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Mental Disorder was added today by someone at regional office on ebennies during my appeal for PTSD increase. Is this a good thing or bad?

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Firewalker

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I currently have an appeal for an increase in my PTSD rating and TDIU. I noticed today that the RO has added mental disorder in the pending disabilities section as NEW. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I never filed for this they just initiated it. Will this help or hurt? It seems alot of confusion in deciding my appeal stems from my mental problems and PTSD that cant be differentiated.

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  • HadIt.com Elder

I think it is a good thing...

For Increase with your 50% PTSD

However if your S.C .& Rated for TDIU  and being paid at the 100% then that's it for TDIU....unless you file for P&T  & get the extra benefits package for Family.

if you get an Increase with your PTSD  and you meet the criteria for SMC-S  the rater should Infer  you to the SMC-S by a Mandatory special monthly rating  and use the special table chart. for SMC.

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54 minutes ago, Buck52 said:

I think it is a good thing...

For Increase with your 50% PTSD

However if your S.C .& Rated for TDIU  and being paid at the 100% then that's it for TDIU....unless you file for P&T  & get the extra benefits package for Family.

if you get an Increase with your PTSD  and you meet the criteria for SMC-S  the rater should Infer  you to the SMC-S by a Mandatory special monthly rating  and use the special table chart. for SMC.

Hey Buck. Thanks for responding. I'm still confused though. My only VA disability is PTSD and that was rated at 50%. I filed an appeal for an increase and TDIU just in case they don't give me 100%. I've been on SSDI since 2012. I'm not sure what SSDI is for exactly...PTSD or Mental Disorder...I dont know. VA Homeless advocate helped me file that years ago. I guess I dont understand how the Mental Disorder new thing fits in. Are they trying to help me by getting that service connected as well? But I thought you could only get a rating on one mental condition. I'm really confused. 

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  • HadIt.com Elder

If your TDIU with a 50%PTSD  Rating using the combined extra scheduler  b  because your PTSD keeps you from working now

You need a 90% rating increase with your 50% to be 100%  without the IU.

So they maybe trying to boost you up the 100% PTSD but if they do you can't get the SMC..Unless you have another separate disability that is S.C. FOR 60% 

50% ptsd now and an increase to 90% would be a 95%rating according to VA Math  that would meet the 100%

Unfortuantly they do it like that  so the veteran can't make it t the SMC...BUT he can if he has another S.C. Disability at they rate it 60% or more.

Example

I been TDIU P&T for 13 years , Combat Noise Indused Bilateral Hearing loss/with 10% tinnitus.

Ok last year or in 2014 I filed for PTSD and they rated it according to my symptoms S.C. at 70% .

so with the TDIU P&T  Hearing loss & then another separate disability  for 70% for the PTSD that made me eligible for SMC S

The VA  may drop the IU on you and give you a 100%PTSD S.C. Rating...since this PTSD is what your rated for.

 With VA They can't give you two Mental ratings/only One!

....SSDI is totally different  they can rate you on mental and physical Impairment.  to be TOTALLY DISABLED.

Note: I am not 100% sure on this...so you may just have to wait and see what they do or rate you for?

keep your eye on E BENEFITS.

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27 minutes ago, Buck52 said:

If your TDIU with a 50%PTSD  Rating using the combined extra scheduler  b  because your PTSD keeps you from working now

You need a 90% rating increase with your 50% to be 100%  without the IU.

So they maybe trying to boost you up the 100% PTSD but if they do you can't get the SMC..Unless you have another separate disability that is S.C. FOR 60% 

50% ptsd now and an increase to 90% would be a 95%rating according to VA Math  that would meet the 100%

Unfortuantly they do it like that  so the veteran can't make it t the SMC...BUT he can if he has another S.C. Disability at they rate it 60% or more.

Example

I been TDIU P&T for 13 years , Combat Noise Indused Bilateral Hearing loss/with 10% tinnitus.

Ok last year or in 2014 I filed for PTSD and they rated it according to my symptoms S.C. at 70% .

so with the TDIU P&T  Hearing loss & then another separate disability  for 70% for the PTSD that made me eligible for SMC S

The VA  may drop the IU on you and give you a 100%PTSD S.C. Rating...since this PTSD is what your rated for.

 With VA They can't give you two Mental ratings/only One!

....SSDI is totally different  they can rate you on mental and physical Impairment.  to be TOTALLY DISABLED.

Note: I am not 100% sure on this...so you may just have to wait and see what they do or rate you for?

keep your eye on E BENEFITS.

 With VA They can't give you two Mental ratings/only One!

That's what I don't get....Why did they add the Mental disorder if I'm already rated for PTSD and they can only rate me for one mental disorder? It seems like more work? They have me service connected for PTSD already so why would they initiate another disability in the same category? The C & P seems to say it is hard to differentiate what is influencing what cause my problems are all psych related. Are they trying to just combine all my problems into one mental disorder category? For psych stuff you only get 10, 30, 50, 70 or 100 percent. And since I'm all ready service connected with the PTSD the contention at this point is functionality. And I am 100% per their regs....My SSDi is soley based on psych stuff as well. I appreciate your input, however I still am not sure where they are going with this? Could they be trying to work against me saying I have mental disorder not service connected and deny my increase to 100% PTSD? Keeping me at 50%?

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  • HadIt.com Elder

 Do you have more than one S.C. Disability???

I am basing our conversation on just one S.C Disability and that would be your S.C. 50% PTSD.

 Quote from you

''I noticed today that the RO has added mental disorder in the pending disabilities section as NEW. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? ''

This means they are simply going to check to see if your 50%PTSD has increased in severity,that don't mean they are adding a Mental rating...you already have that.

You need to understand  your S.C. for 50% PTSD ..according to the severity of the disability  rated by the symptoms you have at the time of the examination

( the C&P Exam.)  In this case your severity of symptoms was 50% disabling.

Now over time these symptoms can increase in severity...(veteran ask for the increase)   they recheck the symptoms to see if the symptoms have increased? and rate according to the severity of the symptoms.

   if they (Drs) decide that they have increased in severity  then they will give you a higher rating depending on the severity of your symptoms.(And another C&P Exam)

This is your Initial S.C.rating 50%PTSD,  if you get an increase to 90%  then you have a over all combined rating of 90% which should render you the IU

What I don't understand is How they rated you at 50% for PTSD and give you the TDIU?

The normal is a veteran needs to be rated up to a 60% rating and if that disability keeps him/her from working or finding  marginal employment , then they use the extra scheduler rating system for in favor to the veteran  to give him a 100% pay scale...for a decent income.   because his/her 60% S.C. DIASBILITY KEEPS THAT VETERAN FROM WORKING.

If you have another separate disability that you can get S.C.  Then depending on the severity of that disability? and how much they rate you for it.

  it can be 10% 30% 50% on up to a 100% rating  if its 60%  then based on a Initial 90% combined rating or the 100% rating  then you would qualify for SMC

So actually your still only rated for One Mental health disability PTSD.

You will need to get an additional increase on your PTSD to 90%  to boost your 50% rating to the 100% rating.(that is still one mental disability)

100% rating for PTSD is as for as you can be rated for with this disability.

you need a separate S.C. disability for higher ratings up to 60% & to meet the criteria  for the SMC.

It is hard for a veteran with a initial S.C. disability to get to 100% if that disability is under 60%...again you have a 50% intial S.C. Rating.

  ok now to get a 100% rating you need a additional increase to 90% added to your 50% to give you a 95% rating rounded off to the next highest % using VA Math  would be the 100%

Edited by Buck52
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I just got off the phone with my lawyer. The DRO called her today and told her they awarded me 100% SC P&T for PTSD!. So I guess it was a good thing afterall! I'm in shock! I cant believe this great outcome!

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