Another new one for me, a contracted C&P

[Carl the Engineer]

All,

Another new one for me.  Just got the call from "LHI Care" (?).  All my previous exams have been done at the VA hospital.   

The good.  They are scheduling the C&P thirty minutes from my home.  The place doing the exam is the same place where I had my rehab for my plantar fasciitis a few years back.  

The bad.  I have never done a contracted exam before (so at least I will know what you Veterans are always talking about). 

The ugly.  I am schedule for lower back, spine, shoulder/arm, esophagus and hiatal hernia.  This place had no doctors, just physical therapists, so not too comfortable on the Barrett's Esophagus/Hiatal Hernia part of the exam...

I took a quick search of LHI in Hadit, and see they look like a 50/50 satisfaction rating, LOL. 

Any suggestions are appreciated,

Hamslice

I will be studying the associated DBQ's before hand, and taking copies of my medical records with.

 

 

 

[GBArmy]

If you have a dx for Barrett's as part of your GERD you should be good to go. It's the next level, 30% i I think. So if the chiropractor can read an MRI or CAT/Scan, you should be ok if you have the 3 elements you win. If he can't, challenge it.

[brokensoldier244th]

Whether or not a Vamc can or will do c&Ps right now varies sometimes daily. I have to check each claim before I do exams set up for this reason. If they are and later aren’t I cancel them and reschedule at a vendor, or vice versa if I can get the exams scheduled faster at a Vamc. With Covid it just depends. It’s been this way since March of last year. Depending on staffing availability, local conditions, directives from OPM (office personnel management in DC) about opening status or what phase of opening.... it’s affecting everyone even those that work there. 

 

Edited April 7, 2021 by brokensoldier244th

[Carl the Engineer]

Well, here we are again, fifteen days after the call from LHI, saying that they (?) were sending me a "packet" and that the vender would be calling me to set up an appointment for my C&P exam,

and,

crickets,

Hamslice

Just how far can they send a Veteran for a C&P exam?  Asking for a friend...  

[Buck52]

QTC sent me a packet  and it was about the exam and time and date...it was actually about 20 miles or so here in the metro area of Dallas/Ft Worth

They are suppose to send the veteran to the closest exam possible from his home.

but some times that may not be the case  just depends what examiners are available.

if it means further away   then ya got to go.

So actually there's no way we can tell how far they can send a veteran to his C&P Exam?

Edited April 7, 2021 by Buck52

[GBArmy]

I've had a couple where they ask you if I didn't have a problem driving 70 miles. I know that they can also ask if you would travel further than that. I believe you can continue to deny long distances and request it be done at the VA, but with these new Covid restrictions you may have to wait a very long time to get it done at the RO if you do.

[pacmanx1]

In my experience the VA will most likely have some type of NP that will come in and do the exams.  Normally not always, but normally the LHI service will set up the appointment and the examiners name, experience, license number will be included in the packet that they will FEDEX to the veteran several days maybe (2) days before the exam.