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Jay Johnson
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Posts posted by Jay Johnson
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Just to let you guys know something about my recent visit to the va. I was being helped by a nurse who was in vietnam in the navy as a nurse. She had informed me that she don't care anymore....but when you get seen by a doctor, they type in almost anything they (rude or label you anyway that they want). IE if you tell a pysch doctor some of your problems, pretty much everyone in the VA knows your business. She said even at her level and the level at the desk can read your file. She said when she got her job a lot of the civilians look at her as nuts because she gets treatment for PTSD. It's a dissapointing day when the Vets who even works for the VA get labeled. I went to a Nurse Practictionor and he served as a Doc in the Navy. He understood me better and treated my wife and I better than any other time we ever went to the VA. I sure wish that they had more vets working at the VA. He and the nurse indicated a that even when you work at the VA its the Civilians against the Vets....the split. For a lack of a better way to say it, I believe its going to come to a day when vets will have to start pushing back and soon. I think its gonna come to a point that I think the Veteran community should vote in the Heads of the VA Hospital (just like a president).....because they know they can practically do anything and have no fear about losing their job.
Spike,
I feel your pain:-( One of the reasons I suggest using a civilian psychiatrist (aside from keeping the VA out of your business) is that you have the ability to pick and choose which psychiatrist best fits your beliefs; both in how you feel your symptoms should be treated and your beliefs in general.
This issue isn't just a VA issue; this is a world wide issue in regards to psychiatry. The reason I brought up Freud is that he represents a very dated way of thinking about psychological problems and it is his model that this “Satel" psychiatrist still follows. Basically, there is still a large block of individuals within the psychological community that believe, in essence, that psychological disorders are "mental" and not "physical". As diagnostic and imagery tools get better, we are learning that many psychological problems stem from physiological issues within the brain. Fear, anxiety, depression, hallucinations, etc. all have a chemical and biological basis, yet many treat them as if they're merely a made up fantasy inside of our heads; that we can, somehow, overcome if we simply talk ourselves out of it.....this is ridiculous, of course.
The problem is that psychology is a billion dollar business that relies on the perception that one can simply be "talked" out of any given disorder. So, coming to the realization that many disorders have a physiological mechanism, essentially, puts them out of work (to an extent). Now, there are many within the psychology side of the equation who are coming to this realization and admitting that they cannot "cure" a disorder with words alone does NOT mean they are out of business; rather, it simply means that they are in the business of "treating" symptoms, which, in many cases, can give the patient a much better standard of living. But, the traditional psychologists don't want to give up on the idea that mere words can cure severe psychological disorders and they don't want to trivialize their contributions to the field.
In the end, we, as a society, need to start calling a spade a spade and show this antiquated way of thinking for what it is. We need to stop going to thes therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists that subscribe to that nonsense and put them out of work. Fortunately, we live in a free-market system, so we CAN fix this problem, but we need a lot more education on this topic in order to do so. Most people on this forum probably think of a psychologist as a psychologist......we aren't taught that there are many different schools of thought in psychology and most therapists/psychologists subscribe to one, or more, of them. These "schools of thought" mostly believe in the idea that therapy (IE - words) can "cure" "mental" disorders...the only ones that don't focus on the "medical model", which tends to be linked to psychiatrists rather than psychologists/therapists because the medical model acknowledges a physiological problem that psychologists/therapists aren't licensed to deal with (IE - prescribing meds).
Moral of the story - learn to ask questions about your psychologist/therapist/psychiatrist......see what THEY believe and what models THEY follow. If they say things like, "we can cure this, but you need to work harder", or "this is all in your head and/or irrational" fire them immediately....they are ignorant and need further educating.
A SMART psych *should* say that there is no cure and that we really don't know how to "fix the problem", but that he/she will "do everything we can to treat the symptoms".....that is ALL that medical science has proven thus far; anything beyond that is an outright lie.
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Jay
Freud started out as a child psych. Most of them were during that period. They evolved into so-called higher forms and or levels of psych. As you know, a great portion of his a work was however based on lies and inflated stats! Majority of his research was conducted on his own CRAZY CHILDREN and his poor wife! He had a deep seeded hate for women. Well most women. Let's face it, the dude was a QUACK! If he were alive today, he would fit right in with the other quacks at the VA!
Take care and have a great day
I'm not sure where you heard that Freud was a child psychologist, but I don't believe this is true. He started out as a neurologist and never studied children at all, despite developing the psychosexual model of development which focuses solely on early childhood development.
Also, I've never heard of Freud studying his own children. Other famous researchers have, such as Piaget, but not Freud.
Either way, he was a "quack" who had severe issues with women and, likely, had childhood trauma himself (my guess is he was molested)....he was completely fixated with childhood sexuality and seemed to blame every psychological disorder on sexual development (which is absurd).
By the way, Freud focused a lot of his attention on "female hysteria", and did seem to have issues with women. He was also an avid cocaine user and often used the drug for "therapeutic" purposes.
P.S. - Did you know that "hysteria" is derived from a Greek word meaning "womb"...the word we use for "crazy" literally means woman:-(
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Good points stretch. This is a typical tactic used by politicians to sell an outrageous idea....they conflate something that is moderately true (early intervention can help) with something that has NO proof like claiming that 100% (severe) PTSD vets can be "cured" by sending them to work. I just found it disturbing that no one even questioned those claims or asked for even a hint of proof. Sure, therapy helps some vets deal with PTSD symptoms, but it is very rare that therapy will have any large impact on a very severe PTS case, because severe PTSD involves sooo many other factors (depression, suicidal/homicidal ideation, hallucinations, OCD, GAD, etc, etc).
The real disturbing thing to me is this notion that PTSD can be "cured" at ANY level. How can one cure something when they don't even know what it is?? Ask ANY psychiatrist what PTSD is (be sure that they don't merely list "symptoms")...they can't do it, because they don't truly know what causes it.
"Curing" PTSD would be like saying you "cured" a broken arm with morphine. What you've really done, in that example, is treat a symptom, which is all therapy and drugs can do for PTSD. The best one can hope for with PTSD is to learn to diminish their symptoms and/or learn to live a decent life with said symptoms.
Interesting fact: Did you know that parkinson's disease is basically identical (physiologically speaking) to schizophrenia (and other symptoms like depression, hallucinations, etc)? They both involve abnormal levels of dopamine (one being too high and one being too low). Could you imagine a parkinson's patient walking into a doctor's office and being told, "it's all in your head; get a job and use self-talk"?? No, that would be absurd. Yet, we tell people with physical problems in their heads (PTSD) that they should, in essence, "walk it off". It's a huge double standard and the field of psychiatry doesn't want to admit it because they want people to keep coming to them for a "cure".
The future of psychiatry is in the bio-medical side of things. PTSD, and other afflictions, are PHYSICAL disorders and, in time, we will know exactly how and why people have PTSD. But, for now, we let these over-educated retards spout their opinions as if they're facts, just because they spent 8 yrs in college and studied that idiot freud.
P.S. Interesting fact on freud: His theories are basically bent on the idea that all of our current problems have ties to childhood. Did you know that freud never studied children? How does one make such strong ties to development at a young age without ever having done studies on kids? What a joke:-)
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I just finished listening to the entire hearing posted below. I can't stress enough that the veteran community needs to start pushing back HARD against the VA and, more importantly, congress in regards to this issue. This idea of "curing" PTSD vets (to which there's NO real evidence of this happening in severe cases) and/or forcing veterans to work as a form of "therapy" is a HUGE problem, especially when it's coming from the medical community. Also, this timing couldn't be worse given the influx of new PTSD cases due to the Iraq war.....we could soon find P&T PTSD vets under review and forced into temporary work programs as a means of lowering the amount of 100% cases. I think those with TDIU have the most to fear in this, as work seems to be the key factor in the discussions to the VA panel.
Make no mistake about it, this is pseudo-science at its worse. This Satel person clearly has a conservative agenda and does NOT have the veteran's best interest at heart. Time and time again her, and some others, glossed over the fact that jobs are the most stressful part of 99% of American lives.....not all of us are doctors getting paid 7 figures for our "opinions". Rather, we are typically faced with jobs we don't like, in highly stressful situation in which we are forced to choose between a horrible working situation or not having the money to feed our kids or keep a roof over our heads. Work *IS* the stressor for most veterans for this reason.
If there is to be ANY type of work incentive from the VA it MUST be tied in with guaranteed compensation as a means to reduce the stress associated with gainful employment. Also, the panel failed to address social implications of PTSD and its impact on the quality of life for veterans......as has been pointed out (by myself and the recent PTSD study), physically disabled vets can receive payments for simply being injured up to and including the 100% level despite being able to lead a relatively normal life with gainful employment.
So, the ONLY reason the VA, and these wanna-be doctors, are pushing the job issue is because PTSD is linked to work and has no basis in social impairment....I've never seen a 100% PTSD veteran who is gainfully employed while retaining that 100% level; yet there are plenty of 100% physically disabled veterans who do. This is a fishing expedition to cut the compensation benefits to PTSD vets, because of this war. It is disgraceful and we (being the entire veteran's community) need to speak out now, or we're all going to find ourselves without compensation and shaking our heads.
One more note - this panel's blatant disregard for human life is appalling. They were honest enough to mention that 5000 vets commit suicide each year, but they didn't want to make the connection as to how many MORE vets would commit suicide if forced off of the 100% level and into work.....is saving some tax dollars worth a 10-50% higher suicide rate? I bet Satel believes it is!
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Wow, that is truly disgusting. Why aren't the SO's doing anything about this?? This "psychiatrist" is making claims to congress based on personal experiences and has NO scientific evidence to back up a single claim of her's? The evidence on the effectiveness of the therapies she mentioned (behavioral, psychotherapy, etc) are all very limited.....every one of those is far from a guaranteed cure and most have proven ineffective for severe mental conditions. Psychotherapy is perhaps the biggest joke the medical community has ever come up with.....it reminds me of drilling holes in people's heads to "let the spirits out"; it is THAT useless and baseless of a therapy, yet millions subscribe to it.
This is the typical conservative "bootstrap myth" that says that anyone can do anything if they work hard enough. Ironically, the "bootstrap myth" has been disproved for decades by sociologists and psychologists alike.
It's shameful that congress allowed this idiot to speak.
By the way, didn't we just have a report done that said the opposite of what this pseudodoctor is proposing?
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The wife is 100% (schedular) for PTSD, with housebound and P&T. She was initially rated 100% right out of the military, was bumped to 100% P&T with A&A upon her first scheduled C&P (2 years after initial rating) and, due to several months of hell, reduced to her current rating (housebound from A&A).
No unresolved issues and we didn't argue the A&A because I "hope" to be able to work outside of the home again.... some day (though, I don't forsee this anytime soon given her current condition).
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It's the least I can do and that quote I highlighted seems to be very powerful to me:-) "Required" is a very strong and blunt statement that really leaves no room for interpretation and being that it was made by the VA top brass to congress (likely under oath), I don't see how the VA can ignore it or try to skirt around it.
Simply put, if you are P&T and the VA is scheduling C&Ps for you, they are breaking the law.
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One more note on this - I know some folks will say, "but the VA says it cannot be limited under 3.327, so they can send P&T vets to a C&P"....this is wrong in my opinion. That discretion, on the VA's part, is limited to new and material evidence and/or CUE type claims...they cannot simply send a P&T vet to a C&P because they feel like "checking in on them". The reg states as much, it has been said many times in BVA decisions and the VA top brass has expressed it to congress, but, despite all of that, it's the spirit of the designation and simple common sense. If a disorder will not likely improve, than it's a waste of time/resources to keep investigating it and once someone is deemed "P&T" they should never lose that designation unless new and material shows a clear improvement or there was fraud in determining the original status.
SO's should be all over the VA if they try to pull this nonsense, but they don't seem to care and most vets just accept it without question....this has to stop.
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Well, keep in mind that what constitutes "new and material" evidence is very subjective from the VA's view point. I think folks with multiple rated problems have a much higher chance of being called in for a C&P after being found P&T because the VA can poke through medical records and/or use an appointment for something rated only 20% to justify opening a claim on a more severe, and permanent, 100% disorder.
In my wife's case, when I pressed this issue because they reopened her P&T PTSD case, they said that they had new and material evidence because I sent in a letter from her primary care doc stating that she could handle her own finances (to get her off of that god-awful fiduciary program)....the letter stated ONLY that the doctor asked her questions regarding her finances and that she seemed capable of handling them (I made the doctor be VERY specific not to mention a single word about her PTSD). But, the VA had "something" and, therefore, covered their butts, but only AFTER I had complained about them rerating a P&T case did they mention this evidence (after we got the new rating). Perhaps the letter got their attention, but it certainly wasn't their real basis for lowering her and, eventually, sending her to another C&P.
So, now I don't go within 10 miles of a VA facility. I pay for her psychiatrist out of pocket (because tricare sucks) and she will never talk to another VA employee again for the rest of her life. If they want "new and material evidence" they better get a subpoena:-)
P.S. - The info was in regards to senate hearings about IU. I actually got the info from someone who had posted it to hadit awhile back (and used it in my CUE at the time). Here's the post(s) - http://www.hadit.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1869&hl=
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The VA should not be calling any veteran in that is P&T without new and material evidence to warrant it. It says so clearly in the regs, it's been handed down that way by the BVA over and over and the VA's top brass has made it clear in senate hearings. The only reason a P&T vet should be called in is if there is some reason to do so.
If they do so, you need to fight it and get a senator involved...not only is it the regulation, but it's just common sense; if the medical evidence says that you are permanently disabled that doesn't mean you are permanently disabled but may get better. It means PERMANENT! Don't let them fool you with this nonsense...if they send you for a C&P for a P&T condition CUE it immediately and send them the reg saying they can't....if need be I'll dig up the senate notes in which several top VA folks said no future exams for P&T vets....this is a clear black and white issue!
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I didn't get it either, but what can ya do:-)
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My wife's C&P history:
1) Initial rating of 100% about two months after medical separation from the military (AmVets "fast track" program)....no C&P was given; they went off of civilian and military records.
2) She was increased from 100% to 100% P&T with A&A on a 15 min exam.
3) They lowered her from 100% to 70% because they "reviewed" her Cfile when she moved to a different RO.....they eventually gave her a 20 min C&P and was awarded 100% P&T with homebound.
Now, all of those C&Ps came with a substantial body of evidence on my part from civilian doctors, but the C&P doctors were compeletely unaware of what was in her C-file. The last one even told me to be quiet or leave and that she, "didn't care about what other doctors said".
I agree with John here...the process is compeletely subjective and totally without merit.
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Sledge,
My uncle was killed by the VA and the VA readily admitted it. He went to a VA hospital in the Chicago area and, during a surgery, they knicked his intestine and didn't notice. He developed severe infection as a result and had to have the majority of his intestines removed once they figured out the mistake. He lived through hell for the next few years (on a feeding tube in horrible pain) and eventually died because of the damage the infection caused to his descending aorta.
Despite the VA admitting they caused the problem AND having documented proof of that fact, his family lost his tort claim against the VA.
Tort is designed not to be won, so lawyers tend not to want to take them...the whole point of a tort is to NOT allow anyone to sew the government for the actions of individual screw-ups in the VA, or any other governmental branch.
I wish you luck, but no tort claim is remotely close to a slam dunk unfortunately... even when the VA admitts it's their fault:-(
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It probably did; just as a broken (or missing) arm, foot, etc. can lead to arthritis later in life. PTSD may prep your brain for other afflictions, but that's doesn't mean they are the same disorders. People with physical disorders get secondary diagnosis and compensation all the time, so why don't PTSD vets?
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Good luck sledge...finding a good lawyer who will take a tort claim is like finding a needle in a haystack:-)
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Army,
The VA cannot rate each individual mood disorder. By CFR 38 it would be pyramiding, so they can rate you for PTSD, and take into consideration the other diagnosis while making the rating but thats it. PTSD is classed as an anxiety disorder - but I'm no shrink so who knows. The VA is SUPPOSED to consider the highest rated disorder, and thats what they actually compensate you for.
Further - They have stereotyped and lumped combat mental problems into PTSD
Well, it is Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome..... combat mental problems are obviously traumatic, and post apllies, so what would you have them do? Honestly, its a rational system if used correctly. I am not stating that it is or is not used correctly, but how it is laid out makes perfect sense. In fact, I can think of no other way to do it.
I am not trying to score points here off of you but I dont understand what you would prefer happen. The pyramiding rule applies to all injuries, not just mental, s its not unfair in that aspect. So, help me out here I dont understand.
This is incorrect and I would ask you to talk to ANY civilian psychiatrist on this topic to get their opinion. This is more evidence that the VA is hoping that the average veteran doesn't understand how psychiatry works.
There's a few things one needs to understand about basic psychology before making these types of statements:
1) Problems like major depression and PTSD are NOT related; they're not even under the same category of diagnosis. The categories are as follows:
A) Anxiety disorders - GAD, panic disorder, phobias, agoraphobia, OCD, PTSD, etc.
Mood disorders - Major depression, bipolar, etc.C) Schizophrenia - Although categorized separately, many issues with hallucinations fall into this category.
D) Dissociative disorders - DID
E) Personality disorders - APD, BPD, etc.
F) Other - Substance abuse and disorders not covered by the aforementioned.
2) Just because PTSD falls under the "anxiety" category doesn't mean that you cannot have another anxiety issue separate from PTSD. Many individuals with PTSD suffer from OCD, which is not linked to any type of stressor, but seems to manifest itself when the brain is damaged in some way from some other psychological problem...they are NOT linked.
The VA's standard on this are completely insane and extremely bias. To say that a veteran with PTSD shouldn't have their major depression evaluated is nonsense....those two problems are completely opposite of one-another in how they work inside of our brains. The chemical process that causes anxiety (which *IS* PTSD) has nothing to do with the process by which hallucinations occur (dopamine issues).
This would be like the VA saying to a veteran, "well you're rated for arthritis in your shoulder, so we can't give you arthritis in your knee, because you already have a diagnosis of arthritis".....that would cause a big issue if done that way I'm sure.
It is flat wrong for the VA to require "total occupational AND total social impairment" to award 100% for PTSD alone....many 100% vet who are physically disabled have neither total social impairment, nor total occupational impairment. This is a blatant double standard as is trying to lump completely separate medical conditions into one all-encompassing super condition, to which no other medical professional on earth would agree with outside of the VA.
P.S. - Major depression (mood disorder) is an issue dealing with serotonin in the brain (and other neurotransmitters). PTSD, an anxiety disorder, is treated with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) increasing drugs such as xanax, valium, etc.....these lower the crisis responses in the brain (fight or flight) which are linked to anxiety/panic attacks. The ONLY difference between PTSD and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is that PTSD has a specific stressor and/or trigger...they are both merely anxiety disorders that the VA has twisted into some sort of super-disorder which simply does NOT exist.
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By the way, 100% PTSD is rare, because the VA has ridiculous standards. Vike is right in that one must be practically institutionalized in order to qualify for that rating, which is blatant discrimination against vets with mental disabilities. A physically disabled vet can be 100% disabled while living a, relatively, normal life.
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GAF is one's "overall" symtpoms and speaks directly to social and occupational impairment. It is also a method used around the world by the most respected psychiatrists on the planet. In short, it is *the* standard for psychological evaluations, but the VA likes to ignore it because psychiatrists tend to call it the way they see it. ALL of the symtpoms listed are conducive of a GAF below 40 and 25-31 sounds dead on by DSM standards (according to the symptoms you've listed).
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I've said for quite some time that the VA should lock veterans into their highest rating (held for a period of time..say 1yr+) for PTSD regardless of any change. But, this "locked" compensation should be defered by any money the veteran is able to make while employed.
Basically, if a 100% veteran finds that they are, after much treatment/time, able to hold a low-stress, low-pay job than that veteran will receive his current 100% compensation less any money earned through work. In other words, if compensation = $2500/mnth and he/she is able to make $1600/mnth, said veteran would then receive $900/mnth from the VA instead of the full $2500, but if said veteran should lose employment, at any time, he/she would automatically receive the full compensation amount again.
This allows the veterans to "attempt" employment under very low stress conditions and accounts for relapses. It saves the VA money and helps the veteran in the recovery process. To be honest, I think a lot of IU and 100% vets would jump on this program and the current system actually works to keep those veterans reclusive.
As for the GAF thing - I find it ironic that they say, on one hand, that a GAF is innacurate, yet, on the other hand, they say they need some sort of system that puts together the various symptoms that tend to go along with PTSD (which is what GAF is precisely for). The reason they want to do away with GAF is because it deals directly with VA ratings criteria and the VA has a tough time ignoring it (though they do and often). Essentially, a GAF is EXACTLY how the VA currently rates mental disorders...it's a numerical system that highlights occupational and social functioning (overall).
So, a GAF of, say, 40 means, quite literally, total occupational impairment with severe social impairment....under current VA rating's criteria that should qualify as a 100% rating (or, at worst 70%+ IU), yet many veterans get far lower ratings based on that GAF.
I also find it laughable that the VA thinks it can supersede the entire medical community and develop a system better than all of the greatest mind in psychology's history have developed to date. This part of the report can only end badly in my opinion.....
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Funny, from the director of the Seattle RO, "The VA has been a bit liberal, of late, in granting 100% for PTSD and many 100% ratings should be 70% or lower." (in response to why they attempted to lower my wife from 100% to 70%). Furthermore, a friend of mine in the Oregon RO (schedules and works with BVA for that RO...or did, until he retired a few years ago) had told me, "with all of the vets coming back from iraq, the ROs are cracking down on PTSD cases".
To boot, we have an independent commission which, in effect, said that the VA is not properly rating PTSD cases. On top of that, the VA's own regs, on this matter, are clearly being violated here and in most cases. Stop apologizing for them.
As a side note - What enables the VA to low-ball PTSD claims (aside from vets working against vets) is that PTSD is episodic in nature. Now, the VA is "supposed" to take the veteran's low points and assess how often those low points occur; instead, they cherry pick the high points and use it as a basis to brow beat the veteran into a lower claim. I've seen this happen in almost every PTSD claim I've ever seen, including my wife's. It's a horrible, inhuman tactic with the expressed purpose of low-balling veteran's with PTSD.
John’s opinion on this is exactly the problem stated above and shows just how much we’ve allowed the VA to beat PTSD vets down. Just because a veteran can do yard work (or any other periodic work, including seasonal paid work) is NOT a basis for a lower rating. PTSD is fraught with highs and lows and most PTSD vets are able to do such things from time to time. The VA “should” be looking into how often the vet relapses into severe depression/anxiety/etc and THEN figure out whether reasonable employment is likely. A veteran that relapses even once every 6 month is NOT going to be able to maintain gainful employment….no employer is going to let an employee take a week or two off every 6 months because they’re anxious/depressed/angry etc.
Anything under a 40 GAF is total occupational disability by DSM standards, which should qualify any veteran for IU, but the VA often ignores GAF scores and/or takes only the highest GAF on record into account. This is a blatant, and intentional, disregard for a veteran’s condition and no psychiatrist on the planet would think otherwise.
P.S. – My current psych professor used to work for the VA. He quit to teach because he was, “sick of working for them….there was constant pressure to word things in ways to keep claims low and they would often ask me for opinions about patients that I’ve never seen, nor had any business diagnosing……..they just wanted my signature in order to deny a claim”. I’m sure this isn’t the case in every RO, but it happens and happens often (this guy worked in two separate ROs in his time working for the VA).
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Vasolas,
Couple things here:
1) Unless I'm reading you wrong, you're primary evidence is from a "psychologist" and NOT a "psychiatrist"? If so, the RO will give this little to no weight regardless of how many opinions that doctor sends in. You need a psychiatrist to make that diagnosis (especially if using an IMO).
2) The VA is getting killed with PTSD claims and they are discriminating against PTSD vets imo. They attempted to lower my wife from 100% to 70% with a 10GAF, but we appealed and won.
So, it sounds like you have a solid claim for 100%, but you're applying in a time when I think the ROs are being pressured into not paying out what they should. But, as the recent independent report on PTSD showed, there is blatant discrimination against vets with mental disorders....lose an arm or leg in the military and your claim is golden...you can be 100%+ and work and live a great life......ruin your most vital organ and they put you through hell, call you a liar and low-ball claim after claim all while you live a horrible life in which you can't work, can't be social and often become separated from friends/family.
Appeal the claim and don't stop until you get that 100%...if anything, from the sound of your symptoms/diagnosis, you should be 100% + homebound.
Good luck.
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Hurry,
I'm sorry my friend, but I'm done posting here again. These places always have their handful of members that run rough-shot over anyone who dares question their methods and I really don't care to deal with that nonsense.
I wish you the best in your case and please feel free to email me directly at jay_1699@hotmail.com.
P.S. - Please don't listen to anyone who tells you that you "have no claim" or "shouldn't file". They are haters and VA apologizers and they don't have veteran's best interests at heart.
G'luck,
Jason
To Tbird,
Vike is popular here and I know how the popularity game works, so feel free to ban the account. Thanks from trying to provide a good forum for veterans and god speed.
- Jason
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At first, I thought you were just a bit overly presumptuous in your opinions, but now it's clear that you have issues with being questioned; just as many in the VA do , as well as, many SOs. I resend my former adulations to you, as you are nothing more than a stubborn know-it-all.
It's folks like you that tried to tell my wife that she couldn't have A&A...you're so full of yourself, and hateful towards those whom would question you, that you would actually tell a veteran not to make a claim based on your loose interpretation of a law to which you really have no concrete knowledge about (nor do I or, I'm guessing, anyone else here).
By the way, who the heck cares whether or not the VA is backed up? How horrible of an excuse is that? I don't care if they are backed up for the next 1000 years; a veteran should use EVERY opportunity to get what he/she DESERVES. The politicians need to hire more people to lower the case load; that's not a disabled veteran's responsibility.
I won a few cases on PTSD and was the first person to get A&A for PTSD in the Philadelphia RO, so, by your logic, that makes me an expert on all things PTSD and A&A, right? I’m speechless…..
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100% SC means the VA is paying him for a disability caused, or exaggerated, by his military service.
As for A&A - It really depends on what his problems are, but the long and short of it is that he needs the assistance of another person in order to function. There's lots of thing that make up "assistance" though. Bathing, feeding oneself, etc are more obvious ones, but there's other things like having a spouse administer medications via a doctor's supervision. I would suggest looking up the regs Berta listed and talk to the VA in his area. You may even want to contact someone like amvets (service organization) for some help, being that you're so new to the process.
Good luck.
Mood disorders - Major depression, bipolar, etc.
Just Something To Read About The Latest House Of Va Hearings
in VA Disability Claims Research
Posted
For any physical disability I would agree, but PTSD is so subjective and it only takes one A-hole doctor to make your life a living hell. I do, however, agree with continuing care....if a PTSD vet just walks away from the VA AND treatment all together, they will have a tough time if the VA goes digging into their files again.
My wife maintains a psychiatrist, for meds, every month to 2 months (depending on how she's doing). This gives her ongoing treatment and shows proof that she still needs meds and other medical services. But, her psych is civilian, so the RO can't use every appointment as a basis for reopening her P&T claim with "new and material evidence"....if they want that, they better go to court for it:-)