I just received a copy of my C&P exams done last week and many of my conditions are not accurately reflected based upon my medical records and own accounts. As little as 50% of my symptoms are written down across my C&P exams for mental health, knee injury, heart failure. When many of my symptoms or limitations are accurately reflected in my medical records. How difficult will it be to appeal this inaccuracy. And are any ongoing medical records such as BH taken into account after C&P exams are completed? Does the VA strictly look at C&P exams or all medical records as well?
IDES C&P exams not accurately reflecting current conditions.
- Thread starter Tomxtom
- Start date
You can still login to VA.gov and upload additional evidence to include a DBQ filled out by your PCM or private Dr to counter an inaccurate one filled out by the examiner. Be proactive!
Dealing with the same issue, @Provis, when I log into va.gov, I do not see any active claims. I just finished my last C&P exam last week and am going through MEB so perhaps that's why I can't see an active claim on VA.gov?
Also what other options do we have? I have hit up PEBLO/MSC/Legal team on base about literally every single one of my DBQs being incomplete/inaccurate, trying to see how I can get another C&P exam scheduled. Any help from anyone is greatly appreciated!
Also what other options do we have? I have hit up PEBLO/MSC/Legal team on base about literally every single one of my DBQs being incomplete/inaccurate, trying to see how I can get another C&P exam scheduled. Any help from anyone is greatly appreciated!
I just delt with this a few months ago. I told my Lawyer all the discrepancies and he worked with a VA rep to submit petition to re-do C&P exams. Just write up a compelling reason, list of reasons and the Lawyer and VA rep should help....I did this before signing and accepting the paperwork being sent to PEB.
I submitted all discrepancies to my lawyer (including incorrect meds listed). The VA rep had me fill out form 4138 with a description of all discrepancies.
Within a week I was contacted by QTC to re-do all VA exams.
I hope this helps
Within a week I was contacted by QTC to re-do all VA exams.
I hope this helps
You can also contact your MSC and give them the additional evidence.
I dealt with the same issue last week with several of my C&P exams containing numerous errors. For one of the most egregious discrepancies, the peripheral nerves exam for my P3 lower leg radiculopathy is missing my recent EMG study that indicates “severe” left L4 radiculopathy. The provider instead annotates a old EMG for my right upper extremity exam and then annotates it for my left upper, right lower, and left lower extremity and indicates normal.
The provider indicated on the C and P questionnaire lower left muscle atrophy and loss of 3cm muscle bulk. The patient questionnaire I submitted indicated severe pain. The provider then annotates incomplete paralysis with severity ““moderate”” . It clearly should indicate incomplete paralysis with severity “”Severe, with marked muscular atrophy””.
In addition, strength, reflex, sensation testing, and special median nerve testing were never performed even though it was indicated completed by the provider.
The PEBLO says I need to talk with my MSC since they don't deal with VA administrative issues. The VA MSC says to just file a VA Form 21-4138. The MEB paralegal said I might want to do a IMR??? (I'm assuming independent medical review), but QTC exams are exams of record and I will need to make a written complaint through my MSC.
Can someone re-articulate the best course action. Is it just submitting the 4138 to the MSC? Should I submit a separate 4138 for each C&P exam with discrepancies?
I apologize for maybe repeating the question, I'm just getting stressed out about the whole situation and want to do the right thing.
Thanks you
The provider indicated on the C and P questionnaire lower left muscle atrophy and loss of 3cm muscle bulk. The patient questionnaire I submitted indicated severe pain. The provider then annotates incomplete paralysis with severity ““moderate”” . It clearly should indicate incomplete paralysis with severity “”Severe, with marked muscular atrophy””.
In addition, strength, reflex, sensation testing, and special median nerve testing were never performed even though it was indicated completed by the provider.
The PEBLO says I need to talk with my MSC since they don't deal with VA administrative issues. The VA MSC says to just file a VA Form 21-4138. The MEB paralegal said I might want to do a IMR??? (I'm assuming independent medical review), but QTC exams are exams of record and I will need to make a written complaint through my MSC.
Can someone re-articulate the best course action. Is it just submitting the 4138 to the MSC? Should I submit a separate 4138 for each C&P exam with discrepancies?
I apologize for maybe repeating the question, I'm just getting stressed out about the whole situation and want to do the right thing.
Thanks you
One thing I did after my C&P exams which were mostly fine but had some discrepancies was go through my entire medical record and note the date of any medical procedure or information related to a referred condition with page numbers for ease of reference. I did this for every condition and provided a scanned copy of my records with highlighted portions for easy reference. For issues where the examiner seemed to waffle on medical data, I also found reputable medical articles that supported the findings I thought were fair. All of this information was tied to a simple word document that made it easy for someone to quickly flip through my medical records and references for every condition. I believe it was definitely used and had zero surprises when my ratings were finalized. You can upload any additional documentation you want to the VA portal for consideration.
A VA form 21-4138 describing the incorrect items will do. I would also include a correctly filled out DBQ if your specialist is willing to fill one out for you.
So you basically looked at you DBQs and update the word documents with whatever was missing and that took care of it and ended up getting the rating you deserve?
Yes, but not just for discrepancies and with the caveat my medical record supported my claimed conditions. I wanted the VA decision maker to have all relevant data readily available for all my conditions. They have a workload like all of us and I wanted to make it easy for them to correlate C&P exam notes with supporting treatment information spanning 20 years. In the areas where I was concerned about C&P comments or checkboxes, I wanted the notes from Dr’s in my records to also be considered especially where multiple doctors observed the same symptoms or limitations. I also talked to the regional VA office in person and was told I could upload whatever I wanted and it would be considered. A word of caution as once you upload something it cannot be removed from your file - it becomes part of the record.
Another observation from my general C&P exam. The C&P examiner (their Dr) tested me for honesty three times (that I noticed). My honesty I believe gave me credibility and a more favorable outcome. 1. He asked me about a very recent referral for fibromyalgia which was last second and not supported by my medical records. I told him I didn’t think I had that condition and disagreed with the PA diagnosis. 2. I have partial paralysis in one hand, the Dr told me he was documenting it as bilateral and I corrected him. I think he wanted to see if I’d correct him. 3. For range of motion, he measured officially and then two other times (one was during X-rays after the exam was supposedly over) made deliberate attempts to get me to show better range of motion.
I just completed my first exam and felt like the Dr. skipped around quite a bit. To the point where I now feel like I forgot to mention a few incidences that would help support my claims.
I filled out the medical evaluation form very thoroughly prior to the exam but they didn’t really refer to it throughout the exam. For the things I felt I left out, will the VA decision maker use my form to help paint the picture for my claims? Should I do what was mentioned above and submit a word document detailing the other info?
I filled out the medical evaluation form very thoroughly prior to the exam but they didn’t really refer to it throughout the exam. For the things I felt I left out, will the VA decision maker use my form to help paint the picture for my claims? Should I do what was mentioned above and submit a word document detailing the other info?
All yours posts here contain great information. Thank you for sharing. My C&P Exams are scheduled all through the month of July. Once all Exams are complete, how do I go about obtaining a copy of them? Are the C&P Exams provided once my NARSUM comes back, or do I have to officially request the C&P Exams through the VA? Any info will be appreciated. Thanks!
For me once all exams were complete I simply asked my PEBLO and she provided a 220 page document containing my DBQs. Now all PEBLOs are different and may not be willing to share such documents in fear you may come running back asking a bunch of questions or bringing up things that aren’t right it really just depends on them ask politely and they should out of generosity. Best of luck.
Awesome! Thanks so much for the reply. Makes sense that the PEBLO would have access to my DBQs once VES sends all results back to the VA. I'll be sure to ask my PEBLO for my DBQs once I know all of my results hit the VA system. Thank you!