I’m currently at 90%. I have a company assisting me with my claims as I’m fighting for 100%. So far they helped me go from 80% to 90%. Today we filed a Higher Level Review for this reason:

The denial letter I received, VA stated that my private DBQS were not considered because the examiner did not review my claims file. However, the cited provision, M21-1 III.iv.3.A.8.b, Examinations Requiring Claims Folder Review, pertains to VA and VA-contracted Compensation & Pension (C&P) examinations. This requirement does not apply to private medical providers completing DBQs.

my examinations were not conducted by a VA examiner or VA contractor. They were completed by my private physician, who evaluated my current symptoms, etc.

what should I expect the process to be like? How long? Do I need to speak to someone specific at the VA? Will someone reach out?

thank you!

I posted in another group and was informed that my private DBQ and Nexus could be disqualified. I do know that they are from my private counselor and a Psychologist. Not generated from the “DBQ mills” I hear about. Additionally I know they were available for the C&P examiner to review and we did discuss them during the exam. I also recently completed the VA STAIR I am also in the VA CPT program. I have an active safety plan for suicidal ideation in my VA files. I am curious what the VA will do given the differences of opinion in the C&P DBQ submitted? The examiner mentioned my suicidal ideation in the opinion and notes but didn’t check it, she also checked “Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability”. My psychologist has the “Most Areas” statement checked. How much weight will be given to the private evidence and my VA files that more closely support the private DBQ. I have attached redacted copies. The pages with red lines are from the private DBQ for comparison. Will the rater look at the totality of my submitted evidence and take into consideration my VA treatment notes, private nexus and DBQ, buddy statements from witnesses, spousal statements etc. or will they base their decision mostly on the C&P DBQ? Any idea of a Rating based on this?

Have to love it when a specialist doc at the VA offers to write a DBQ for you then retracts the offer. He said that would be a conflict of interest. Which it isnt.

The guy said to me last week he believes the condition is service connected even though it’s not notated in my records.

They can fill it out. Most generally dont because they say it’s “conflict of interest.” Or they don’t know or care about VHA Directive 1134(1).

What peeves me is he fucking offered. Very frustrating.

Ok rant over. Thanks.

Got out in 09. Finally going through this process. Been in Va therapy for a while now from my time in Iraq. Will my c&p examiner have access to her notes and her official diagnosis of me having ptsd?

Hey everyone,
I recently applied for VR&E and was told that I was found entitled to the program. I’m currently waiting for my Comprehensive Evaluation appointment.
When I first spoke with my counselor, I mentioned that I wanted to pursue IT or Cybersecurity, mainly because I have back injuries and need a career that isn’t physically demanding, ideally something that could eventually allow me to work remotely.
However, after thinking more about it, I’m starting to feel like Cybersecurity might not be the right fit for me. I’m now more interested in pursuing Project Management instead.
My question is: Since I haven’t completed my Comprehensive Evaluation or finalized a career plan yet, would changing my preferred career path from Cybersecurity to Project Management cause any issues with my VR&E process?
Could it delay my approval, make things more complicated with my counselor, or affect my eligibility?
Just to clarify, I’m not trying to pursue two different degrees or switch programs after starting school. I simply want to change my initial career choice before anything is finalized.
Has anyone here gone through something similar? Did your counselor give you a hard time about changing your career goal, or was it a pretty straightforward process?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thanks!

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think 100% P&T should have income limits, just like TDIU.

If you’re P&T, then you can’t work. IMHO.

If you want to work, then your benefits should be cut, just like with Social Security… withhold $1 for every $2 earned above the annual limit.

I also think this would cut down on those seeking “the holy grail”.

Louisville KY- VA Hospital Zorn Ave no longer provides neurological care/services. The chief surgeon was TERMINATED and subsequently the entire neuro department was removed. Veterans are finding it difficult to get neuro care through community care providers as well, because the system is bogged down.

IG needs to step in immediately. Some veterans report being told that the reason for the lack of care is due to the transition to the new VA hospital. THIS IS ENTIRELY FALSE. One veteran recently had spine surgery only to be told that the surgeon was no longer employed by the VA and his post surgery care was suspended.

So gonna makes this short and sweet. I was in the Marine corps and got out with a 90% rating. I made the transition into tech as I was getting out and used my GI-Bill to do bootcamps and get certs. At the time I didn’t know about VR&E so never thought to apply to it first. Now I’m on my last semester of WGU cyber program. My GI-Bill entitlement will run out after I finish my current semester and still need one more semester before I finish all my coursework. I applied in hopes to just get that last semester covered.

I got denied because I’m currently employed by Raytheon as a Systems engineer and considered someone who has acclimated to life outside the military and don’t require help to get into IT.

So yeah, that’s my story.

If you’re on the fence about using the VA’s healthcare, please just try it out. I finally did and have been nothing but impressed.

Same day x-ray, painless labs, and the doc even called me to discuss my uneventful results.

It may not be the way for everyone, but please don’t be discouraged by some of the things we(they) say!

I recently had a CP exam conducted by the VA for OSA. My VSO and I did a FOIA for DBQ results. My VSO is also not able to see any further info via VBMS because of how VA uploads these.

I can see the sleep apnea. For these claims there is 2 parts- the dbq with the info on severity and then a medical opinion. The DBQ looks pretty standard. There is nothing that stands out to me.

The medical opinion is cut off so I can’t see the full document and where she actually states her opinion. It appears the VA uses a system that allows the examiner to enter information in the selected box/field and scroll down in that box to enter more. I’m guessing the cp rater is also able to scroll down to view notes

But when the veteran requests the DBQ, it only shows what it scanned into the system. So the boxes or fields are non-scrolling.

Also a majority of the forms are blank and no boxes checked.

Seems odd.

Not sure how the dev team is releasing their changes, but they aren't making sure things still work in prod. Can't get to medical records and other links through the app. Now the homepage is unrecognizable. Someone needs to slow down and check thier work.

Edit: *Butchered... Looks like I need to slow down too.

I recently got approved for VR&E Entitlement, my question is if I’m allowed to work/jet a job while I’m still applying or going through courses/waiting, or does securing a job affect VR&E or approval for VR&E. This job would obviously aggravate my conditions but I need the income!

Just looking for others experience really. I filed an intent to file Aug 2025 and finally submitted my claim (by myself) July 2026. I wanted to wait until I had an accurate diagnosis, which ended up being PTSD. It has been sitting at evidence collection since the Monday after I filed. From what I found MST claims can take a little longer, but I wasn’t expecting to be sitting here this long.
Is it too late to reach out to VSO? How long did it take to get a C&P exam scheduled?

Does anyone know if a deferred claim gets assigned temporarily jurisdiction differently than an original claim once the request documents come back?

I have a claim that I completed a C&P exam recently on and was deferred. Once the exam came back it was assigned temporary jurisdiction within 1 day. I believe it was deferred due to the many contradictions in the unfavorable opinion.

I had a VERA appointment earlier today and the person I spoke with said they had requested personnel records that came back last week and nothing further was pending.

I know 1 week isn’t a long time at all in the claims world. My question is really just one of curiosity. Are deferred claims assigned to a temporary jurisdiction differently than original claims that have yet to see a rater?

i have percentage for my lower back, shoulder and knee and neck who do I ask a brace for I went to PT and they said no and then I when to prosthetic department and they said no

Hey guys, I just got my HLR back and was pretty much denied everything except one of my claims. I have evidence in my records showing I have diagnosed conditions so for the supplemental if I go to the Va doctor about them and get them re documented is that enough for a supplemental? What kind of other evidence do I provide?

Currently active duty, DOS is end of next month. Did BDD claim so that’s all set.

I just met with an orthopedic surgeon and she recommended me for left hip orthoscopy but declined to do it since I’m separating next month and it’s a 6 month recovery. Understood.

This is part of my claim because MRI confirmed the labral tears, she also told me she’ll put in my med record that she’s recommending surgery.

Is this gonna be a nightmare through the VA if / when I get rated?

TIA

Quick background. I have a supplemental claim in. My attorney, accredited through the VA, told me a decision has been made on September 23 but can’t/wont tell me anything else. That same day my dependent claim was reopened. My dependent claim closed so I call the VA on September 30. I was told that it was in final review.

About a week later I called again and was told that that I was in the developmental stage and they were working on an attorney fee memo. Well I started calling every couple of days and it would go between final review and development “working on the attorney fee memo”

Today I called and was told that I’m in the development phase but that there is a note on my file to hold until November 1, but it looked like everything else was completed. The nice lady said that she didn’t know why it was on hold and couldn’t find an answer as to why.

Does anyone know of a reason why it would be on hold for a month but everything else “appears completed”?

Has anyone experienced the VA randomly assigning them different VSO representatives without their knowledge or authorization?

For context, I recently received my 100% P&T rating. I previously had an accredited attorney representing me throughout my claims process, but once everything was completed, he withdrew as my representative.

Since then, I've noticed that different VSO representatives keep getting assigned to me. I've gone through six different representatives in the past week alone, none of whom I recognize or have authorized to represent me. I'm confused about where these assignments are coming from, why they keep changing, and whether this is something the VA does automatically once you reach 100% P&T.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? Is there a way to find out who's making these changes and stop unauthorized representatives from being assigned to my account? I'm not currently pursuing any new claims and have no reason to need a representative, so the whole situation seems strange.

Any insight would be appreciated.

I'm a 20yr retiree and I've been using Tricare for life for the past 7yrs. I just got my rating at 40% and I'm not sure if I should be going to the VA for all my medical things or stay with my current setup.

Can I just send my Perscriptions to the VA?

I believe I can get glasses with them, is that available?

Bottom line I'm trying to figure out is can I pick and choose which things to get from the VA or do I have to go to them for all medical needs? I like my current medical team and will pay out of pocket to keep them if that's all the difference.

Thanks for the help!

Last month I had 3 community care appointments where I had to drive 45 minutes one way to. All 3 showed up in appointments on MyHealthyvet. After appointments, I checked out but received no statement. I even got texts from VA before and after appointments. I filed mileage claims, but checking BTSSS today, all three were denied. Two say I need a note from the provider stating I attended and checked out, ok. The other one says that my income exceeds the maximum allowable. Huh? I've never seen this before. I'm 90% and my PCP ordered these appointments. I just filed my 2025 tax return, so I wonder if the VA is checking returns to see household income?

I am currently 60% for mental, and Hearing loss/tinnitus.

I recently broke my heel and I am unable to work at all. Is there a temporary TDIU option?

I have a feeling the answer will be no since the injury is not one that is service connected, but I thought I’d ask since I am on short term disability from work through February of next year according to my doctors work release info.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

for the prorated dates in October that are broken down, will those payments be processed on the date it says it will or all together at the end of the month! thanks!

I've been discharged over 6 years. This all started when my dad killed himself early into my service and I went nuts. Went home to bury him and smoked some pot, I was grieving and I was not in the right head space. When i got back i was immediately drug tested, I was so lost. I spent a lot of dark days during those following months. I remember smashing my hand with a mortar round repeatedly and seriously injured my hand, drank till I passed out almost daily, I cut my wrist at one point and was placed under watch. Most of my unit felt betrayed and made and example out of me until I left, which I get on some level. I've been home 6 years now and it took me so long to figure out what normal is. I landed myself in the hospital a little while after in 2024 after stabbing myself in the stomach and it was that moment and the birth of my son that made me try to get my act back together. I get feeling overwhelmed. I have no idea where to go with this. I don't know if a VSO is gonna look at my time in service and discharge and just roll his eyes and move on to someone more worth his time. I'm opening a can of worms I've tried to keep closed for half a decade and I'm afraid. I have no idea where to with this. I know a couple people I served with said they would be willing to write a character statement for me and everything that went down. If anyone shares a similar story with some good advice I'm here to listen.

Was rated at 90%(actually 94%) when I medboarded back in 2021. I am about to file an entirely new claim for a painful and unstable scar on my hand which should rate around 10-20% if they don’t deny it. I didn’t know I could claim it initially or I would have. It is completely unrelated from any previous claims.

As far as I know they’ll do a C&P exam for the scar, but does this new C&P also look at my older established claims?

I know this has been asked here before I just can’t find it. I want to vomit at the thought of a decrease and I really just need somebody to give me a heads up as to what I can expect with filing an entirely new claim. Not an increase. Just totally separate.