HCVets.com contains so many terrific resources! They give the following warning for people planning to print and use information from their site to include in their claims:
“All data printed from this website is under scrutiny by Veterans Affairs Claims Process. It is called internet junk…. So it’s important a copy is obtained from your local library and stamped as such to verify it’s origin. References are provided for each source to obtain the copy.”
When the BVA website was online, I read cases in which judges refer to medical research, on government or academic peer-reviewed sites, included with claims, as Internet papers, i.e. junk. I wonder how scientists feel about that pejorative allusion for their work? (Maybe it is “ junk science,” but not merely because the report was posted online. And the judges aren’t qualified to determine what constitutes good science anyway.)
HCVets.com recommends asking your librarian to obtain the desired research document and having them stamp it to avoid this dismissive behavior.
Perhaps judges are less likely to call librarian-sourced and obtained resources “library junk” out of respect for the profession. Never mind that the research being sought is probably borrowed from another libraries’ online database to which it has a paid subscription fees. The key is to get the document authenticated by an impartial person.
I add that the higher the status of the library the better it might be received. That’s how the world works.
Therefore, if you have access to an impressive library nearby, their library stamp might impress a judge more than that of a library stamp of a tiny town that’s only open twice a week. Go for the highest status library ILL services you can get in your locality. Specialized libraries at Harvard Medical School, and other fancy schools like Stanford Medical require an affiliation. Who do you know with privileges? Most fancy public libraries do have residency requirements. Library of Congress, New York Public Library are impressive. Wherever you are, go to a library a veterans’ judge would think twice before daring to call your research “library junk!”
In any case, HCVets advice is smart. It’s worth the wait to get an ILL-obtained authenticated copy, of the desired documents. Most librarians will be happy to assist you.
For info. on PUBMED articles and open-access, this 13-minute talk is very good.
asknod
Bethanie Spangenberg
kcraveiro
robinhoodesqvetsatty
Wesley McCauley
Veterans Claims Help 
I think every HCV claim should have this VA Fast Letter in the C-file. It has been referenced quite a few times in the BVA decisions that were “winners” for Veterans:
Click to access jet-injectors.pdf
From the jaded horse’s mouth! 🙂
This part covers my EMG needles that I have a nexus for:
• When needles (and other objects that puncture the skin) are contaminated with HCV infected blood and are then used by others, HCV can be transmitted. HCV can potentially be transmitted with reuse of needles for tattoos, body piercing, and acupuncture.
I submitted design construction pictures for EMG needles (hypodermic needle with a wire glued in the hollow part). Pie charts with world wide distribution of geno-types, yada yada and my VARO simply lumped them all together as “internet articles”.
Thanks for reminding me…I need to get some stamps ordered! 😉
The FAST letter is old but I agree with you because of the CONCLUSION. But even the VA letter should be obtained from the library so the judges don’t think the words have been tampered with by veterans.
Do they refer to copies from the library or is the information contained online included as well? The information which I included is from respected sources ie – Harvard Medical, Hepatitis research studies etc.
For the article you’re interested in, they (HCVets.com) give the citations, or enough identifying information (Journal name, author(s), date, title, etc.) which you can then give to the librarian. Ask the librarian, or reference librarian to get a hard copy of the desired article for you via Interlibrary loan (ILL)! Or if you see an article on PUBMED. you can give them the info.. Pubmed articles are either free or pay-per article in scholarly journals. For the $$$ kind, you’ll only get to read the abstract but you’ll save money if your library to gets the articles. Academic librarians often have agreements about sharing resources as professional courtesies. However, regional librarians can often tap resources through state librarians. College students can get almost any article–even if there only taking one class.
I have never seen a library stamp per se, so I’ll look into that. It could be that if there’s fax info. printed on the article, it will be sufficient. But HCVets advises that you shouldn’t just print off articles by yourself and put it in with your claim even though your article and the library article is the same!