Nexus Letter

[alanlee671]

Greetings All;

 

I've read a lot about the importance of a so called nexus letter. My question is specific before I go ahead and post mine for public comment prior to submission. I dunno if that's appropos or not however, it's a one time good deal if done right. So right to the poin:

 

Do these letters carry more or less weight when submitted in response to an adverse c and  p examination and to kyna counter-act it if you will. The one I have is froom a VA psychiatrist whom I've been under the care of for over 5 years now. Every month. Geez, maybe I should just say the one I have seems bullet proof. but at which stage is is a .45 instead of a .22?

[alanlee671]

Answering my own question...I'm not purposely flame baiting though I can see why one may think that. What I'm really thinking (true agenda) I like to think is proprietary. Inasmuch as lawyers and others associated with them are getting compensated for their knowledge and expertise in the area of veterans disability compensation then why can't anyone else? Including little old me. So, that's as much as I am gonna say about that right now. Hope I don't sound too much like a wine drunk snob.

[brokensoldier244th]

Well, it’s your doctors opinion vs the examiner. If your doctor writes that x is caused by Y and the reasoning for it  with support (that many nexus type letters I see from private practitioners omit) then it’s usually enough to trigger either equipose or another exam/review. Sometimes if it’s better than whatever the examiner wrote a rater can just run with it and find for you. 

[alanlee671]

36 minutes ago, brokensoldier244th said:

Well, it’s your doctors opinion vs the examiner. If your doctor writes that x is caused by Y and the reasoning for it  with support (that many nexus type letters I see from private practitioners omit) then it’s usually enough to trigger either equipose or another exam/review. Sometimes if it’s better than whatever the examiner wrote a rater can just run with it and find for you. 

[Vync]

@alanlee671I took one college psychology course and that is a well-written letter. I got a bit lost on the last sentence because it was a bit of a roundabout way to say the issues is secondary to something else.

If this is a draft, I would recommend you first replace the image posted here with a copy where your name is redacted, unless you don't mind it being out there.

I have had a couple of nexus letters written by non-VA providers. They clearly stated that they have reviewed my treatment records, plus included their curriculum vitae (i.e. qualifications), but I realize this might be on a preceding page. If the psych doc has letterhead paper for their facility, it never hurts to put it on that, but I did have one nexus letter without it which worked. If you had other less favorable exams, consider asking the doc to state they have reviewed them and why they are wrong. In my last nexus letter, the doc totally excoriated the VA's negative C&P letter to the degree that not only did I win SC, I also got SMC-S (for a few months) and other benefits. It was a one pager. Sometimes less is more. However, it depends on how flexible the doc might be. The goal was not to totally roast the VA, but instead to clearly prove their prior analysis and decision was inherently faulty and needed to be reversed.

In some cases, numerous pages may be necessary. I did win secondary SC for one thing based on a single well-written paragraph which was placed in my treatment records. It consisted of about five sentences and covered all the bases. Some conditions can be addressed with brevity, but that instance was not contesting a faulty VA C&P exam.

[alanlee671]

11 hours ago, brokensoldier244th said:

Well, it’s your doctors opinion vs the examiner. If your doctor writes that x is caused by Y and the reasoning for it  with support (that many nexus type letters I see from private practitioners omit) then it’s usually enough to trigger either equipose or another exam/review. Sometimes if it’s better than whatever the examiner wrote a rater can just run with it and find for you. 

 

[Dustoff1970]

Here is myself as an example.  In December 2021 I was awarded 50% for OSA Obstructive Sleep Apnea secondary to long term PTSD and VA medications by the BVA even tho I was overweight by 30 lbs.

Dr. David Anaise provided me with a detailed 12-page medical nexus opinion that I sent directly to the BVA after VA examiner and VARO denied my claim by simply stating I was overweight.

The BVA decision found the Anaise opinion to be very creditable and probative whereas the judge stated the VA examiner's opinion and VARO denial to be defective.