Doctors should be paid for their time both in writing the IMO and the time they spent getting to that point just like everyone else.

[Fat]

I think the key component for physicians to remember for an IMO or Nexus statement is it isn't legally binding, it only asks for a 51% percent rationale on causation of a medical issue.

Through training, school, experience, and physiology a doctor should be able to submit his opinion on a medical issue in their specialty. 

Once its explained like that, they normally have little or no issue with offering an opinion.

[USMC_VET]

48 minutes ago, Fat said:

I think the key component for physicians to remember for an IMO or Nexus statement is it isn't legally binding, it only asks for a 51% percent rationale on causation of a medical issue.

Through training, school, experience, and physiology a doctor should be able to submit his opinion on a medical issue in their specialty. 

Once its explained like that, they normally have little or no issue with offering an opinion.

great point