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My Stressor Letter

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ranger11bv

Question

MY PTSD STRESSOR STATEMENT*

* *

This situation relates to a time when I was in basic training at

Ft Benning Ga. My basic training unit was Company C42, USAIC, Fort Benning,

GA. Date there was from Oct. 18, 1985 to Jan. 24, 1986. My Drill Sgt was

Staff Sgt. Talamoa

During this time II was subjected to higher then normal levels of

intimidation, bulling, and physical trauma. Several times I was punched in

the face or chest over the course of a few weeks. I reported these incidents

to my Drill Sergeant, but was told to take it like a man and continue on

with my training.

One night on Fire Guard duty in Harmony Church, I was doing my

rounds when I was jumped by four (4) trainees. Three (3) held me down while

one individual continued to assault me, by hitting me repeatedly. I woke up

later with a trainee over me and asking me if I was alright OK. As I tried

to get up, I felt nauseated and vomited. There was pain in my stomach, my

right eye was closed up, and my nose was bleeding. The Trainee helped me up

and got Drill Sgt Talamoa (sp). Drill Sergeant gets me and others about an

hour later and asked us about what happened. When he seen my face, he asked

me about it. I said it was dark and they got me from behind. Drill Sergeant

then told me NOT to go to the aid station. I just nodded and went to the

latrine to clean up.

I was bed-ridden for 3 days. During which time I was

continuously coughing up blood and vomiting. I asked the Drill Sergeant

Talamoa if I could go to the aid station, but again he said no, I'll get

better. Eventually I did get better- physically. But I did have a sense of

helplessness I never felt before. I started having trouble concentrating on

simple tasks at hand. I had recurring nightmares of the event. I started

sleeping less and less until it was just 2-3 hours per night. This still

continues to this day. I wake up w/ my heart pounding 3-5 times per night.

Before the event, I was very engaging and trusting of others. Now, I only

have a handful of people I can call friends. I will do anything to avoid

getting into a physical altercation all together. To this day I'm nervous

when in a crowd. I try to be by myself seeing that being alone, I'm

guaranteed that I will be OK. This also helps me with my over-hyper

vigilance. I can concentrate on the things that are important. But being

alone just puts this in a controllable albeit uncertain level. My outburst

of anger constantly reminds me that I must watch myself. These outburst have

led to either getting fired from jobs, or makes it near impossible to have a

serious relationship. While in, I had 4 AR-15. On the outside, I have had over

65 jobs up to 2007. I have not worked since.

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  • HadIt.com Elder

For what it is worth I don't think that pursuing PTSD claim will be easy and yet anyone who has PTSD also has to deal with the sympotoms which also fit Major Depression and other anxiety disorders. You don't have as many hoops and not being a combat vet makes it all so much harder.

Have you been diagnosed with anything that you can make a nexus to in service other than PTSD.

ADHD is the only other thing I saw that may be linkable?

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My situation is very similar to 11BV. Without documentation or a buddy statement attesting to the fact the stressor ( the in-service personal assault) actually occurred, its going to a very steep uphill climb.) Go the BVA site and type in the words, 'personal assault." Look at the cases. Without verification of the stressor, his best chance, in my limited opinion, is to win the case on appeal at the BVA. Where the NJP (Non Judicial Punishment ie....Article 15's) comes in is to show proof of behavior changes in the form of deterioration of work performance :

38 C.F.R. § 3.304(f) provides, in pertinent part, that if PTSD is based on in-service personal assault, evidence from sources other than the veteran's service records may corroborate the veteran's account of the

stressor incident. Moreover, the regulation provides that evidence of behavior changes following the claimed assault is one type of relevant evidence that may constitute credible evidence of the stressor. Such evidence includes, but is not

limited to, a request for a transfer to another military duty assignment; deterioration in work performance; substance abuse; episodes of depression, panic attacks, or anxiety without an identifiable cause; or unexplained economic or

social behavior changes. The regulation specifically provides that VA will not deny a PTSD claim that is based on in-service personal assault without first advising the claimant that evidence from sources other than the veteran's

service records or evidence of behavior changes may constitute credible supporting evidence of the stressor and allowing him or her the opportunity to furnish this type of evidence or advise VA of potential sources of such evidence.

VA may submit any evidence that it receives to an appropriate medical or mental health professional for an opinion as to whether it indicates that a personal assault occurred. 38 C.F.R. § 3.304(f)(3).

Next, he is almost certainly going to need to get an IMO from a doctor who will give him a diagnosis of PTSD and give a stated medical opinion that it is as least likely as not that his PTSD is the result of in-service personal assault.

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  • HadIt.com Elder

VA says they will not deny PTSD based on personal assault without telling vet that other type of evidence besides what is in his militar records is admissable, and that the VA will consider this type of evidence. It is a long way from considering such evidence to granting a claim. The VA may very well list your evidence and then explain why it does not meet the standard for a grant of SC for PTSD. Even combat vets need to have their stressor conceded and a current dx of PTSD and a nexus between the two. If you were a really good trainee or a good soldier and in a short amount of time your performance slipped and you became such a liability that the military kicked you out then that might point to something happening. I think this regulation is really aimed at cases of sexual abuse or rape. However, clear cut cases of personal assault that result in injuries, hospital stay, arrests etc are very winnable. TestVet won such a case where he was assaulted and his attackers went to prison. Even so he waited years to win that case. I believe he was running on fumes when he finally won after long fight. A truck driver in Iraq whose convoy was attacked has 100% easier chance to win a PTSD claim than any personal assault case I think even if a truck six trucks ahead or behind was the victim. If the vet got CAB he/she is in like Flynn. There is tremendous bias for combat vets to win PTSD claims. It is just how military mind operates. The definition of combat has been honed just for this reason IMO. If every base in Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan has been shelled or attacked at some time then every vet of those places would be combat vet, but military has parsed the definition of combat to exclude most troops in a combat zone.

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I know I have an up hill battle. But Im tired of being treated like a second class vet just because I am claiming PTSD as a non-combat related event!! But Im not going to give up!! According to the Census, I have on average, about 35+ years to live. And by God Ill fight all those years to get what I deserve!!!

:angry:

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But Im tired of being treated like a second class vet just because I am claiming PTSD as a non-combat related event!!

ranger11bv,

If the VBA is treating you as "a second class vet" it's not due to your "claiming PTSD as a non-combat related event".

It's much more simple than that.

You are a vet - you have filed a claim for benefits and you are nothing but a liability to them.

That's what all VBA claimants are to them.

Hang in there.

carlie

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ranger11bv,

If the VBA is treating you as "a second class vet" it's not due to your "claiming PTSD as a non-combat related event".

It's much more simple than that.

You are a vet - you have filed a claim for benefits and you are nothing but a liability to them.

That's what all VBA claimants are to them.

Hang in there.

carlie

Actually it is. I have been told a number times that because my claim is not combat related, its put on the back burner, period!!

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