verification process

[VSG]

Hello all. New to board. First post, and it'll be the obligatory "do you think this will keep me from getting CHL.." message.

Does anyone know what kind of verification process is used to check an applicant's medical history? I was injured in 2007 and became temporarily dependent on pain pills. In Oct 2007 I went to a clinic that gave me some other kind of medication that allowed me to taper off of the pain pills. I wouldn't call it rehab, and I took the pills for about 2 months before being done with all of it. The clinic specialized in this if I remember correctly. Does this mean I should answer the question on the application about ever being treated for drug abuse "Yes"? If I do answer it as "No" (which I don't consider it drug abuse), is there a way that something could pop up when they check my application?

Thanks in advance.

[Teamless]

I think the common answer is you should answer the application honestly.
That being said, if you do not feel you were addicted, then your answer is no.

Unless you state you were in a medical facility, for whatever reasons, I do not think they will find out and question it.

[jmra]

Did your use violate any laws? Were the pills you took the ones prescribed to you by your doctor?

If you were taking the medication under the supervision of your doctor and following the directions of the prescription and you sought assistance because you needed help coming off the doctors prescribed treatment, then I don't see a problem.

If you were taking other peoples pills or obtaining medication unethically or illegally then I think you should answer according (yes).

[Jumping Frog]

The correct way to answer the question does not depend upon knowing their verification process. The correct way to answer the question must focus on being accurate. Falsifying the application is a crime in and of itself.

In this case, your eligibility is determined by whether your treatment was inpatient/residential and on your doctor's diagnosis.

GC §411.172 (e) The following constitutes evidence that a person has a psychiatric
disorder or condition described by Subsection (d)(1):
(3) inpatient or residential substance abuse treatment in the preceding
five-year period;
(4) diagnosis in the preceding five-year period by a licensed physician
that the person is dependent on alcohol, a controlled substance,
or a similar substance; or

Note, if your diagnosis for treatment said it was due to dependency on pain pills, it becomes a non-issue at your 5 year anniversary.

[VSG]

The pain pills were prescribed by my doctor. The issue at hand was that I was ready to stop taking them, but whenever I would stop taking them I would feel sick. So whenever my doctor would ask if I needed a prescription refilled I would just tell him yes and keep on taking them. I did some research online and found out about another medication that would help a person stop taking the pain pills and limit the undesirable side effects of doing so. I asked my doctor about it, and he told me to do it if I thought it was necessary, but he was not licensed to prescribe this particular medication. So I went to a different doctor that was could prescribe them. That doctor was at a different clinic. I didn't stay at the clinic, so it wasn't "inpatient treatment", and my doctor that had precribed the pain pills originally did not diagnose me to be "dependent" on anything. I guess I need to request documentation from the clinic that have me the prescription to get off of the pain pills and see if that doctor diagnosed me as "dependent on x"

The bottom line is, I was not abusing drugs, and I did not seek treatment for drug abuse. I honestly believe I should be answering the question "No". However, I did not want this to show up on some kind of medical record check that they run, it be classified by the DPS as "treatment for drug abuse", and it end up keeping me from getting licensed.

[Jumping Frog]

Then finding out what the documented "diagnosis" was would be useful.

[Ameer]

The correct way to answer the question does not depend upon knowing their verification process. The correct way to answer the question must focus on being accurate. Falsifying the application is a crime in and of itself.

[VSG]

The clinic was already closed today when I contacted them, so I'm going to go by first thing Tuesday and see what I can get. Back to my original question though. How would they go about finding this information out if I didn't tell them about the clinic? Is there a medical record database that shows every doctor's office I've ever been to? Again, this wasn't "inpatient", and I didn't check into a medical facility.