How Does Medical Record Reviews Benefit VA Disability Claims?

“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”

Veterans are defined as “persons who served in the active military, naval, air, or space service and were dismissed or released under terms other than dishonorable” under Title 38 of the United States Code.

Veterans (VA) Disability Compensation

Nothing is more honorable than putting your life in danger for your nation. Veterans are our real assets who risk their lives and safeguard us. What if they are injured or disabled in between their service?

Under such circumstances, financial benefit would be provided to the veterans who become ill or injured while serving in the military or whose service aggravated an existing condition. The financial assistance is known as Veterans (VA) Disability compensation.

This blog would help you understand the role of medical record reviews in obtaining VA disability compensation.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides this tax-free payment on a monthly basis as compensation, a pension, or a grant depending on the situation. VA disability is granted to veterans who sustain disabilities as a part of their service, veterans who are 65 years of age or older, and who sustain age-related disabilities as a part of their service.

What are the documents needed to file a VA disability claim?

Filing a VA disability claim needs extensive paper works that should be done during the application process. There are two types of documents required to shoulder the application. The first category is the service documents to prove that the individual is a veteran and the second category is the medical documents to reflect the injuries.

When determining a person’s veteran status, Veterans Affairs (VA) looks at their service history. The VA takes into account a number of variables, including the period during which that service was provided, Character or service type, and the context and the kind of discharge.

Let’s check out the documents needed to file a VA disability in detail.

• Your separation documentation, such as the DD214
• Your service-related medical history with treatment history and records
• Any medical documentation pertaining to your disease or injury (such as X-rays, doctor’s reports, and test results)
• Social Security Administration documents or those from other federal or state governments
• Private medical documents if the applicant sought treatment for a condition related to the claim from a non-VA healthcare practitioner.

Role of Medical Records Reviews in VA Disability Claims

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requests review exams to assess the degree of a service-connected disability. The VA review exams will be conducted by a medical practitioner either in person or over the phone, depending on the circumstances.

As discussed above, medical records act as crucial evidence in a VA disability claim to prove that the veteran deserves disability benefits. However, medical records of any individual would be too hefty, and in the case of veterans, only those records reflecting service-related injuries/damages are needed.

Medical record review is a process that is used to examine a person’s medical files for medico-legal litigations, insurance, or disability claim reasons. Medical record review is conducted by qualified medical record reviewers, legal nurse consultants, or medical professionals, where the records are carefully reviewed to pick only the case-relevant medical data.

What are the common VA disability claims involving medical record reviews?

The below mentioned are the common injuries/damages in veterans where medical record review and analysis plays a vital role.

• Tinnitus and hearing loss
• Vision loss
• Burns
• Migraine
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Degenerative arthritis

Medical Record Review Process in VA Disability

It can be challenging to gather the proof you need to evaluate and build your argument. However, setting the groundwork by gathering all relevant facts is crucial to a successful approach. In addition to your claims file, you should also get any pertinent Social Security documents and medical information from private physicians.

By law, VA must take reasonable steps to assist claimants or veterans in obtaining the proof they need to substantiate their claims. Before VA can deny your claim, this condition must be satisfied.

It takes a lot of work to demonstrate the connection between a condition and service in a VA disability application. This is because a veteran’s disability claim requires the various kinds of medical records that are listed below.

• Medical records from non-VA healthcare providers
• In-service medical records (if any)
• Records for compensation and pensions
• Expert medical opinions
• Medical records from VA healthcare providers

Establishing that the disability is service-related requires careful review and interpretation of in-service medical charts and related documents. Medical records from both non-VA and VA health practitioners are independently reviewed, as well. For the legal nurse reviewers who examine medical records, these medical charts serve as a central repository of reliable medical evidence.

Outsourcing Medical Records for VA Disability

When a VA disability lawyer deal with the arduous paper works for a VA disability claim, it would not be feasible for him to go through the voluminous medical records of the claimant and pick the claim-relevant medical information. Outsourcing the claimant’s medical records to an expert medical record review outsourcing company would result in precise and accurate review reports to fortify the claim.

Expert medical record review analysts in a medical chart review company would conduct the review process without missing vital information that could strengthen the disability claim process. Offshoring the medical chart review will also make the process less expensive when compared to in-house reviewing by the legal team.

Expert review and assessment of medical records during the claim is crucial because if the damage isn’t demonstrated, the claim may be rejected. The review process could be made more accurate and effective by outsourcing the review and analysis of medical records to medical record review companies.

Medical reviewers can easily identify the important elements in the medical records of the claimant and present them in the review report.

A separate treatment timeline in the medical chart review, mirroring all the vital medical incidence, will clearly represent the damages sustained and the treatment carried out.

With an accurate medical chart review arranged in chronological order, it would be easy for the attorney to understand the entire medical history of the claimant during the service period. Additional services like expedited file delivery and add-on services offered by medical review companies make it easy for the attorneys to file the VA disability claim on time.

LezDo TechMed’s Medical Chart Reviews for VA Disability Claims       

LezDo has years of expertise in handling medical records for VA disability claims. We provide quality record review by services by evaluating medical evidence provided by veterans seeking disability benefits.

We review and analyze the medical records submitted by claimants. We carefully review the medical documentation of the veteran, including doctor’s notes, test results, treatment plans, and any other relevant information related with the veteran’s health condition. By analyzing these records, we gather a comprehensive understanding of the severity and extent of the veteran’s disabilities.

We also cross-reference the medical evidence against established VA guidelines and criteria for disability compensation. By providing precise medical record reviews, LezDo assists in making well-informed decisions regarding the eligibility and level of disability compensation for veterans.