hypertension Six Comp And Pen Exams Coming Up

[martin]

hey everyone, i got notification that i have my C&P's coming up. 2 on april 6th, and 4 on april 10th. hopefully this is about to come to a head. do i need to bring any documentation with me? the V.A. should have all of my documents obviously from the V.A. Dr's, as well as from my civilian Dr's. also, while being examined, can i bring up the fact that I have Hypertension as a compensable condition eventhough i didnt actually claim it on the initial claim form? it showed up on my over 40 physical for the Army.i so far have filed for PTSD, anxiety disorder, IBS, numbness in fingers and neck,(from IED explosion), i also had sinus surgery a few months after discharge which was a pre existing condition that was aggravated by the desert sand. i think their gonna check me for a brain injury as i had a blow to the head at a combat outpost, but no documentation made as all we had were SF medics. i blew it off. got stitched up on the spot, and went back to work.(accidental injury) but got the scar to prove it. anything that would be helpful on the C&P would be appreciated. thats all for now, best regards...Martin

[Pete53]

I had a C&P Feb 20, 2007 and was not given a sheet of questions but I was asked questions from a list. My exam was thorough and the C&P was done fairly in my opinion.

Probably the most important thing you can take with you to the C&P is that you need to answer the questions like how you feel most of the time at home. Most of us will save we feel ok when it took a giant effort just to get there.

Good Luck

[carlie]

Martin,

Any objective medical evidence you have that refers to your disabilities -- take it with you.

Just the main stuff! Don't walk in there with 50 pages. If you can, make copies of the most important evidence you have (that supports you claim) to leave with the C&P examiner.

"so far have filed for PTSD, anxiety disorder,

You can only be compensated for 1 mental disorder.

IBS - what is the IBS from - do you have a medical diagnosis and papers where a medical doc has provided a nexus (connection) from injury or illness to military service or secondary nexus to meds?

numbness in fingers and neck,(from IED explosion) - need medical diagnosis and nexus from doc.

Do you have any muscle spasms, or loss of range of motion?

i also had sinus surgery a few months after discharge which was a pre existing condition that was aggravated by the desert sand - need medical diagnosis and nexus from doc.

i think their gonna check me for a brain injury as i had a blow to the head at a combat outpost, but no documentation made as all we had were SF medics. " - same thing here - this you will

probably file on down the road but don't wait too long.

carlie

Edited March 24, 2007 by carlie

[tssnave]

Here's my experience with my C&P exam for a mental disorder and taking documentation with me to support my claims that was not already in my C-file:

My DAV rep told me to take the documentation I had to my C&P exam and give them to the doc about my losing jobs due to excessive absences that were brought on my sc mental disorder.

However, she would not take the papers because she said the way the system works is she types her answers to the C&P questions into a computer and the report goes straight to the VA electronically and there's no way she can include hard copies of any other evidence. She did review it and made a note in the report about what she read that supported my claims about losing jobs. She told me to send the information to the VA so they would get in my C-file, but she did not have the ability to accept any hard copy evidence from me.

The upside of the electronic C&P report is my exam was on a Wednesday and they had a favorable, written decision that my DAV rep faxed me days later on Friday!! After almost 3 years of waiting for the whole deny, appeal, DRO, C&P exam process to play out, having a decision within 3 days was amazing.

So, don't be surprised if your C&P examiner cannot accept any papers in support of your claim. Do ask him/her to make a note of what you’ve brought that they've read.

My biggest concern during my C&P exam was that she noted the nexus between my active duty treatment and my current treatment. At the conclusion of the exam, I asked her about the nexus and she offered to read what she had written in that regard. It was a relief to hear her say that she'd written a resounding yes on the nexus.

In hindsight, there were other things I should have been concerned about that I just didn't key into. Moral of the story: talk to your DAV or other SO rep or post your questions here at hadit with enough time for folks to advise you and ask those questions if there's anything in particular you need to make sure gets in your report. Also ask the examiner if it has been addressed and ask if they'll read what they wrote so you’ll have a clue about what the rater will be reading.

I hope this helps. Good luck.

ts

[spike]

When was this electronic and what RO are you located near because I actually was able to see my 10 inch C-file on his desk. He go from a script like Q/A. He also asked me to elaborate so that he could make sure as he said "Have all the evidence and statements correctly so that the RO can not say they were missing anything. I kind of feel relieved in a sense, the examiner indicated he was a recovering alcoholic and knew what it is like for someone to judge someone on the basis of not understanding what a person of a mental illness goes through. He said he felt the need to make sure that we (veterans) get the benefits we deserve and the treatment. He indicated if I received a denial to come back to his office and he was willing to do whatever it took to help me get the treatment, as he was ignored for treatment himself. The examiner indicated that he felt mental illness was worse than physical in the sense its a lot easier to mend a physical wound, but doctors are still trying to find ways of treating mental illnesses like PTSD.

[tssnave]

My C&P was done a month ago in the Winston Salem, NC outpatient clinic. The psychologist had my physical C-file there and it was obvious she had read it (remembered my history, made comments about my drug treatment). Like yours, my C&P exam followed a list of questions (which Vike17 has posted earlier in this thread but I hadn't seen before my exam). She typed my answers (well, I assume she typed my answers, I haven't gotten a copy of the C&P exam itself - the outpatient clinic said I had to get it from the VA RO because they don't have a copy of it) into her computer and said the report would be at the VA RO later that day electronically which it must have been because they made a decision by the end of the week.

The problem at the C&P exam was I didn't realize I needed to expound on close-ended questions to tell her how my sc mental illness affected those areas of my life she queried me on. Example: she asked if I had graduated high school. Yep. Did I have any education beyond high school and if so, what? Yep. I have a BS in Business Administration. On she goes to the next question. It wasn't until later that I found out that "occupational impairment" with "school" was one of the things they were looking for. Had I realized that I would have told her it took me 7 years to complete the last 3 years of college because of my sc disability.

Another thing that amazes me, if you look at the mental illness C&P exam questions, they ask if you have any panic attacks. She asked me this, I said no, and on she went to the next question. Well, if you look at the actual rating chart it is "near continuous panic attacks or depression affecting your ability to live independently." Since I said no to panic attacks we did not discuss my ability to live independently whatsoever. This is part of why I was rated 50% and not 70% where my symptoms truly fall out. Why? Because the examiner asked the question on the exam which was limited to panic attacks which I don't have when the rating is actually supposed to be based on panic attacks and depression, which I do have. ARRGGGG!!!

I could go on with several more examples but I'll spare you my rant and myself the irritation. Plus, in the interest of fair reporting, I wasn't functioning well that day to begin with and that combined with a list of exam questions that were often closed ended and didn't even cover what they rate you on just sunk my rating. The good news is they did rate me 50%, I found this board, and with my back pay I can now afford to go to a civilian shrink and get a more comprehensive report to cover all the areas that we didn't adequately cover during the C&P exam.

I am glad you had a good experience with your examiner. Sounds like he had a great deal of empathy which can go a long way. I thought my examiner was very kind. By the end of the exam I was all washed up and if she asked me if there was anything else I had to add I don't remember the question and I certainly didn't answer it, hence, my lower rating and subsequent appointments with a private shrink to get it all out and on paper to give to the VA.

At this point I know what I need to cover with the private doc that I didn't cover during the C&P exam. What I'm trying to understand is if I need to request a reconsideration of new and material evidence or just request an increase in rating.

Thanks,

ts

[tssnave]

Betrayed,

Just realized it was you, not Vike17, who posted the C&P exam link and schedule of ratings. I must have gotten the two of you confused because I have learned so much from both of you on various topics. Sorry for the mix-up.

Thanks for all your help,

ts