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100% P&t For Ptsd And Voc Rehab

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Marinesniper

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Hello Everyone,

First of all I would like to thank EVERYONE who has taken the time to respond to my numerous questions in the past. I have had nothing but very informative and caring responses from the users on this board, and your comments have always helped me work through whatever issue it is I was dealing with at the time. Having said that I have a new question that I would like to present to the Hadit community. I am currently rated as 100% P&T for Major Depressive Disorder w/Anxiety Attacks AND PTSD, as well as SMC for other disabilities totaling approximately 60% (Sleep Apnea @ 50%, Tinnitus @ 10%, other disabilities at approx 10%). I was initially granted an award of 10% back in 1999 when I initially separated from the USMC, and I was attending Nursing School through the Vocational Rehabilitation program from around 2002-2004 when I had to drop out due to medical reasons. Shortly thereafter (approx 2005) my rating was increased to 100% P&T for PTSD and SMC was added for the additional 50%+. I did not return to my Nursing School due to the fact that I could not continue my clinical rotations while on narcotic pain meds that I am still taking today due to degenerative disc disease in my spine. I would like to add that the increase in my disability in 2005 was back dated to 1999, as it was found that these conditions existed during my time in service. I spoke with my VA Therapist about a year ago who stated that although I would never be able to work full-time ever again due to the severity of my PTSD, they did believe that I would at some point be able to pursue part-time employment at some point in the future. After much prayer and personal introspection I have realized that I believe I could pursue a career as a Patisserie/Bakery Chef decorating cakes out of my home on a part-time basis. Working out of my own home would allow me to pursue some type of gainful employment while working in an environment that would allow me to avoid the stressors and situations that aggravate/cause my PTSD and anxiety attacks. While it would be impossible to explain the nature of my disabilities, and how they keep me from being able to pursue gainful employment suffice it to say that I am unable to manage interpersonal and professional relationships with people in a working environment, and being around crowds causes severe panic attacks/feelings of being suffocated and my life being in danger. The ONLY way I can work would be in a situation where there are NOT a lot of people and I am NOT under direct supervision from an individual, AND I have a place that I can retreat to when things begin to get crazy. This is why working from home is such an ideal situation. Believe it or not, my Vocational Rehabilitation counselor was actually open to the idea of pursuing my education for the purpose of opening my own home based cake decorating business given the uniqueness of my disabilities, providing I could get signed off by my VA doctors stating that they feel I could handle the stressors of such a situation. OK...HERE IS MY QUESTION..Am I putting my 100% P&T at risk by applying for Voc Rehab? Can they take away my rating just for applying for Voc Rehab? Can I work part-time from my house and still maintain my 100% P&T rating? What are your recommendations regarding this whole situation? Once again, I thank you for your time and I realize that there are endless possibilities and answers to this question. Please answer the question to the best of your ability, and feel free to email me or ask me here should you require any further information.

Sincerely Yours,

Jeff Crockett

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  • HadIt.com Elder

Hey, Jeff - jmo but "I" wouldn't take the chance. As I said you can have a "family" business but be careful. Currently, and I'm just guessing and probably lowballing, but I estimate you're receiving roughly $55k - $60k annually, at minimum and that's tax free. Additionally, your children and spouse can receive about $915, a month, currently, for 4 yrs, while attending college, plus they also currently get medical insurance (ChampVA). All in all that package is worth between $80k - $100k a yr, in civilian life, plus it's a nice retirement package. I'd be careful! If you need money have your spouse attend school, now, that'll bring in $915 a month. I commend you on only having one car!! Families rarely need more. Anyway good luck, whatever you decide!!! Just curious, do the kids have cell phones?? Never mind as I'm digressing. Best wishes!!!

pr

Edited by Philip Rogers
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  • HadIt.com Elder

Jeff:

I did Voc Rehab at 100% it does not hurt you and if it did no one would try it.

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  • HadIt.com Elder

You could apply for voc rehab, but working is another thing. As it is you and your dependents get ChampVA, money and educational benefits from the VA plus you get SMC. If you had to pay for medical for your dependents and college costs for your kids you would really be broke. Does your wife work? She could run the business and you could help out, or you could send her to school so she can make more money. You are the one with the rock solide income and benefits. Taking care of four kids is a full time job. The biggest gift you could give your kids is an education and the VA will pay for it.

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Marinesniper,

Good gosh - maybe you might want to consider re-evaluating your financial priorities.

100 % SC with a spouse and 4 kids plus SMC is about 4K a month - plus SSDI.

No matter what state you live in should be living quite comfortable.

You posted,

"Keep in mind that my VA Psychiatrist has written in my medical records that it is her opinion that I will NEVER be able to work full-time EVER again due to the nature of my PTSD/Anxiety disorder and Major Depression. She has further stated that I would be able to pursue part-time work at some time, but that successful completion of such work should NOT be construed as an indication that my PTSD has been cured or lessened.

She stated that just because I am doing good in one particular area does NOT mean that my PTSD has improved or changed in any way for the better. I am hoping that these kinds of entries in my medical records would offer me some kind of protection from revocation of my P&T status. "

As time goes by our VA medical providers get changed.

I don't consider risking anything without as pr posted having 20 yrs protected rating.

You posted,

"My biggest question I guess is whether or not I should just wait to apply for Voc Rehab until my 20 years has passed. As much as it would KILL me to wait that long, I would be willing to do it if it is the only way to protect my status. I just can't believe that the VA would rather have me sit around and do nothing while they pay me rather than try to work at least part-time and be a productive member of society. Keep in mind that I could NEVER work a "Normal" job. The only way I could work at all is if it was a job that was either out of my home, or done in an environment where I was by myself or around only a few people at a time!"

I don't think Voc Rehab would even take you on whether it's in 3 or 4 years or 20.

Actually the VA would probably prefer you not sit round and do nothing, they would appreciate it if you find

employment you can handle - earn 100 K a year that you pay taxes on - and boot you off their liability list.

The criteria for Mental health at 100 percent is as follows:

General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders:

Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as: gross impairment in

thought processes or communication; persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name .......... 100

I'd sure lay low and heed pr's suggestions.

Thank you for your suggestions. However, I take offense to your comment about re-evaluating my financial priorities. You have NO idea what my current or past financial situation is or was. I am the SOLE provider for my family, minus a meager income that my wife brings in from her PART-TIME job. While you may seem to think that $4000/mo. is a COMFORTABLE level of living, I wonder if you currently have FOUR children that you are caring for in today's economy. The MEDIAN family income in my county is currently around $57,000 a year, which is about a THOUSAND dollars more than I make a month, so I wouldn't say that I am WELL OFF by any means. I don't know what your assumptions are, but I can tell you that I am NOT sipping champagne, eating caviar or smoking Cuban cigars while complaining about how I don't have enough money to raise my kids. ALSO..your explanation about about total impairment..that's ME to a tee...As I stated before, I am very LIMITED in what I can do, I am just trying to do what I CAN. It was my psychiatrist who told me that I could try to seek part-time work at some point, not the voices in my head. However, I have taken what you all have said in to consideration and I am going to withdraw my request for voc rehab assistance and sit every night now praying that I haven't called down the VA GODS onto my head to take away everything I have worked so hard to get up to this point. That should do my paranoia and hyper vigilance some good.. Guess it's off to the VA for some anxiety meds next week...So much for trying to be a productive member of society..

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Hey, Jeff - jmo but "I" wouldn't take the chance. As I said you can have a "family" business but be careful. Currently, and I'm just guessing and probably lowballing, but I estimate you're receiving roughly $55k - $60k annually, at minimum and that's tax free. Additionally, your children and spouse can receive about $915, a month, currently, for 4 yrs, while attending college, plus they also currently get medical insurance (ChampVA). All in all that package is worth between $80k - $100k a yr, in civilian life, plus it's a nice retirement package. I'd be careful! If you need money have your spouse attend school, now, that'll bring in $915 a month. I commend you on only having one car!! Families rarely need more. Anyway good luck, whatever you decide!!! Just curious, do the kids have cell phones?? Never mind as I'm digressing. Best wishes!!!

pr

Hello Philip,

No, the kids don't have cell phones, they don't have an xbox 360 or a playstation 3, they don't have any of the fancy "toys" that other kids have. We don't take "exotic" vacations, don't have a bunch of extras around the house, about the only "extra" we have is cable television and the internet. We aren't living "high of the hog", which is what everyone seems to think. Is there ANYONE here that is raising MULTIPLE children that can relate to the expenses of raising FOUR children in today's society? It ain't cheap folks. Clothing, Schooling, sports, study materials, toys, all the incidentals that go along with raising a child...It all adds up pretty quickly. Heck...a mortgage alone is around $900-$1000 a month, then you add in a car payment of around $550 for a mini-van for someone who doesn't have stellar credit..then there is the cost of FOOD for four growing kids, three of whom are boys who eat anything that isn't alive and breathing...averaging about 3 gallons of milk a week minimum...THAT'S at least another $500+ a month...then there is GAS for running around to all the baseball games, medical appointments (to the VA for me..a few times a week sometimes)..That's ANOTHER $200-$250 a month...SO..so far are at around $2300 a month..Now, that doesn't include all the OTHER bills that come with owning a home...Utilities such as Electric...which runs around $300 a month even with the cost saving measures we are taking in our home AND keeping the thermostat up around 77 degrees all the time..Water...garbage...PHONE (Cell for the wife and I, and internet), cable..all the other expenses and savings...in the end we only have a few hundred dollars, IF we are lucky for savings and any "extras" we might want to spend on like getting the oil changed and such..About the only thing we could cut out would be our cell phones, which would be ridiculous because my anxiety levels would go through the Roof not being able to be in touch with my wife, and cutting the internet, which would be crazy because I depend on it so much for researching things like this...SO ANYONE WHO IS JUDGING THE WAY I SPEND MY MONEY...there you have it..I'm not running out and spending money like it's water...it just costs a LOT to have a family now days..

ALSO..don't worry, I've taken all your advice to heed...I'm contacting my VA rep tomorrow and telling him to withdraw my request..I can only hope that the VA GODS don't come down and take away from me everything I worked so hard to get all these years..Of course, if they take me in for an evaluation they will see that I am still totally unable to deal with society on a "normal" basis...But I digress...Shame on me for trying to better myself..I'll just sit back and suck the resources from our government and quit trying to do something silly like be productive and responsible..

Hey, Jeff - jmo but "I" wouldn't take the chance. As I said you can have a "family" business but be careful. Currently, and I'm just guessing and probably lowballing, but I estimate you're receiving roughly $55k - $60k annually, at minimum and that's tax free. Additionally, your children and spouse can receive about $915, a month, currently, for 4 yrs, while attending college, plus they also currently get medical insurance (ChampVA). All in all that package is worth between $80k - $100k a yr, in civilian life, plus it's a nice retirement package. I'd be careful! If you need money have your spouse attend school, now, that'll bring in $915 a month. I commend you on only having one car!! Families rarely need more. Anyway good luck, whatever you decide!!! Just curious, do the kids have cell phones?? Never mind as I'm digressing. Best wishes!!!

pr

Hello Philip,

No, the kids don't have cell phones, they don't have an xbox 360 or a playstation 3, they don't have any of the fancy "toys" that other kids have. We don't take "exotic" vacations, don't have a bunch of extras around the house, about the only "extra" we have is cable television and the internet. We aren't living "high of the hog", which is what everyone seems to think. Is there ANYONE here that is raising MULTIPLE children that can relate to the expenses of raising FOUR children in today's society? It ain't cheap folks. Clothing, Schooling, sports, study materials, toys, all the incidentals that go along with raising a child...It all adds up pretty quickly. Heck...a mortgage alone is around $900-$1000 a month, then you add in a car payment of around $550 for a mini-van for someone who doesn't have stellar credit..then there is the cost of FOOD for four growing kids, three of whom are boys who eat anything that isn't alive and breathing...averaging about 3 gallons of milk a week minimum...THAT'S at least another $500+ a month...then there is GAS for running around to all the baseball games, medical appointments (to the VA for me..a few times a week sometimes)..That's ANOTHER $200-$250 a month...SO..so far are at around $2300 a month..Now, that doesn't include all the OTHER bills that come with owning a home...Utilities such as Electric...which runs around $300 a month even with the cost saving measures we are taking in our home AND keeping the thermostat up around 77 degrees all the time..Water...garbage...PHONE (Cell for the wife and I, and internet), cable..all the other expenses and savings...in the end we only have a few hundred dollars, IF we are lucky for savings and any "extras" we might want to spend on like getting the oil changed and such..About the only thing we could cut out would be our cell phones, which would be ridiculous because my anxiety levels would go through the Roof not being able to be in touch with my wife, and cutting the internet, which would be crazy because I depend on it so much for researching things like this...SO ANYONE WHO IS JUDGING THE WAY I SPEND MY MONEY...there you have it..I'm not running out and spending money like it's water...it just costs a LOT to have a family now days..

ALSO..don't worry, I've taken all your advice to heed...I'm contacting my VA rep tomorrow and telling him to withdraw my request..I can only hope that the VA GODS don't come down and take away from me everything I worked so hard to get all these years..Of course, if they take me in for an evaluation they will see that I am still totally unable to deal with society on a "normal" basis...But I digress...Shame on me for trying to better myself..I'll just sit back and suck the resources from our government and quit trying to do something silly like be productive and responsible..

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  • HadIt.com Elder

Jeff, based on what you've stated, about your current psychological condition, I, personally, feel you'll be turned down for Voc Rehab, as untrainable, at this juncture in your life. Sounds like your doing a great job and you get to be home w/your kids, too. That's great!!!! I realize making ends meet while raising 4 children is costly/difficult, especially just on VA and SSDI but you stated that $4k a month is less than the $57k average median income in your county. I disagree and feel it's equal, as the $57k is usually gross and the VA/SSDI is net, which would equal about $60k if taxable. Also think of the all the work related expenses you don't need to pay.

I don't think anyone here is trying to put you down, just offering some insight thru our experiences. I know when I attended culinary school, back in the early 90's, my PTSD was much like yours and I was in my mid to late 40's. I had a great deal of trouble dealing w/the kids, many of whom were there just to avoid going to work. You can still inquire about Voc Rehab and see what they may offer. Don't give up your dreams!!!

That's all from me. Again, best wishes for you and your family. Enjoy the time you are lucky enough to get to spend w/your children because you can't work. I'm sure later in life they'll appreciate the time they were able to spend w/you over what they might have had. Unfortunately, we don't realize that until later in life!! jmo

pr

Edited by Philip Rogers
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