Died Doctors and Medical Records!!

You can tell this is live and not made up because nothing happens every day. This is a report on my efforts to get benefits from the VA or Veterans Administration as a veteran of the Korean War. I am back in Ohio to get medical records from all the primary care doctors that treated or referred me for treatment on my eyes. These are the same doctors I submitted on the VA Form 21-526 and no one at the VA contacted them, so I have another year to get this information into the VA, I plan to have it in within the next two months.

Last week I ask a Veteran Service Officer where would I look for medical records for treatments more than fifty years old? He said “that will be impossible to do unless the doctor sold the practice to a young doctor and he maintains them with his own practice”. He said he “cannot see why the VA would expect the veteran to find them anyway”. This Service Officer works in the Cuyahoga County VSO or Veteran Service Office. I am now aware that most counties in the USA have VSO offices and provide service to the veterans living in that county. Cuyahoga County, for those that don’t live in these parts and plan to visit some day. The city of Cleveland is located in Cuyahoga County and the CAVs play in that county (Go LaBron) Although I told him (the service officer) that I lived in Lake County and had moved out of his county long ago, he still answered the question for me. Another available service, and another good reason; to seek help from a VSO and get them supporting you in your efforts to acquire your benefits from the VA. In my case with the doctor performing an in-office operation on my nasal passages, No records have been found to date. Therefore, I am telling the VA I have no need to lie and will gladly take a Polygraph Test! For all veterans there are always VSOs and the Board of Veteran’s Appeals. And I am sure work records will support a lot of claims veterans make when they apply for benefits.

The good news is, the one who perseveres and seeks help will always get the benefits they are qualified to receive. Another good reason to apply now even if you don’t want or need the benefits now you will have already qualified if and when you need them! I know I sound like a broken-record, but wait until you reach my age and call an office and ask for or about a doctor and the person answering say “Dr. Who?” indicating they have no ideal whom you are speaking about, and that person no longer provides service at that business.