I request lots of records on my Social Security disability clients. It's a major part of what I do. I'm curious. What's the policy or practice of the Department of Veterans Affairs on charging for copies of medical records on their patients? The VA hospital in Durham, NC charges for records but is very slow in responding to requests for those records. The VA hospital in Fayetteville, NC doesn't charge and is fairly prompt in responding to requests for records. What's going on elsewhere?
This is an option in case you ever run into stonewalling or incompetence.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.myhealth.va.gov/mhv-portal-web/anonymous.portal?_nfpb=true&_nfto=false&_pageLabel=spotlightArchive&contentPage=spotlight/01192013_EvergreenBlueButton.html
Unlike other large providers' medical records portals made available for patients, my experience with this one is that the patient's FULL record is produced (not just a condensed version without doctors' notes)
Around here, the VA will give the clients/patients one set of a copy of their records for free. I understand that some will complain that the attorney is making the client do the legwork, but its the most efficient and easiest path.
ReplyDeleteWe're in California. Have never been assessed a charge for VA records and they arrive soon after the request is made.
ReplyDeleteThe Swannanoa (Asheville), NC VA accepts fact requests, does not charge a fee, and responds within about a week. We have had good responses from the Salisbury, NC VA, and they have not charged for records.
ReplyDeletenot sure why people don't just do what Dan Smith recommends...pretty simple to just download them.
ReplyDeleteThey don't charge in the Philadelphia VA Hospital but they print them out with the date of printing at the top and the date of examination buried in the text making them very confusing to sort through. They also put all departments (Orthopedic, Psychiatric, etc.) interspersed in the same chart. This makes it very difficult to sort through if you want to separate each department for clarity. You end up having to duplicate pages that are part one department and one from another.
ReplyDeleteBut at least now their typed. Compared to the old unreadable hand-written chart, their wonderful.
In NE Indiana sometimes we are charged and sometimes not. Seems to depend upon who is processing the request. At the present time they are not charging. When they do it is fairly modest, $3 to $20.
ReplyDeleteLong Beach California VA sends records for period requested usually within 2 weeks, no charge, and the docs also complete questionnaires for their patients without charge
ReplyDeleteAgree w/ Anon 4:18 about Long Beach CA. Except about the forms. We rarely get forms completed by either the VA or Kaiser. Maybe you just ask nicer.
ReplyDeleteNote: there is a California law that technically ALL medical records supporting a disability should be free. But no one ever follows it.