How long for a rating after being seen at VA

C

Chinook

PEB Forum Regular Member
PEB Forum Veteran
Hello everyone,

I had my VA appt today! Not too bad. There was a little problem when they didn't realize that I had been waiting for what seemed hours to see the psych doc after the medical doc. They thought I was in Xray :rolleyes:. So, I did see a med doc, psych doc and then got more tests done. It wasn't a head to toe exam, just checked out the things listed from my local VA...my back, hip and leg radiculopathy. The doc does think my purple feet are due to circulation problems & so it makes me feel good that we might be getting somewhere with that:eek:.

My question: When does the rating come? I think they are trying to help fix me, which is great & then also rate me.
So do they fix me and rate me or just rate me and then work on fixing me:confused:. Does it usually come within weeks or months?

Thank you so very much!
 
Hello Chinook,

One very important thing you need to do is to get a copy of the C&P examination report(s). They is available at the Freedom of Information Office at the VA Center where you had the C&P. It is usually completed within 14 days of the exams. This report is what drives the Rating Officer's decision process and many times can be written entirely at odds with how you felt your exams went. If you feel the exams were not completed IAW the VA examination worksheets then I wld raise the issue. Each VA Regional Office handles the claims differently but in my case it was 120 days averaghe before I had a rating. I just received a form letter every month or so saing they were processing my claim. Hope this helps and take care.

D
 
Opps, I think they can treat you while the claims process works through the system. I wld push the VA for treatment.

D
 
I had my last appointment Nov 14 08. I was told it would take about 90 days. I actually called the va office the beginning of Feb to make sure my paperwork made it there and wasn't stuck anywhere. Anyway, I got my rating around 2 March. So it took about the 90 days they told me. Hope this helps.
 
Hello,

I just went through a lengthy discussion with my local VA here in the D.C. area. I was informed the length of time is running, on average, about 6 months for a rating as a national whole. The length of time can range from as little as a couple of months to a couple of years. There are numerous factors including but not limited to: locality, the complexity of your disability(ies), the number of disabilities you claim, and the availability of evidence needed to decide your claim.

About the fact can you receive medical attention while waiting on a rating I am not too sure about. My former NCO who just retired off active duty applied with the VA and they allowed him to see a PCM to get a consult for an ortho surgeon since he needs surgery while waiting for a rating so it sounded like they accepted him into the system in some capacity.

The vets at the discussion board yuku could probably give a good answer since most are dealing with the VA system currently, some are former employees of the VA system, etc.

I wish you luck and a speedy decision! =)
 
Glad to hear you are getting somewhere.

This goes against my mantra against comparing cases because no two are ever the same, but my wife did her C&P, with several associated specialty evals, in late October and received her rating the end of Jan.

Good luck
 
Thank you all! That's great information, very helpful.

I didn't even think about getting the copies of the exams-oh man I should know better:eek:. I'll give them a call in a couple weeks to make sure I can go pick them up. I just really hurt so much by the end of the day-all I could think about was leaving. I thought about leaving before it all got started:rolleyes:.. It was a lot on the body & mind...I felt a little out of my comfort zone there, but the staff was nice and so were all the patients. We were all just shuffling past eachother, back and forth.:)
It was quite the learning experience.

Thank you again my friends. I appreciate the info!
 
Chinook,

The VA med center is not a fun place from my experience. But I have always gone there with a good attitude an hopefully a good understanding of the C&P exam checklist that "should" be used by the examiner to conduct the exam. Hang in there we're pulling for you.

fdm
 
fdmckeever & friends,

just an update...oh my gosh. I got a call a couple of days ago from the Dr. that examined me at the Denver VA. She said she had to clarify some things for her notes that she was getting ready to send to my local VA in the Springs. Basically she asked all the same questions during our intial interview and she said she was trying to establish the time line of injury. Then she called back again with another question. I'm scared now....,,,she said she was going to finish her notes and then send them to the local VA. I guess at this point I'm not really worrying, just concerned. I'm just eager to see how this goes. I wouldn't call what I went through, a physical...we'll see. Well, it was just on my mind and I wanted to share. I'm trying to hang in there. :)
I hope everyone is doing ok...I'm happy that Spring is here. Even though there was a mini blizzard here today:).
 
Hey Chinook! :)

My first VA exam was on September 9, 2008, had another a week or two later, then had a follow up a few months after that. My first general exam went a lot like yours sounds, they just went down the list of what I had claimed. The doctor wasn't that thorough, and that's what the later appointment was for, to get everything else down. Can't say it wasn't the doctor's fault, I wasn't exactly jumping up and down screaming "what about this??" at the time. Silly me.

I just got my VA rating back yesterday. So...seven months? I was told 180 days was the expected turnaround time for VA claims. I hope it goes quicker, and correctly, for you!
 
Hi Chinook,

I went through what the VA calls an exam...they asked a bunch of questions, and wrote everything down. Two weeks later, I requested a copy of the report. It had an error, and I had to contact the VA calims office handling my case by mail to notify them of the error.

Basically, the error stated I failed to get x-rays. They never told me I needed x-rays. This is dealing with a calim, so I thought are they out of their minds, I wouldn't fail to do anything for calim purposes. I guess what I trying to say, is you may want to make sure EVERYTHING is accurate for rating purposes on your C & P report. I Think that error cause me to receive a 0% rating.

I filed my calim in October 2008, and I recieved my rating in Jan of 2009. So it took about 90 days. Not bad at all.

I'm glad spring is here too.

Hi builtgypsy.:)

I hope what I wrote makes sense, I'm on a lot of meds and a little loopy.
 
Hello Builtgypsy and Purple! & anyone else reading...:)

So it sounds like I had the normal:rolleyes: VA physical. I'm looking forward to getting the C & P and seeing what's recorded~and I will scrutinize... I just got a letter today from the VA saying that they were still working it. Its interesting how I'm anticipating these results just as much as when I was waiting for the PEB results, as I'm sure you guys were as well! ;)

Builtgypsy, glad you got your rating and its more than the PEB;sorry to hear its not correct. :) That is something I'm just not looking forward to dealing with...but I know we gotta keep going...hmmm.

And Purple, sorry to hear you're on so many meds...good news is that you don't seem loopy :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top