C&P exams

[GBArmy]

Hang onto to your hats, boys and girls. I just read on Stars & Stripes that the VA is terminating all in-house C&P exams. Going forward they are going to contact them all out. Apparently, no exceptions for MH exams, MST, etc. Yet they haven't implemented corrective actions based on an audit they had 2 years ago.  Anybody think this 100% re-sourcing may be a bad idea? "WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs is eliminating its in-house compensation and pension exam program and will outsource all of the exams, which are crucial to determining whether veterans are eligible for VA benefits." see the article https://www.stripes.com/news/us/va-plans-to-outsource-all-compensation-and-pension-exams-1.649356

[brokensoldier244th]

If the opinion wasn't completed correctly by the contractor, or if it differed significantly from the record, then the Rater would kick the claim back to one of us to schedule another exam. We have no input on that. We don't participate in the ratings portion at all. 

 

 

[brokensoldier244th]

Did you contact the contractor directly? The examination results would be in your C-file, but the contractor would have to release the records to you only if you directly request them. It may differ between them, though, as to what their release policies are. If you have your C file you have all of it, but that takes a long time, and even longer now since a bajilion percent of us are working from home. 

 

[deedub75]

1 minute ago, brokensoldier244th said:

Did you contact the contractor directly? The examination results would be in your C-file, but the contractor would have to release the records to you only if you directly request them. It may differ between them, though, as to what their release policies are. If you have your C file you have all of it, but that takes a long time, and even longer now since a bajilion percent of us are working from home. 

 

I called the contractor and they said I had to get copies from VBA. The contractors can't release them to the veteran. The VAMC used to get copies of the contract exams but they stopped that practice a couple of years ago. I used to go to the ROI office at the VAMC and fill out a form and they would print them out on the spot. That is no longer the case. I could go to the RO and get copies but I don't believe they are opened yet. Now, it's even more difficult to get access to exams conducted at the VAMC. They put a 30 day delay on all VAMC exams so now they won't show up in your electronic records until after 30 days have passed. I see these measures as delay tactics so VBA can push claims through faster. They have purposely made it more difficult for us to get access to our exams. That way we have a harder time contesting them before the claims are rated. It also shouldn't take that long to get a copy of a c-file especially with them being all electronic. I see this as a delay tactic as well along with them getting rid of the 48 hour VSO review period.  

 

[brokensoldier244th]

The 30 day suspense is because VAMCs and Contractors are not all open in all locations. They aren't delay tactics and they don't close out your claim. There is no "30 day delay", as soon as the contractor sends the results are are added to your record electronically- thats where I get them from, because they are already there. As for not getting a C file, what do you want us to do? OPM has directed ROs to not have in person employees depending on local conditions, with a phased opening process dependent on local covid cases in the area where the RO is located.

Im sorry if that upsets you, but IM not going to work in a closed office with a virus running rampant ( I live in a hot spot) and endanger myself, my coworkers, or my family. The national records locations are the same- its not a VA directive. We can't open until OPM says we can. 

[deedub75]

3 minutes ago, brokensoldier244th said:

The 30 day suspense is because VAMCs and Contractors are not all open in all locations. They aren't delay tactics and they don't close out your claim. There is no "30 day delay", as soon as the contractor sends the results are are added to your record electronically- thats where I get them from, because they are already there. As for not getting a C file, what do you want us to do? OPM has directed ROs to not have in person employees depending on local conditions, with a phased opening process dependent on local covid cases in the area where the RO is located.

Im sorry if that upsets you, but IM not going to work in a closed office with a virus running rampant ( I live in a hot spot) and endanger myself, my coworkers, or my family. The national records locations are the same- its not a VA directive. We can't open until OPM says we can. 

Before Covid, c-file requests were taking forever. When I requested mine a few years ago, I got it very quickly and I believe mine was still in paper format. So Covid may have delayed them even more but they were already slow. 

The 30 day delay doesn't pertain to contractor exams. They took away our easy access to them. The 30 day delay pertains to exams conducted at the VAMC. There is no delay in the exams getting added to your claims file so your claims can be rated. There is a 30 day delay in the exam being added to your VAMC medical records for you to review them. A few days after I had my exam at the VAMC, I went check my blue button report to review the exam. There was a note in there saying that the exams would not be made available until after 30 days had passed. Of course my claim was rated well before then. It didn't used to be this way. 

 

[brokensoldier244th]

Then that is a VAMC thing, I apologize. I thought he was talking about the claims side of things. I see everything as soon as its uploaded. I don't know what the VAMC does. I can log into CAPRI and see things in there as soon as they are added, and the date on the listing matches the date on the documents. I don't see a 30 day delay on that side of things.