Jump to content
VA Disability Community via Hadit.com

VA Disability Claims Articles

Ask Your VA Claims Question | Current Forum Posts Search | Rules | View All Forums
VA Disability Articles | Chats and Other Events | Donate | Blogs | New Users

  • hohomepage-banner-2024-2.png

  • 27-year-anniversary-leaderboard.png

    advice-disclaimer.jpg

  • donate-be-a-hero.png

  • 0

Filing and SMR questions

Rate this question


HowIWish

Question

Let me start off with saying this:

I understand now how some might have thought when I asked my question about a hospitalization at the Va helping my husband get his disability I was trying to game the system or something. I didn't mean it that way at all. Back then (it feels like a lifetime ago) I saw my husband completely falling apart and I was being told by friends and family that he needed to be hospitalized. I saw it coming, and I was naive how the mental health system worked. My thought was that if he needed to be hospitalized anyway, that using the VA would help the situation in its entirety.

Yes, I was very wrong. I had read how amazing the VA's PTSD programs were, and I guess I figured getting him into the Va system then would sort of kill two birds with one stone. He could start getting help in a place he felt more comfortable by being around other vets, he could get the hospitalization he needed for much less than $2,000 a day (the price of the private hospital he had his outpatient care at) and he could go ahead and be in the VA system.

Well, if you've read my other posts you know nothing good came out of his 18 day stay at our local VAMC. It's been a nightmare ever since and keeps getting worse.

Sorry if I sound defensive. Being married to a man (whom I love very much) that has major paranoia issues has kind of made me this way. His paranoia tends to focus on me... I'm poisoning him, I'm holding him hostage, and on and on... Sometimes he has good days, and other days I spend most of my time trying to convince him I'm not working with Barrack Obama to have him put in a straight jacket. 

 

Anyway- on to my current questions! First, my husband's FDC was ready to file, we were just waiting for his SMRs. They finally came today and I was so excited. But there are NO medical records in the envelope. There is also no records pertaining to his deployment. It is basically just his enlistment paperwork, his security clearance paperwork, and his discharge papers.

On the ebenefits site where we put in his paperwork, it says the VA can get all of his medical records from DoD hospitals. Should we go ahead and file and let the VA get those records? The website says it can still be submitted as an FDC and they have access to those records. That's my first question.

My second question has to do with his ongoing care at the VAMC. This past week they told him he is now ineligible for all care and they canceled everything. They refuse to give us anything in writing, but they have canceled every single appointment he had, including his support groups. They say it's because he makes to much money. But he was already enrolled and paying co-pays! 

I've read everything I can find, and he is completely eligible for care. We were fine with paying the copays for now. The first week of February his income will be dropping by 2/3's, and then he was going to file a hardship and then they said we wouldn't have the copays anymore. 

We we really need to file his claim. The faster we file the faster (hopefully) he can be service connected and we won't have to worry about them cutting his Health benefits. Would you guys just go ahead and file now without the rest of the SMRs? There isn't going to be anything in there to really help a whole lo anyway. He didn't have any mental health issues while enlisted. Nothing became an issue until a little while after his discharge. His deployment was towards the end of his enlistment.

Also, what's the best way to fight them canceling his health benefits? The VA flagged him as a high suicide risk for 60 days of "Enhanced care," and now they're refusing him ALL care! It seems we should have something in writing so we can file an appeal, but nobody will even tell us who made this decision. This all happened yesterday, and this coming week is Christmas. I'm thinking we need to go to the VA in person Monday or Tuesday and get some explanations. 

One more thing- my husband had a PTSD screening because his outpatient psychologist was trying to get him into the 8 week inpatient PTSD program. While inpatient his psychiatrist said he did not have PTSD. That's a crock because every single professional he has seen outside of the VA has said he undoubtedly has PTSD and it is greatly complicating his other MH issues. But that does us no good with the VA. So he had this PTSD screening at the request of his VA psychologist who has been trying to get him further help within the VA. The PTSD screen doesn't say anything. He was denied getting into the program, and his psychologist told him that she has been told to make sure not to chart any diagnosis in his chart. It's just frustrating. Isn't the point of a PTSD screening to see if he has it? 

Oh well, forward we go! As always, any help is extremely appreciated. This site is invaluable. I have learned more here than anywhere else! 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Recommended Posts

  • 0

"There is also no records pertaining to his deployment. It is basically just his enlistment paperwork, his security clearance paperwork, and his discharge papers."

 Security clearance.....Was his MOS  Top Secret-Classified?

My daughter's MOS ,  Top Secret- Classified (USAF) ,was told that her SMRs and any other Mil records could be declassified for any VA claims purposes, when she left the Military.

But her only VA issue involved Chapter 35 -which she never used anyhow- I hope she was right....that is very concerning ....

Having a PTSD diagnosis is one thing,

but having a proof of an inservice stressor is what PTSD Compensation comes from.... a proven stressor and a VA MH diagnosis.

Has he given VA information about his stressor/stressors?

I cannot understand why they cancelled his health benefits.

They definitely need to tell him why, in writing.

If that info came from a VAMC, by all means contact their director.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Berta
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

As far as I know, nothing he did was classified. He was a regular old infantryman! :) 

His DD214 has the CIB listed, and yes, he has talked at the VA about his stressors. He was involved in numerous firefights and was shot at and shelled. (Please forgive me if my military combat vocabulary is off!) He was on the ground and involved in many situations that would easily be considered major stressors. He has flashbacks and aggressive over-reactions. He shuts down very easily and completely but then will flip and rage for weeks. He has very serious paranoid delusions and has psychosis issues. 

They continuously focus on the fact that he doesn't have nightmares and isn't addicted to a substance. That's seems to be their main focus as to why he doesn't have PTSD. Sounds very simplistic, but it's what I've been repeatedly told and his medical records show the same thing. Apparently if he had nightmares and was an alcoholic they would diagnose home with PTSD. But they would probably come up with another reason to not diagnose him.

This is a man that can get so triggered that he once freaked out in downtown Gatlinburg on vacation, left me and the kids in a restaurant, called a cab, went to the Knoxville airport, rented a car, and drove 7 hours home. Then he realized he had been triggered by the mirror maze the kids drug him into, drove the rental car BACK to Tennessee that night and then had to drive the rental car back to Dayton airport because he had rented it for a one-way trip.

These types of things have happened our whole 9 year marriage. Just a few weeks ago we went to a Christmas festival in our small town and there was a loud noise. He almost lost his mind. He's been like this since a few weeks after he got back from Iraq. He always refused treatment and denied there was an issue. But it's these types of issues that are greatly compounding his Bipolar. Every specialist outside of the VA tells us the same thing. The PTSD keeps getting worse without treatment. He's finally SET on getting treatment and trying to get better and now the VA is denying him even a support group.

The VA has diagnosed him with MDD, which everyone outside of the VA says he doesn't have, but for rating purposes we will claim. But I'm more concerned about him getting treatment. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

You mentioned he had been in combat but never said where or when.

Does he have the  CAR or CIB on his DD 214?

If not has he ever applied for a DD 215 to correct any awards that are not on his DD 214?

 "So he had this PTSD screening at the request of his VA psychologist who has been trying to get him further help within the VA. The PTSD screen doesn't say anything."

What do you mean by screening....the MMPI Combat related test?

Have you obtained a copy of that?

Does he receive SSDI and if so for what disability?

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

I will add this also- his security clearance paperwork had some redactions on it. I was joking with him about how funny it is that he has redacted stuff in his paperwork and he insisted that he never filled out security clearance paperwork. But it's right there with his signature.

Does every infantryman fill out security clearance paperwork? My husband is very, VERY intelligent. He always said he went in infantry because he wanted to be on the ground, and because if he decided to be career he would advance quicker. My grandfather did the same thing in the marines, so I never questioned it.

However my husband is very quiet about what actually went on in Iraq. I assumed he just didn't like to talk about it. This sounds crazy, but do you think he could have been involved in secret type stuff? Would that explain some of this situation?

(I swear I am not a paranoid person, but I'm sure wondering what the heck is going on here!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

sorry, I asked those question before I read your reply.

He should claim any MH issue at all that could possibly have a nexus to his service.

Since I first worked in a vet center (PTSD Combat vet group)1983  I have never seen anything like this before....denied care but he is eligible for care?

something is missing here...........not your fault....  something I just do not get...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Guidelines and Terms of Use