Lost Medical Records (SCAM?)

[David & Kezia 25]

Hi Everyone!

I just went with David to our AOS interview this morning. We were told that everything is in order except for our missing medical records. We were advised to have another medical exam taken with a civil surgeon, when we were specifically told before that we didn't really need to do that all over again.

I don't want to do the medical exam all over again for several reasons:

1. It's not our fault that they "lost" my paperwork.
   
2. I just had a complete medical with our family doctor two weeks ago and I don't want to go through all that again. My insurance also wouldn't pay for it again. Had I known earlier that was a problem, I would have waited to have that medical done.
   
3. I don't want to go through all the immunizations that the Civil Surgeons make you do all over again, even that out-of-season flu vaccine that isn't really effective anyway and has side effects. They'd probably give me a TB skin test which we almost always test positive for and give us 6 months worth of medication even if your chest X-Ray is clear. Super inconvenient.
   
4. A complete medical exam from a Civil Surgeon is expensive, and I don't want to pay that again.
   
5. I already did it AND IT'S NOT MY FAULT THEY LOST IT, so why should I pay for it in money, stress and time. It was their responsibility/mistake and not mine. I wouldn't have been admitted here in the first place if I didn't have it. I didn't even see what was inside that yellow packet.
   

I've been going all over the internet (not just VJ), and I found out that there has been a lot of missing medical records. The biggest question is why only those papers were missing, of all the papers in the packet, and it has to be the one that costs us a lot of money?

I called up a border supervisor at my point of entry, and he investigated my case and if they still somehow still have my packet there. He called me back and told me that they "hand-deliver" all the packets every Monday or Tuesday, as they did mine Tuesday after my POE, to the local USCIS office where I had my interview. So, if it was there as early as January, why is it not in my folder anymore when all the others from the same packet was there? Super super fishy, especially because there are Civil Surgeons around the local USCIS office and even one on the next building, 50 feet away from their office.

I just called my congressman and will not stop calling anyone until this is resolved. I can afford the CS medical fee, but this is just so annoying and inconvenient, and it smells so much like an ongoing scam so I intend to fight it just for the principle of it.

Anyone there who has experienced the same thing can please respond to this thread and/or PM me their story and some more details, including receipt numbers, A-numbers and contact information. I am considering gathering enough evidence to submit to the ombudsman or to the media, whichever one gives us attention right away.

Yes, this is a call for action. It is time that we do something about this scam that has been going on for years. If the government will not do something about it, I'm sure some media outfit can make an investigative report about it.

Let's unite, fellow VJers!

:-)

Kezia

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

You can whine and complain and have your GC denied, or you can suck it up and pay less than $200 for a new medical. The US is not the Philippines. You won't be scammed into taking medicine you do not need (if your x-ray is in fact clear) or give you shots that aren't required (flu).

[Scribble 1]

you should do the medical so you can actually get your GC. Meanwhile you can file all the complaint you want. Otherwise your RFE will be overdue and you will be denied.

[David & Kezia 25]

You can whine and complain and have your GC denied, or you can suck it up and pay less than $200 for a new medical. The US is not the Philippines. You won't be scammed into taking medicine you do not need (if your x-ray is in fact clear) or give you shots that aren't required (flu).

Oh yes, they do. Search around VJ, and you will see many complaints of people being asked to do and pay for things that they don't really need. My husband is also a nurse, and when we tried to go to that place that they recommended, they tried to give me that flu shot which I don't really want nor require. There are scams everywhere, not just in 3rd world countries.

[Messybrownhair 251]

Relax, it happened to me too.

I tried to call SLMEC but they could not send me another copy of the medical from PI.

I looked for the cheapest CS I could find, and found one for around $150 for a complete medical. Not bad, and I got the bloodwork covered by insurance which made me save even more.

It's not true that all TB skin test would come out positive, I lived in the Philippines for 21 years and mine came out negative, even if I took the BCG vaccine when I was little.

For the vaccines, just bring your records to the health department and get a record from there. They will not give you unnecessary vaccines, and if they do, it will cost $5. You can even have the TB skin test done at the health dept too.. It will be very cheap. Show the vaccine records and TB test results from the health dept to the CS.

I got the results in two days, sent it in, and got my approval in 3 weeks. Sometimes you just need to cut your losses.

Trust me, I've been there, I know how you feel. I was mad too, but for me, it just wasn't worth the time and effort to fight it.

Goodluck! I am on your side!

Edited July 26, 2011 by Messybrownhair

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Oh yes, they do. Search around VJ, and you will see many complaints of people being asked to do and pay for things that they don't really need. My husband is also a nurse, and when we tried to go to that place that they recommended, they tried to give me that flu shot which I don't really want nor require. There are scams everywhere, not just in 3rd world countries.

But they didn't force you to get the flu shot, did they? People often don't understand what they require.

[missicy 87]

Yes, it is unclear why only medicals get lost and other files from the brown envelopes always arrive to USCIS. We don't know how they process them and store them. Maybe they look at some files from the envelope closely than others; maybe they store different forms seperately, who knows.

I agree with you, it is not fair that we should pay more money because they lost a file. But honestly, it is not really about who's wrong and who's right in cases like this. We need to give them what they are asking for. If we fail to provide it, we lose the privilege to residency.

I remember one member recently reported that after they contacted congresman or senator, USCIS found their lost medical. You can try and go that route but if that fails, I would just suck it up and repeat the medical, before time runs out. I believe when you say that it is inconvenient, but you gotta give they ask for if you want to be approved. Good luck!

[Scribble 1]

Also my TB kin test always comes out positive since I have sensitive skin, so I just did the blood test. Less hassle.

[David & Kezia 25]

Yes, it is unclear why only medicals get lost and other files from the brown envelopes always arrive to USCIS. We don't know how they process them and store them. Maybe they look at some files from the envelope closely than others; maybe they store different forms seperately, who knows.

I agree with you, it is not fair that we should pay more money because they lost a file. But honestly, it is not really about who's wrong and who's right in cases like this. We need to give them what they are asking for. If we fail to provide it, we lose the privilege to residency.

I remember one member recently reported that after they contacted congresman or senator, USCIS found their lost medical. You can try and go that route but if that fails, I would just suck it up and repeat the medical, before time runs out. I believe when you say that it is inconvenient, but you gotta give they ask for if you want to be approved. Good luck!

We have 3 months to fix the problem, and I'm in no hurry to get my greencard. They "lost it" when it was hand delivered to that very office on the first week of January.

I already called my congressman, and they will look into it.

I also called St. Luke's (+63-2-25210020) and they told me that they could give new copies if the embassy will give them a letter requesting it, so I was able to reach the embassy (+1-214-5711600, at the prompt press 2,2,5,7) and I was lucky that they were understaffed today so I was able to talk to a supervisor who knew what he was doing. He asked me for all my information, including the address of the local USCIS office and the officer to send it to, and he is escalating the problem right now to the Immigration department of the Manila Embassy. I hope that they can either send a letter to St. Paul's to send us another copy of the DS forms, or if they have a copy of those "lost" medical forms, send them local USCIS (ATTN: Officer XXXXXX)so they have no excuse that they lost it in the mailroom again, AND send me another sealed copy that I could "handcarry" to their office again.

Believe it or not, my husband and I have been dealing with government agencies and their problems for a long time (here in the US and the Phils), so I know that just giving up and doing what they want you to do (and spend money) is just encouraging them to do these crazy stuff, and I also know that there are a lot of ways to get around these stuff and make them do what they are supposed to do. They can't threaten me with losing my greencard, because I did everything right and it was not my fault. I also don't really care much for the GC (like most immigrants) and never wanted to come here in the first place if not for my husband (and even now I'm already convincing him to move back to the Phils in 5-10 years).

As for the doctors and the extra stuff they make you do, yes, they sure tried to convince us that we need those, until we told them that my husband is a nurse and I'm also familiar with these medical and legal stuff so we know exactly which are the ones that we need and those that are optional, and also know which ones doesn't really work well (like the flu shots).

[Messybrownhair 251]

I see, well with 3 months you definitely have enough time to find a way. I only got 30 days on my RFE back then so I was in a hurry, and I have a deploying husband and school to attend to, which I need a GC for. Goodluck, you seem like a very persuasive person so I am sure you will work it out! Wish you all the best!

[DaveE111 10]

When we had our interview for my wife and daughter K1/K2, they had the medical records for my step daughter, but not the records for my wife. The interview lady talked to her supervisor and told us that they were not going to hold us up for what was obviously their problem. They were both approved that day.

[Harsh_77 718]

Hi Everyone!

I just went with David to our AOS interview this morning. We were told that everything is in order except for our missing medical records. We were advised to have another medical exam taken with a civil surgeon, when we were specifically told before that we didn't really need to do that all over again.

I don't want to do the medical exam all over again for several reasons:

1. It's not our fault that they "lost" my paperwork.
   
2. I just had a complete medical with our family doctor two weeks ago and I don't want to go through all that again. My insurance also wouldn't pay for it again. Had I known earlier that was a problem, I would have waited to have that medical done.
   
3. I don't want to go through all the immunizations that the Civil Surgeons make you do all over again, even that out-of-season flu vaccine that isn't really effective anyway and has side effects. They'd probably give me a TB skin test which we almost always test positive for and give us 6 months worth of medication even if your chest X-Ray is clear. Super inconvenient.
   
4. A complete medical exam from a Civil Surgeon is expensive, and I don't want to pay that again.
   
5. I already did it AND IT'S NOT MY FAULT THEY LOST IT, so why should I pay for it in money, stress and time. It was their responsibility/mistake and not mine. I wouldn't have been admitted here in the first place if I didn't have it. I didn't even see what was inside that yellow packet.
   

I've been going all over the internet (not just VJ), and I found out that there has been a lot of missing medical records. The biggest question is why only those papers were missing, of all the papers in the packet, and it has to be the one that costs us a lot of money?

I called up a border supervisor at my point of entry, and he investigated my case and if they still somehow still have my packet there. He called me back and told me that they "hand-deliver" all the packets every Monday or Tuesday, as they did mine Tuesday after my POE, to the local USCIS office where I had my interview. So, if it was there as early as January, why is it not in my folder anymore when all the others from the same packet was there? Super super fishy, especially because there are Civil Surgeons around the local USCIS office and even one on the next building, 50 feet away from their office.

I just called my congressman and will not stop calling anyone until this is resolved. I can afford the CS medical fee, but this is just so annoying and inconvenient, and it smells so much like an ongoing scam so I intend to fight it just for the principle of it.

Anyone there who has experienced the same thing can please respond to this thread and/or PM me their story and some more details, including receipt numbers, A-numbers and contact information. I am considering gathering enough evidence to submit to the ombudsman or to the media, whichever one gives us attention right away.

Yes, this is a call for action. It is time that we do something about this scam that has been going on for years. If the government will not do something about it, I'm sure some media outfit can make an investigative report about it.

Let's unite, fellow VJers!

:-)

Kezia

You can whine and you can scream if you want your GC you will have to take the medical again.

They would not immunize you again, they would not give you TB med if you dont have TB.

Medical exam would cost you $200 after you spent all that on immigration if you wanna stall your process for $ 200 that would be your choice...

[Barbara J 115]

Hi Everyone!

I just went with David to our AOS interview this morning. We were told that everything is in order except for our missing medical records. We were advised to have another medical exam taken with a civil surgeon, when we were specifically told before that we didn't really need to do that all over again.

I don't want to do the medical exam all over again for several reasons:

1. It's not our fault that they "lost" my paperwork.
2. I just had a complete medical with our family doctor two weeks ago and I don't want to go through all that again. My insurance also wouldn't pay for it again. Had I known earlier that was a problem, I would have waited to have that medical done.
3. I don't want to go through all the immunizations that the Civil Surgeons make you do all over again, even that out-of-season flu vaccine that isn't really effective anyway and has side effects. They'd probably give me a TB skin test which we almost always test positive for and give us 6 months worth of medication even if your chest X-Ray is clear. Super inconvenient.
4. A complete medical exam from a Civil Surgeon is expensive, and I don't want to pay that again.
5. I already did it AND IT'S NOT MY FAULT THEY LOST IT, so why should I pay for it in money, stress and time. It was their responsibility/mistake and not mine. I wouldn't have been admitted here in the first place if I didn't have it. I didn't even see what was inside that yellow packet.

I've been going all over the internet (not just VJ), and I found out that there has been a lot of missing medical records. The biggest question is why only those papers were missing, of all the papers in the packet, and it has to be the one that costs us a lot of money?

I called up a border supervisor at my point of entry, and he investigated my case and if they still somehow still have my packet there. He called me back and told me that they "hand-deliver" all the packets every Monday or Tuesday, as they did mine Tuesday after my POE, to the local USCIS office where I had my interview. So, if it was there as early as January, why is it not in my folder anymore when all the others from the same packet was there? Super super fishy, especially because there are Civil Surgeons around the local USCIS office and even one on the next building, 50 feet away from their office.

I just called my congressman and will not stop calling anyone until this is resolved. I can afford the CS medical fee, but this is just so annoying and inconvenient, and it smells so much like an ongoing scam so I intend to fight it just for the principle of it.

Anyone there who has experienced the same thing can please respond to this thread and/or PM me their story and some more details, including receipt numbers, A-numbers and contact information. I am considering gathering enough evidence to submit to the ombudsman or to the media, whichever one gives us attention right away.

Yes, this is a call for action. It is time that we do something about this scam that has been going on for years. If the government will not do something about it, I'm sure some media outfit can make an investigative report about it.

Let's unite, fellow VJers!

:-)

Kezia

I say go for it aa they did this to me too tried to get me to have the Syphilis test and wanted a TB test done again. They lost my medical so it was their fault. I was lucky I was able to get in touch with the doctor in Sydney and they emailed me a copy of my medical and I found the blood test results of the Syphilis and the TB x ray here in my X ray envelope which I sent them quite promptly and got my GC. It's a racket that they lose so many medicals its just wrong. I was fuming like you.

[Jim N Augie 16]

I would try for a copy from manila I hope that works for you. If not then just get another and be done with it but I agree there are scams in any country. From what I've seen the US just hides it better than the Philippines. Jim.

[David & Kezia 25]

UPDATE:

The immigration specialist at the congressman's office received all my files today and said that he will try reaching St. Luke's himself or the embassy in Manila.

I also just called St. Luke's and they told me that it still has to be processed through the US Embassy in Manila, and they should be the one we should contact as they will only accept orders from them. They however told me that this has already happened several times before, and they usually release new copies to the embassy the day after they receive the order.

I also just talked to one of the supervisors at the call center for the US Embassy in Manila, and he told me that although he forwarded my request right away last week, he still hasn't heard back from them and he thought that they already contacted me directly (which they didn't). He told me that he will talk to his manager about it and they will elevate it more and make it a priority. I hope he was sincere about it.

I also emailed the Freedom of Information Act officer for USCIS, including a notarized FOIA request which they should respond to within 15 days, and I emailed almost the same packet with a few changes to the local USCIS office. I will send the actual documents in the mail tomorrow, if my husband has time to do it before he goes to work.

I hope that they can get a response soon, and forward those medical documents to my USCIS Case Officer. I also hope that they will really investigate what is going on with all these lost medical papers that is happening to too many people.