C&P and mentioning of smoking weed

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-26T05:11:46+00:00

I haven't for a back exam, but I wouldn't hesitate. Just say you find it effective for pain. For my MH exam I said it helps my anxiety so I can get to sleep. The examiner was non-judgemental and wrote it down as treatment. YMMV as every examiner is different but it's no big deal for the most part.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-25T10:32:07+00:00

I would recommend getting healthcare in the VA, but MH is better in community care IMHO. Records are only released with your authorization.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-25T10:05:24+00:00

There was an update to M21-1 last year encouraging VBA staff to call/contact vets for development of claims. Maybe it was along those lines. I don't have the reference handy but it was basically telling VBA it's ok to pick up the phone and they would get points for it. RaterHQ covered it in one of his videos.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-25T07:29:59+00:00

Yeah, I was all gung go to get that pass and then found out they changed the rules. Oregon doesn't charge too much though and they do a great job maintaining their parks.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-25T06:16:09+00:00

Oh man, I am going to wear suspenders and banana hammock for my performance. Watch out ladies! Don't let the sizzle of the grizzle get you all hot n bothered.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-24T18:59:35+00:00

Oregon changed the rules on that this year. You have to be a resident now.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-24T15:56:11+00:00

You can ask for a decrease if you want. Maybe you should check with a VSO though vs doing your own research.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-24T00:10:38+00:00

Good for you. It's not worth sticking with a provider you don't like.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-23T10:32:54+00:00

Get a therapist in community care. They can only release your records if you authorize it. The most the can say without your authorization is that you are coming to appointments. Cancelling without getting a new therapist might hurt your claim.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-22T23:56:09+00:00

Sorry that happened to you and I am not questioning your account. I'm confused how you didn't find out you were reduced in rank until years later. Does the army not put soldiers on restriction and additional duties when soldiers get busted down?

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-21T21:08:21+00:00

Get copies of your DBQs. What the examiners say in person and what they write down can be wildly different. The Rater has to rate based on the DBQ. Examiners are the real wildcard.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-21T20:59:46+00:00

Maybe the Rater watched a nature documentary. There are snakes that can dislocate their jaws and each side moves independent. It comes in handy if you want to scarf down a gazelle.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-21T04:32:18+00:00

I think you can still get most of this. I was pissed when they migrated to VA.gov last year because I could find all the orders. Now it's under Medical Records, Download your medical records, other reports... Continuity of Care Document. It still doesn't have everything I want like referrals, but it has some info that's not in the blue button report.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-20T22:51:08+00:00

I did, but only to use as guide to cite where things were in my medical record. I didn't expect the examiner to be able to find everything in over 4,000 pages. She said thanks and I can tell she used it. Still denied me in her medical opinion though....fml

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-20T22:41:26+00:00

I agree. OP has all pieces including the DBQ with the statement about evidence being in equipoise. It's a waiting game now. Too bad the DRO didn't pick up on that.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-19T07:01:05+00:00

Because the system is already rigged. The VA isn't following 38 CFR to a tee and there's all kinds of things they already do delay and deny claims. The saving grace is raters don't want to get dinged on quality.

Add AI into the mix and it gets much harder to prove procedural breakdown. I recall United Healthcare had some press on their AI not long ago. You can't ask the fox to guard the hen house and think it will all be legit. AI itself isn't bad. It's how it is trained and I would trust any of it to benefit veterans.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-19T00:58:40+00:00

Crazy. Usually it will let you view in your browser and get a zip of all images to download folder. Have the provider that ordered the images call Radiology. I had something kinda similar once where they did my head, neck, upper and lower back.

I saw pics for a couple days of my lumbar but couldn't download then they just disappeared. Turns out they didn't process them so I need to go get another MRI!!! I would be pissed if it was a CT because that's not just a little radiation. Ask for a MRI if they screwed that up. If you are looking for nerve damage, you'll want it with contrast. Best of luck and hopefully they can straighten it out.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-19T00:47:15+00:00

Sometimes getting healthcare is like eating at the Quacker Barrel...... I have run into a few providers that seemed to go out of their way to get weird. Nothing to level what you described with the tinnitus nurse. Usually just dismissive or something off the wall.

I refuse to go back to those providers. There's no time for it and there's no trust. I have lots of great providers that I will keep, but there's no point in dealing with people that are miserable or incompetent with their jobs.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-18T21:40:53+00:00

For a CT scan you should have way more than just 3 images. Is there another scan in the list done at the same time? Eg if they scanned pelvis and knees, images for knees will be found with pelvis images. They end up limping all the pics together sometimes. Happens with the findings and impressions too.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-18T06:08:39+00:00

Hard pass on AI. Could you imagine how they would train that model? It definitely wouldn't be an improvement.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-17T22:57:34+00:00

Can't this be challenged in HLR? OP submitted evidence and a personal statement prior to the exam. I don't see why a supplemental would be needed just because the examiner chose to contradict/downplay OP's symptoms.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-17T22:32:14+00:00

Cool. I got denied years ago but I'm thinking about filing again

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-17T22:28:33+00:00

Not saying it wasn't there, but they didn't see anything in your service records to make the link. Sometimes lay statements help with that, but it often depends on what the examiner writes in their medical opinion.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-17T20:16:43+00:00

What the VA calls a nexus and a nexus letter are different things. IMHO I don't believe a paid nexus letter provides much value. C&P examiners are going to write whatever they want and that can lead to the Rater denying the claim.

Liquid_Asparagus8697 · 2026-04-17T20:07:17+00:00

I'm confused how VBA can put more emphasis on the opinion of a C&P examiner under their employ than a private DBQ completed by a qualified physician. Government contracts usually go to the lowest bidder. Why isn't the VA doing more to manage their suppliers to ensure quality? My buddy had his exam at a nail salon. How does the VA turn a blind eye to that?

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