This is the remarks from my C&P exam. I am a little worried that the doc didn't select the cerebellar gait box. I have read in other threads that staggering is accepted in most cases. And the disability made easy states staggering. Anyone have experience with this? Should i have my private ENT fill out the DBQ and select cerebellar gait?
Meniere's Disease C&P exam
- Thread starter K5Blazer
- Start date
Any updates?
also in for Meneire's. PEB accepted 10/7. I'll update as it goes as well. Also have confirmed Cerebellar gait and hearing impairment intermittent with episodes but missing on C&P. according to my attorney the raters should also view your medical records for supporting evidence 
Simple, straightforward advice for both of you- if you have medical records supporting this issue, complete a VA Form 21-4138 pointing out the omission in the exam and attach the supporting medical records establishing these points. Then forward this package to your MSC- not your PEBLO- to upload to your VA D-RAS case file. Do not expect the rating analysts to review your records in detail. Make it easy for them. Do it now, and do not wait for an initial decision that you may not like and then have to file a VARR.
Is there a "deadline" for submitting "evidence"? Or are you good to submit if you haven't received your ratings
As long as you have not received your rating, you should be good to go. Expect some pushback from the MSC, as it is extra work for him or her. However, do it anyways. Why? If the rating has not yet been issued, this could correct a defective VA exam. If a rating the rater receives your submission, then your VARR will be that much stronger by showing that you have consistently argued this point.
To be honest this isn't a bad screw up. For context and a laugh. I got a good story for ya. I was MEB'd for Meniere's Disease(MD). I got medically DQ'd from my job because of it which was a death sentence for my career regardless of the outcome of the MEB. I went through IDES. When I did my C&P exam, I was in the examiner's office for probably 3 hours and I spent over 2 hours of it just answering their questions about MD and how it affects my daily life and obviously what it did to me professionally as it got me kicked out of my job. On top of that, my entire medical record is nothing but documents about MD dating back almost 6 years of symptoms and ER visits before they knew what was actually wrong and after I was diagnosed. Printed out, my medical record just for MD is about 1/4 inch thick. Fast forward a couple months and I finally see a copy of my DBQ that the VA examiner did at my C&P exam that was almost 300 pages long. The examiner left the ENTIRE section of the DBQ for Vestibular Conditions blank. They wrote I was diagnosed with MD, put the diagnostic code for it and then on the top of this page you have a photo of here, the examiner checked "NO" and left the rest of the entire Vestibular Conditions section of the DBQ blank so every single thing you see in this photo and below the next few pages was blank. I logically don't understand how anyone could say this was an honest mistake and somehow it was not caught by anyone that saw the DBQ including the rater. My medical records dating back years show I have all of the symptoms on average 3-5x a week if I keep my sodium intake low. On bad weeks it's multiple times a day every day. There was a point when it got really bad that ultimately led to an emergency ENT investigation where I was basically incapacitated for 2 weeks because of the frequency of duration of the episodes. The VA examiner wrote I have every one of those symptoms in multiple other locations on the DBQ including right above the box this photo shows that says "patient history" but when it came time to check the boxes in that photo, they left every. single. one. of them blank. Now I like to give people the benefit of the doubt because we are humans and make mistakes. With that said, every single person and agency that has seen my DBQ and medical records shares the same opinion, there is no believable way that someone could egregiously screw up that much of the report that bad on "accident" and I honestly agree. I could believe it was human error if one box was missed like what happened to you, but this person left PAGES completely blank. That's not a believable clerical error. Long story short, the VA rated my MD with the lowest allowable rating of 30% because that VA examiner left that entire section in this photo blank and that essentially tells the the RO I don't have MD and nothing is wrong which again should have been massive whistle blowing red flags to the VA. In the decision letter the VA provided, they specifically cited that section of the DBQ in this photo that was conveniently left blank as their justification for rating MD at the lowest rating they could. The VA examiner is supposed to use your records to build the DBQ and the RO is also supposed to cross reference your records with the DBQ when assigning ratings but I am here to tell you that they don't, at least they didn't for me. I am not even sure what to do going forward. All I know is I have concrete proof via tons of medical records that my DBQ is so grossly inaccurate that it is almost funny and the ratings given were altered because of it. Good luck. I hope your paperwork gets fixed.This is the remarks from my C&P exam. I am a little worried that the doc didn't select the cerebellar gait box. I have read in other threads that staggering is accepted in most cases. And the disability made easy states staggering. Anyone have experience with this? Should i have my private ENT fill out the DBQ and select cerebellar gait?
were you able to get your rating upgraded? By all my doc notes I should land 100% but the glorious C&P gods didn't mark my shit right. Finally got my formal diagnosis on Friday
only took a year lol@shankatorus (or anyone) - regarding "hearing impairment intermittent with episodes" -- How did your ENT / Examiner discuss/verify this? I am currently being treated for MD, but my ENT is hesitant to provide a diagnosis because my hearing loss is not significant. I experience intermittent hearing loss when the attacks occur, but have constant fullness and ringing in the left ear. My understanding is often times permanent hearing loss occurs after many years (less often with onset). Because of this, my ENT keeps kicking the can down the road and avoiding a diagnosis. So I'm curious how anyone else's doctor has accepted intermittent hearing loss to help confirm MD diagnosis. My ENT just has me on a regimen of Magnesium, B2, Naproxen and a diuretic, along with weekly Vestibular Physical Therapy at our TBI clinic.
I'm wondering if its time to ask for a second opinion in hopes of receiving a diagnosis, because things are not getting better (2-3x week, ~1 hour vertigo on average, followed by a nasty neck-ache for 1-3 hours average). I feel a MEB is inevitable and would just like to get it over with. (I am Active Duty Marines at 15 years)
A follow up question for anyone would be regarding the MEB process: Say a MEB is convened for MD and it gets rated. If I have also been diagnosed with anxiety and adjustment disorder due to the struggles of living with MD, does that get rated together since the mental health stuff is a direct result of MD? Thanks in advance for any insight.
so the kicker was my physical therapist honestly. She spent so much time with me and took such intensive notes that it substantiated all my subjective claims.
Second part, unless your CA adds it to your board its rated separate but you can appeal. however vertigo without a diagnosis is 30% so you're good DoD side anyways?
Makes sense. Not sure how good of notes my PTA is taking other than some shorthand comments I can see in Genesis. I know the actual PT had a whole bunch of negative thoughts about Meniere's and how its so rare and way over-diagnosed, and it seems like he already has a bias against that for me because he basically said up front I probably only have Vestibular Migraines if I'm not already deaf yet. All the other symptoms are there though, and I feel like I do lose hearing during the episodes.
How did you get referred to a MEB? Did you request it or did someone direct it?
Once my PT put in that there's no chance at recovery with either Meniere's or VM my PCM pushed it. I requested to skip LIMDU though, luckily he agreed that I'm more likely to be able to avoid triggers out than in.