I’m currently going through the BDD process with a discharge date at the end of August. I submitted a FOIA request and recently received copies of my completed DBQs. After reviewing them, I noticed several discrepancies and wanted to get some advice from anyone who has dealt with this before.
Some of the issues I found include:
- Symptoms being mislabeled between left vs. right extremities
- Information included in the DBQs that was never discussed during the exam
- Findings that directly contradict my service treatment records
- A few DBQs appearing to discount or overlook MRI/CT/EMG findings. One example is chronic sinusitis: I have CT imaging showing sinusitis and multiple ENT visits with a diagnosis of chronic sinusitis, but the DBQ appears to rely on a negative X-ray the day of exam and characterize it as acute/resolved instead.
My mental health DBQ also has some inconsistencies where the narrative notes include more serious symptoms, but the checked boxes and impairment level do not seem to fully align with what was discussed.
My claim is currently in the rating phase. I’m trying to figure out the best course of action. Should I submit personal statements or clarification statements now addressing the DBQ errors, or is it better to wait for the rating decision and then pursue a HLR if the errors affect the outcome?
I’m working this without a VSO, so any insight or recommendations would be appreciated!