jlduty

I filed my claim in April 2015 but it was suspended because I was pregnant. I was told to call once I was 90 days postpartum. I called in November and every month thereafter until March having never heard back from the VA or being scheduled for a C&P. I was still active duty when I filed and as we all know you get a quicker turnaround if you file before you are actually out of the service. Finally I called in March and was told my claim wasn't even at the correct regional office. What?! After 5 or 6 calls Noone had ever me noticed this before? I finally got my C&P in April. I found Hadit just before my exam and followed the advice on here. The way the rating is broken down doesn't quite make sense and I need to file another claim for MDD and anxiety that I didn't even know I was diagnosed with while active duty until my C&P examiner read the diagnosis to me but I am thrilled with my rating. After reading everything I could on this forum I wasn't very hopeful that my first attempt would be successful and I was cautiously hoping for 50%. Well, yesterday I logged onto Ebennies to check my claim yet again and there it was...a big fat 90%! Thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences and knowledge and good luck on your claims.

Berta the more I read about your VA saga the more I am blown away. You have been through so much and are such a blessing to so many of us veterans. Thank you for your kindness time and knowledge. I am going to call Peggy and see if I can get an answer to why it is listed that way. I haven't even received my BBE yet so it's pretty early to expect it to be online I suppose.

I logged onto Ebennies yesterday and lo and behold I have a closed claim and a rating...woohoo! However, I am a bit skeptical until I see a letter. When I go into the document section the benefit letter shows me as the survivor to my still living active duty husband?! Do I just need to wait a bit longer to see my rating letter (also known as the AB8)?

I have seen several occasions where a veteran gets a decision without a C&P. It is usually because they missed the appointment that this happens. In this case he will be denied. Did the veteran call and make sure that he did not somehow miss an appointment that they didn't know was scheduled? The other possibility is if they were medically separated due to their PTSD and then the VA would use those exams to rate him and may not ask for additional information.

Andyman, I am so relieved that the examiner had a copy of that 2012 evaluation. Like I said, I did not know that I had been DX with either depression or anxiety. I know that I have had symptoms of both for the last few years but it's hard to know what's normal. And because it was a MH evaluation a copy was never put into my AD medical record. The pain and sleep issues and depression are a very intricate web for me...pull on one thread and the others unravel too. Lately, I have had better control over my pain and therefore I am sleeping some and less depressed. I take a muscle relaxer every night just to help me get enough relief to help me fall asleep plus it also makes me sleepier. I am new to all of this and don't really know how to claim everything such as secondary conditions, etc. I am waiting on my first rating and then will push on with anything they deny or missed. From what I have gathered on this website, of I try to add anything at this point it will go back to square one. Thanks for all of you help. jlduty

I posted a little about this in another forum but it was structured as a question about my C&P so some of this may be a repeat for the frequent visitors. I had my C&P exam at the end of April. At that exam they asked if I had ever been depressed or seen a mental health professional. I said yes to both but that I had never been diagnosed with depression. I had seen a mental health professional back in 2012 when I was trying to get my chronic pain diagnosed (while I was Active Duty). It was basically an appointment to determine if my pain was "all in my head". That C & P examiner put in a request for a mental health exam. I got the appointment letter in the mail and went to my MH C & P last week. At my exam the Dr read the report from my appointment in 2012. The Dr said that she determined that the pain was not in my head and that the patient concurred. She also stated that the "patient suffers from depression and anxiety and needs to begin treatment. Will follow up in 2 weeks". I was only told the first part of this determination. She never told me that I had depression or anxiety. While I knew I was struggling, I did not know I was clinically depressed. It was a very rough time for me and I would have sought treatment if I had been told what she had determined in my appointment. I realize this forum is about VA questions, but does anyone have any input? Is there anything I can or should do about this?

I am so glad that you are seeing progress. YAY! It's great when a Veteran finally gets a little bit of what they deserve. This whole process is so convoluted and frustrating.

Gastone, I just ordered a copy of my C file. My exams were all done at QTC facilities so I can't get them online. It was a MH exam that was requested by the original C&P examiner on 4/26. He even read me the referral request when I first walked into the room on Wednesday. He also stated that it wasn't therapy but a fact-finding mission for the VA. I asked if I could get a copy and he said it wasn't his to give. It belonged to the VA to use for my claim. I saw my file during my first C&P and it had a big red EXPEDITE stamp on it so maybe that is why the turn around was so quick?

Andyman, I'm sorry you have had such a rough time with your VA claims. I saw your other post too and you have just been running up against issue after issue. Hopefully, I will get lucky and my ratings will reflect my exams. All of my exams went really well from what I could determine but after reading so many horror stories here I am trying to refrain from setting my expectations too high. I feel like I am being lulled into a sense of comfort and safety and am going to be attacked any minute LOL. It just seems like it's all a crapshoot.

Thanks to all of you for your input. I am really grateful. As an update, I had my C&P yesterday. The Dr had a copy of my evaluation that I had when I was seeking a diagnosis for my chronic pain. The Dr back in 2012 did tell me that she did not think my pain was all in my head. What she failed to tell me was that "the patient is suffering from depression and anxiety and should begin treatment. Will follow up with her in 2 weeks". I was never told to schedule an appointment or that I was suffering (in the clinical sense) from anxiety or depression. I never went back to Mental Health and I definitely would have if I had been told. I guess that is neither here nor there, but, I suppose that is my service connection right there. The Examiner also told me that I should seek therapy which indicates to me that he thinks I am still having some difficulty with life, etc. As far as his questions go, there was a pretty in depth framework he was required to follow with specific questions. He was really open and empathetic. He stated up front that it wasn't a therapy session and that I might feel rushed. He also said that he would move on the next question once he felt he had enough info to answer one. He also said he wanted me to feel heard, so if I had more to add that I needed to assert myself and make sure I told him. He did start at birth and moved forward from there. Asked about my family unit growing up. If I suffered any abuse? If I could maintain social relationships? He asked how school was for me both socially and academically. He asked about my deployments and about my current family situation. He asked how many children I have and what # marriage I am on. It was a rather in depth interview. At the end, he asked if I had any other symptoms or information to add. He also gave me the opportunity to ask him questions about the exam.

I had all of my initial C&P exams about 3 weeks ago. I was not initially scheduled to see a mental health professional. At the general exam I was asked if I had ever been seen by a mental health professional during my AD service and whether I had ever been depressed. I answered yes to both. The examiner recommended to the VA that I have a mental health exam as well. I received the appointment letter two days ago. I have never been diagnosed with depression but I did have an evaluation/interview when I was trying to get my chronic pain diagnosed. I never heard back from the doctor after the evaluation. However, I have had suicidal thoughts at three different times in my life. I also went to a therapist through Military One Source when I was going through my divorce. Well, onto my question I guess, now that I have given a little background information. I am just wondering what I should expect at my exam next week? I am not sure what I should even say. I am not currently struggling at all, however, I can get dark sometimes. I would like to have a service connection in case I slide back into a bad place in the future. I am only hoping for a 0%. Should I add mental condition or depression to my claim or should I wait until my current claim is settled so as not to send it back to the beginning again? Or will this exam be sufficient? Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.

I had my C&P exam a couple of weeks ago and went through what I assume are the standard questionnaires and Range of Motion tests. While asking me some questions I said that my right foot had been hurting. It is a recurrent pain but will go away for long periods of time. Anyway, I did not claim right foot pain because it wasn't bothering me at the time (since I got shoe inserts it has improved some) and it slipped my mind. The Dr. proceeded to test my foot and check my arches and got an x-ray. He thinks I have flat feet. Should I add that to my claim or will it get considered when he submits my C&P results?