E259 - Can a Private Medical Opinion Beat a VA C&P Exam

Can a private medical opinion outweigh a negative VA C&P exam?

In this episode, Leah Bucholz — Army combat veteran, board-certified Physician Assistant, former VA C&P examiner, and founder of Prestige Veteran Medical Consulting — discusses how VA evaluates competing medical evidence and what actually makes a medical opinion persuasive.

Leah explains:

Whether VA must consider private medical opinionsWhat gives a medical opinion probative valueCommon weaknesses seen in some negative C&P examsWhy rationale matters more than conclusions aloneThe difference between disagreement and a true medical deficiencyWhen a rebuttal opinion may be appropriateWhy strong clai...