Reporting for Roll Call 16:05 Hrs 5-6-13
Hi LT:
Came across a news item concerning a couple of USAF veterans who have been unable to obtain their medical files from the VA.
Questions:
1) Is this a common occurrence?
2) Why should a veteran not be able to view his own medical files?
3) What does it take to overcome such a blockage?
As you know, even after all these years, my old Centurion/Troop Commander mindset still remains, so, whenever I come across something like this, I tend to go into a Papa Grizzly mode of...nobody can screw around with my troops...but me!
Centurion
Reporting for ROLL CALL 5:24PM 5/6/13
ReplyDeleteVery common for the VA. Go back to Rule #2. Many years ago when claims began to backlog at the VA after and during the Vietnam War, someone came up with the "St. Louis Fire". That's when the VA set about a trillion files on fire, and WOW, GEE it was just too bad that your records when up in smoke. And, since you had no way of proving you were in the military, guess what? You get screwed! Well, we're over that bit. It came out a bit ago that that fire did not destroy the files. So, like I said, go to Rule #2. Every VA has a "Truth & Information" room. You can go to it after each visit to your doctor or whathaveyou, and file a form, and it is the law that the VA has to mail you your files telling you exactly what that doctor put in your files that visit. Guess you didn't know that,either, right. Remember, there's no such thing as a liar in a poker game. So, since the VA is in control of the poker game there, they are not lying if they are not telling you about your rights.