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.

 

 

 

[Carl the Engineer]

So, nothing yet, however,

I see a request 1, for exam, request closed, and request not needed anymore.  That, and I have yet to be contacted by LHI's local facility that was to call me and set up a exam appointment.

In these newest claims (new to me again) all my evidence comes from the VA clinic and hospital, preformed by VA personnel.  No outside or personal doctor's like I used in the past, etc.

Can I "assume" that the VA might be using just what they already have in making their decisions?  Because the doctor's were in-house.  Can they be asking their opinions and/which do not show up on My HealtheVet Blue Button reports?

Thanks,

Hamslice

 

 

 

[pacmanx1]

1 hour ago, Hamslice said:

I see a request 1, for exam, request closed, and request not needed anymore.  That, and I have yet to be contacted by LHI's local facility that was to call me and set up a exam appointment.

No, the VA is waiting for your C & P exam. The way it was explained to me is that the LHI exams are backed up or having problems making appointments due to the COVID 19, but you will eventually get your appointment. The part that says request closed and request not needed anymore only means that the VA has already contacted the LHI group and waiting for them to schedule you an appointment. 

[Carl the Engineer]

I was thinking that, but just not used to the wait for a C&P exam.  

Tick tock,

Hamslice

Thanks

[Carl the Engineer]

Well, got a message from LHI on my phone.  Didn't hear it ring, but when I noticed it was after hours.  They called on a Saturday.

Anyway, same message that they had the first time.  So, no call from the place that was supposed to call me and set up a date for an exam.  Me thinks, it didn't pan out quite like they thought as no one local is doing VA comp exams according to my local CVSO.  I will give them a call back on Monday.

Fun in the sticks,

Hamslice

 

 

[GBArmy]

Hamslice Look up the credentials of the "doctor" doing your exam. Some of your disabilities are muscular sketital so not a problem with a non doc to do the exam, like range of motion. Me thinks the internal disabilities exam is questions and a review of your med records, CAT scans, etc., so it may or may not be a good thing depending on the abilities of the examiner. If it doesn't go well, take notes why, and call your RO to get a re-do right away if you challenge competency. I've found from my experience that the outside examiners seem to be a little more pro-veteran, but as said over and over, it is the individual examiner, not the "organization" that counts. Just some are better than others.

[Carl the Engineer]

Well, as I suspected.

I called LHI today and they are now going to try and schedule me at a place that is twenty minutes past the VA hospital I have gone to before for my C&P exams.  So, in theory, at least that VA hospital, is not doing C&P exams anymore. 

I knew that they were not doing them locally.  Now I think LHI is just picking facilities out of a hat and then trying to get them to conduct C&P exams after the fact.  

The new guy is a Chiropractor.  It will be interesting how he conducts the "Barrett's Esophagus" claim.  However, should be "shoe-in" for the Range of Motion part of my claims.

Fun with the VA,

Hamslice