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Vetquest, I have not applied for TDIU. I definitely have a solid case for 100% service connection. I have not been able to work for the last 10 or so years. I have been under treatment specifically for the PTSD since 2014. I feel my stuff is chronic, which is why I am appealing. Thank goodness for my outside psychologist making a very good rebuttal to the VA's C&P exam.

Hamslice, the exact name for it is: Other Specified Trauma and Stressor Related Disorder as written on my award letter. Sorry I did not write it quite right. Other Specified Trauma and Stressor Related Disorder seems to be viewed as temporary, and not as severe as PTSD by Psychologists from what I can find. Vetquest I appreciate your input in regards to employers. I am unable to work at this time, but I will keep your advice in mind.

Here is an excerpt from the article for those who don't want to view the whole pdf: Treating Individuals Who Have Chronic Pain and PTSD Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapeutic intervention that helps patients manage chronic pain (21). Other types of treatment that help patients with chronic pain include: stress inoculation training, behavior modification/operant conditioning, self-directed treatments, and adjunctive treatments such as biofeedback and relaxation training (22). There are also manualized treatments that specifically address avoidance behaviors and hypervigilance, because these behaviors tend to reinforce fear reactions. Research suggests that providing CBT treatments to address PTSD symptoms in patients with chronic pain may lead to improvements in pain-related functioning (23). This has been seen even when the pain was not addressed specifically in the intervention. When treating patients with chronic pain, it is vital that health care providers address patients' symptoms of PTSD and depression. In so doing, they increase the likelihood that patients will have improvements in their levels of pain as well as in their physical and emotional functioning.

Buck52 ,Thank you for your replies. The C&P doctor said my stressors did not meet Criterion A for PTSD. Criterion A is the part asking: Exposure to actual or threatened a) death, b) serious injury, c) sexual violation That was the C&P doctor's sole reasoning for not diagnosing PTSD. But as mentioned before, I have 1 VA psychiatrist, 1 IME PhD psychologist, and my treating PhD psychologist saying that I DO meet Criterion A for PTSD. They thought my stressors were life threatening. I am doing the Neurofeedback (aka biofeedback) in lieu of medication in addition to psychotherapy for the PTSD and other mental problems. I believe Neurofeeback (biofeedback) is recognized as an effective treatment for PTSD according this article. You can do the search function on this .pdf for the word "biofeedback" from the NationalCenter for PTSD. I think by how they mention biofeedback as a adjunctive treatment it might help with the DRO in recognizing it as a acceptable assistive form of treatment for my PTSD. What are your thoughts? The Experience of Chronic Pain and PTSD_ A Guide for Health Care Providers - PTSD_ National Center for PTSD.pdf

Dustoff 11, Thank you, that helps. I think I will leave my VA Problems List out, since it is kind of weird, and instead I will focus on bringing the doctors' notes and pointing out where the psychiatrist, psychologists, and family doc all say it is PTSD.

Dustoff 11, I was diagnosed by the VA Psychiatrist. It was just weird how the VA Psychiatrist never wanted to put it in the VA Problems List.

I'll try to clarify. I have had the 1 VA psychiatrist, and 2 outside psychologists (both PhD's) state my PTSD stressors are from the military. I am service connected by VBA for Other Traumatic Stressor Related Disorder, even though I claimed PTSD when I filed my claim. My question is would it help to show the VA Problems List to the DRO at my hearing since it shows Chronic PTSD, even though PTSD was only added to the Problems List by my VA family doc? I think it might not help my case of getting the DRO to SC me for PTSD instead of OTSRD, because it was added by a doctor that is not in Behavioral Health.

When I got diagnosed by the psychiatrist at my VAMC with PTSD he never put the PTSD into my problems list and only put the OCD into the VHA problems list. The psychiatrist told me he didn't need to put PTSD into my problems list, since he wasn't giving me medication for my PTSD, and PTSD is under my treatment assessment in his records. I no longer see that psychiatrist and have been seeing an outside psychologist who is still treating me for PTSD (with neurofeedback for the last 5 years). My VAMC PCP put Chronic PTSD in the VHA Problems List, from my outside Psychologist treatment notes, after I was not seeing the VAMC psychiatrist any longer. Right now the VBA only wants to say Other Specified Trauma and Stressor Related Disorder due to a messed up C&P exam, so I am trying to get he DRO to come around to PTSD, P&T. I have had PTSD for 16 years. I have an IMO DBQ psychologist stating PTSD, and a good 12 page rebuttal of the C&P by my treating Psychologist showing why I do have PTSD and the severity level I have it at. My treating Psychologist also made a statement in the rebuttal that: "Given the severity and duration of the Veteran's PTSD symptoms, his PTSD is more likely than not (greater than 50 percent probability) to continue unabated for the rest of his life." So now I am trying to decide if it would be to my benefit to submit my VHA Problems List to the DRO with my evidence of continued treatment, or if it would just be dismissed because it was put on there by my VA family doc (PCP) instead of the VA psychiatrist who diagnosed it. What are your thoughts or experiences on this? Thank you in advance!

I went to the C&P office at the local VAMC to inquire and make sure they had me scheduled for a DRO Hearing at the VAMC. They confirmed they had me scheduled for the DRO hearing at their specific C&P department. They told me my DRO hearing would be held via video conference in a specially prepared room in the C&P department of the VAMC. I asked how I could submit the new evidence to the DRO since the DRO would not be in person. They told me when I arrive for the formal hearing they will submit my new evidence via fax to Janesville, WI and the DRO would get it. Do you folks believe the DRO will be able to view it immediately upon it getting faxed to Janesville, WI so the DRO could view the new evidence during the hearing? I asked if they could fax the new evidence ahead of time; they instructed me they could not fax the new evidence until the day of my DRO hearing. The new evidence is going to be over 300 pages because of the care log for my care since I have been waiting 3 years for my DRO hearing from my NOD filed date.

vetquest, with Criterion A the C&P doc said my PTSD stressor events were not life threatening, but I do have 3 other docs (2 PhDs and 1 VA psychiatrist) saying I definitely meet the Criterion A for life threatening stressors. So, while I do have anxiety and depression, my docs have said those fit under the PTSD diagnosis, and have not given me a separate diagnosis of anxiety or depression. Did the DRO only want to know what needed to be fixed, or did they want you to explain things from the beginning? Thank you for your input on them allowing your wife in.

vetquest, thank you for letting me know your experience with your hearing. That it is comforting. I am not using a VSO. I am doing my own appeal, but I am going to have my wife along to help me with organization and due to my speech impairments. Hopefully they will not have an issue with her being there as I have a VA release of information on file for my wife with the VBA.

Thank you for the replies. I do not have any other open claims, just 1 open appeal. I am SC for multiple physical/mental problems, the one is suppose to be PTSD, but the C&P doc said I didn't meet criterion A for PTSD, so he put it as other traumatic stressor related disorder. I appealed the other traumatic stressor disorder and the VA's claim that my disorders are not P&T. On my VA NOD 21-0958, I laid this argument out clearly using Chris Attig's advice in his books, and requested a DRO in person hearing for my appeal on the form. I am in Pennsylvania if that helps. The VBA letter sent clearly talks about they will be doing a recording and such for the hearing, but the location is not at the RO, but at the VAMC as mentioned in first post. They say they are giving me what I requested, but they only say I will be getting a Hearing officer at the hearing, no mention of a DRO. Is a Hearing Officer and a DRO the same thing, or does the Hearing officer have less authority than a DRO?

I just got my hearing letter saying I am finally getting my DRO hearing, but that it will be at my local VA Medical Center. I looked up the room number they gave me and it is the room that is used for C&P exams. I'm glad I won't have to travel 2+ hours to get to the Regional Office, but I'm wondering if they are actually trying to schedule another C&P and just sent the wrong letter. Has anyone ever heard of having a DRO hearing in a C&P Room at a VAMC? Thanks in advance!