Zechs

To set my effective date through an informal claim, I know I need to state what condition I'm filing for on a form 21-4138, but do I need to state the symptoms or go into any greater detail? I'm still gathering evidence, so I don't want to trigger a full claim at the moment, just stake an effective date and my intentions on formally filing within a year.

Thanks :)

To make a very long story short, I’ve been seeking help for severe anxiety and PTSD with the VA since March of 2012. I initially saw a primary care physician who put me on Celexa, then graduated to the OIF/OEF Clinic psychology resident. Over the course of a month or two I had some therapy seasons with her before she helped me get in with the Clinic Psychiatrist. After some sessions adjusting my medications I’m on 100mg of Zoloft and 8mg of Xanax a day. After the Resident left I transferred to the Clinic Psychologist, where I had four or five sessions. His opinion was that his resident had been correct on the serve GAD diagnosis, but that I also have PTSD which is triggering the GAD along with a host of anxiety/panic symptoms. He transferred me to the PTSD recovery clinic, where I went through the introduction briefing in November. We were given options on treatment (group, individual, ect) and said that someone would evaluate our symptoms and verify the diagnosis and place us into treatment. My next visit two weeks later was to a psychologist in the PTSD clinic. I’ve been enrolled in the cognitive processing therapy. A lot of writing thus far trying to figure out “stuck points”. She mentioned it’s a 12 week program. My ultimate question is who do I talk to about getting a formal diagnosis? I have a good deal of paperwork to file; I’m just lacking any kind of written diagnosis from the VA. Who do I talk to? I mean, how do I get an evaluation so I can start the filing process? I hear it’s pretty much essential that you get a formal evaluation or nexus from the VA before you even submit your initial claim. It just seems like I’m seeing therapists right now; how do I bridge the gap to get an evaluation to help substantiate a claim?