What VA means by Evidence When Processing your Claim?

2015-06-24T11:50:04-04:00

http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/20982/what-va-means-by-evidence-when-processing-claims/

What VA means by evidence when processing claims - VAntage Point

evidence, claims processing, supporting documentation, Disability Benefits Questionnaires, buddy statements

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 24 at 2015 12:12 PM

2015-06-24T12:12:29-04:00

Thank you for posting, Sir.
When I submitted my claim, I think probably the hardest thing to do was ask people who knew me before and after to write a statement in regards to my change and how PTSD has changed me. But I feel that might have been the BIGGEST evidence in my case besides my medical recodes and my statement. I now recommend that for everyone. Ask a family friend or family member who has known you your whole life to write a honest description of what they have witnessed. It also sucks because it gives you a look from the outside. I didn't realize how much my self-destruction was destroying others too. The DR. who did my C&P eval said that the statements were very helpful and help her understand what I was going through before I even entered the exam.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jun 24 at 2015 1:50 PM

2015-06-24T13:50:52-04:00

If is a service related ailment with documentation as such.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Jun 24 at 2015 2:09 PM

2015-06-24T14:09:38-04:00

Well I learned a lot while working with VFW to submit my claim and even more since then. Learning that the VA disability process uses different standards than the Social Security disability process was important. Learning that some of my disabilities which occurred or developed during my service were VA disabilities while others were not. Heart, spine, broken bones in my case clearly translated into VA disabilities. GERD because it was documented during my heart surgery and continued after I left the military was determined to be a VA disability. Past soft tissue injuries which did not cause current symptoms like sprains, tendinitis, bursitis, etc, were noted but not listed as VA disabilities. Post-Herpetic Neuralgia [follow-on to Shingles] was listed as a VA disability and rated based on percentage of body affected.
This seems to apply to auto-immune diseases like Lupus, Psoriasis, etc. Because the area affected by Post-Herpetic Neuralgia was less than 10% of my body I was rated at 0% for it. I believe this serves as a placeholder in the event the percentage of body affected increases to the next level.
Range of motion. flexibility, and level of pain are also important. Flexibility and range of motion will be thoroughly tested during assessments. Pain level is subjective. You will be asked to describe your level of pain as mild, moderate or severe. There are descriptions of each level.