Pes Planus and Secondaries

[ASU_0331]

Hello all again,

So pes planus was noted on my final physicals and been diagnosed by VA doctors here in Tucson.  VA podiatry has already tried two different set of insoles and now ordered a third set and started me on cortisone injections just this last Friday on the 29th to ease the chronic pain.  Have also been tossed to orthopedics by podiatry due to secondary issues with ankles, knees, and hips that are all jacked up due to the underlying pes planus.  So now the first question;

Do I put everything in as a package with the pes planus claim as the primary, with all the other issues as secondary to the pes planus and submit as one package or do I submit the pes planus by itself, wait for a rating, and then submit everything else as secondary?

The pes planus is a no brainer as it was documented in service and since end of service in treatment by the VA.  So far, three different podiatrists with the VA have attributed the plantar fasciitis/calcaneal spurs to the pes planus.  Have also been treated for patellar tendonitis/ITB Syndrome by the VA due to the pes planus.  So now the second question;

With all treatments having been done soley at VA facilities, do I gather everything from Blue Button and submit with claim on my own?

 

Thanks again all.

[brokensoldier244th]

We get the exam review back before we send to rating and read it, and mark the important parts, and so in the meantime we also download your most recent progress notes from vamc if you go there and look those over, also.

 

We electronically tab/annotate things relevant to the claim before sending to rating. We do that with your older notes and private medical that you provide that we send to the examiner, too, so they dont have to dig as much. Page numbers, etc. Most of my day is doing things like this. 

Edited February 18, 2021 by brokensoldier244th