Remedial requested med records but there are none

tjb1975

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Nov 16, 2015
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DodMERB has DS listed as remedial:
R220.00 Provide copies of all medical and surgical records regarding right knee strain - Feb 2015

As was clearly indicated in the physical paperwork, he never was seen by a doctor, only the wrestling team trainer who advised he wear a brace for the remainder of the wrestling season to support the knee.

So there are no medical records or surgical records to provide, as he indicated and I mentioned previously.

What's the best course of action here? Visit a sports medicine physician and get a report that there is no problem? Thanks for your imput.
 
For more information, here is the page of additional information regarding the knee brace. Grr...so much for being honest on these things! Screen Shot 2016-01-22 at 6.21.15 PM.png
 
Your never ending saga.
Am I to assume that this was your response to "any bone or joint problem"?
I don't know if I would have responded yes, since DS was never diagnosed with a joint problem. I would call it a "sore" knee, since strained is a medical diagnosis.

That being said. I would respond with a letter stating that my knee was sore after wrestling practice and I treated it with ice. I did not seek any medical treatment since the soreness went away in xx days. The soreness has not returned, I have full range of motion and no limitations There are no medical records to provide since I never saw a medical provider.

To cover your bases I would check to see what records your athletic trainer has and find out what had to say about the knee. Also, find out if he is "qualified" to make a diagnosis in reporting a strain to the DOD. When asking "qualified" make sure you explain the situation and that it is for his DOD physical. I am sure I would screw it up and sound cocky and rude.

You could go to your family physician and have him write something that states no soreness or limitations.

Please remember, I am no expert, just someone responding to a post on an internet forum. Best of luck.
 
Your never ending saga.
Am I to assume that this was your response to "any bone or joint problem"?
I don't know if I would have responded yes, since DS was never diagnosed with a joint problem. I would call it a "sore" knee, since strained is a medical diagnosis.

That being said. I would respond with a letter stating that my knee was sore after wrestling practice and I treated it with ice. I did not seek any medical treatment since the soreness went away in xx days. The soreness has not returned, I have full range of motion and no limitations There are no medical records to provide since I never saw a medical provider.

To cover your bases I would check to see what records your athletic trainer has and find out what had to say about the knee. Also, find out if he is "qualified" to make a diagnosis in reporting a strain to the DOD. When asking "qualified" make sure you explain the situation and that it is for his DOD physical. I am sure I would screw it up and sound cocky and rude.

You could go to your family physician and have him write something that states no soreness or limitations.

Please remember, I am no expert, just someone responding to a post on an internet forum. Best of luck.

Thanks. The athletic trainers are university students with no certification/qualification of any type that I'm aware of, other than studying to be an athletic trainer. There are no records kept. The trainers change from sport to sport within a single school year, so that trainer is long gone. I'm thinking the best idea is to 1) advise others not to mention anything that wasn't Dx'd by a doctor, 2) if you do, be careful of language, 3) have DS write a letter more fully describing the event, mentioning the sore knee (that was indeed what it was), soreness resolved with ice and wearing the student trainer's idea of using an OTC drugstore purchased neoprene athletic support brace, 4) explain he ended up earning 5th place in the state wrestling meet and his relay team placed 8th at the state track meet, and his subsequent football season being #1 in the conference, and headed back to the state wrestling tournament in 2016, all with full strength, full mobility, no limitations and no lingering soreness.
 
Agree with the above, I would get a physician statement or an ortho consult in lieu of a letter from your DS, coach, trainer, etc. to clarify the situation. Be careful with the documentation to avoid additional remedials to rule out knee injuries.

Please note the following from the DODMERB website:

12. DoDMERB will accept any documentation you wish to submit for consideration...at any time. Understand that unless specifically requested by DoDMERB or a medical waiver authority, non-medical information doesn’t carry that much weight in the decision making process (e.g. – letters from teachers, trainers, coaches, etc.). So questions of what to submit, if anything is answered best this way:

a. If it is actual medical test results, physician notes/records, etc., that DoDMERB doesn’t have already and it pertains to your disqualification or medical history you failed to mention, then it’s a good idea to send.

b. If it is NOT medical and was NOT requested by DoDMERB or the medical waiver authority, then it probably will not have a bearing on your case.
 
Based on a) above the knee was never strained, but now a diagnosis is needed to say it was never needed. LOL
 
Yes, so there are no records. We don't want to create new records. We don't want to supply anything DoDMERB doesn't want to spend time looking at. But we need to clear the remedial.
 
You may also want to state that the evaluation was conducted by a student athletic trainer. Medical treatment was never needed nor sought.
 
I agree with 5day 100%. There is no need to get a physician involved for a non-existing issue. You are toying with Pandora's box. Your DS had a sore knee. He iced it, rested and now it is back to normal. Done issue.

If he never went to the doctor, there are no records to send. 5day's advice is very thorough and detailed and does not draw undue attention to a non-problem. Treat it as such and you should be okay. Keep your letter short but succinct and stick to the facts. Offer nothing more.

I would absolutely not supply any statements from non-medical coaches or trainers. That could definitely open a can of worms that you don't want to eat.

Good luck and keep us posted.
 
Maybe he only wore it for a fashion accessory!

I think a letter from you would suffice, that he was never under medical care, and he self medicated a strain which healed soon after. No school time lost, no worktime lost, and no need for doctors.

I'd be very surprised if that didn't end the entire drama.
 
UPDATE: Just spoke to the contact at DoDMERB who wouldn't say much since DS is 18, but he advised a letter from my son indicating the reason for the discrepancy between what he reported and what actually happened. I tried to clarify with the contact that there was no discrepancy, that my son indicated he was treated by the school athletic trainer. He said to send a letter and see what happens from there. Here is the first "remarks" section of the exam as submitted. Presentation1.jpg
 
They are confused because they assume the strain was a medical diagnosis by a physician. Follow there advice and have DS send the letter. Sift through the advice from all the post. Spend time with DS to make sure the letter is clear If you want post DS response here for comment. You will get lots.
 
Looks like this is getting circular. Personally, before sending a letter, I would e-mail Mr. Larry Mullen, Deputy Director at DoDMERB, or contact Dr. Glen Merchant at DODMERB Consultants for assistance.
 
DodMERB has DS listed as remedial:
R220.00 Provide copies of all medical and surgical records regarding right knee strain - Feb 2015

As was clearly indicated in the physical paperwork, he never was seen by a doctor, only the wrestling team trainer who advised he wear a brace for the remainder of the wrestling season to support the knee.

So there are no medical records or surgical records to provide, as he indicated and I mentioned previously.

What's the best course of action here? Visit a sports medicine physician and get a report that there is no problem? Thanks for your imput.

DodMERB has DS listed as remedial:
R220.00 Provide copies of all medical and surgical records regarding right knee strain - Feb 2015

As was clearly indicated in the physical paperwork, he never was seen by a doctor, only the wrestling team trainer who advised he wear a brace for the remainder of the wrestling season to support the knee.

So there are no medical records or surgical records to provide, as he indicated and I mentioned previously.

What's the best course of action here? Visit a sports medicine physician and get a report that there is no problem? Thanks for your imput.



DS, who is 17 years old, had a similar type of remedial request for a different kind of condition. He provided a signed letter stating that no treatment from medical practitioner was involved/necessary. DodMERB accepted the letter as Additional Medical Information (AMI). The remedial was removed, and the portal changed to “Qualified”.
 
Looks like this is getting circular. Personally, before sending a letter, I would e-mail Mr. Larry Mullen, Deputy Director at DoDMERB, or contact Dr. Glen Merchant at DODMERB Consultants for assistance.
I personally don't think you have to involve either of these two gentlemen. This is very simple. Have your DS type a letter stating the facts; I was wrestling on such and such a date. My knee was sore and my trainer suggested I ice and rest for however many days etc. After so many days my knee was back to normal. I was never treated by a physician for said knee pain. I have competed in however many matches without any more problems, if that is true. State whether or not you wear a brace etc. Keep it short but factual and send it in.

Three days have gone by already. Each day that passes is one more day that his app is not complete. 5 minutes of his time is all he needs to be done with it. It is not complicated. Just dooooooo it. :p
 
The status with DodMERB was put in on 1/21. We haven't received an actual notification letter in the mail yet. I was waiting for that. Is that unnecessary? Counting Friday, Saturday and today, that was only 3 business days for a letter to be written and mailed. DS has a less than one page letter drafted now. It's probably too long.
 
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