luv2fly

Hi....a guy in my ptsd group just separated from his wife and swears that his wife cannot be awarded part of his VA 100% p/t $$ or ssd $$.Is he correct?Does anyone know of or have any experience(s) with this as far as divorce awards go?Thanks! David

Go to VA's website.The percentages are there.The 2006 edition of "Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents" has been available for a month or two.Either pickup or request a copy. David

Hey john....i totally agree with you as i did as you suggested plus also have bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.Good luck!..........David

Hello everyone! B)) It's been awhile since i last posted so here's a little background about me:effective last Nov 3rd i was awarded 100% P/T and this past Apr was awarded SSD the first time around without having to appeal,etc. I attend weekly PTSD group therapy which helps me cope with this dark companion called PTSD which brings me to why i'm now posting this. What often discourages,surprises,and sometimes saddens me in talking to other vets both in or out of group therapy is how many are so self-deafeating and negative when it comes to helping themselves. I just helped 3 other vets get 100% P/T because they were willing to do the necessary work involved rather than just trust their VSO to do everything for them and just bitch and whine because they wanted bitching rights more than the VA money they deserved via an increase in their monthly compensation that would help themselves and their families financially. They refused to familiarize themselves with things like 38 CFR or know how vital and powerful a statement in support of claim from themselves plus a separate accompanying statement their spouse,family,or significant could be and many could not or would not even be bothered to sum up for VA purposes how their illnesses have affected themselves,their families,or their jobs/careers over the decades and this is POWERFUL stuff for VA purposes. I'm very proud that one of the 3 vets i helped was a WW-II vet who'd all but given up after carrying PTSD around with him for 60 years!! This man participated in the Battle Of The Bulge and helped liberate The Infamous Buchenwald Concentration Camp where he could smell the death from 20 miles away! My point here is to help yourself,be proactive,learn to navigate the VA system via the regs and what must and should accompany a claim,etc,rather than just handing it off to someone else. I could go on and on but you get my point:DO THE WORK! Thanks for listening.....now i feel better in getting a little off my chest...lol.Good luck! Stay safe! David

Hi.......well they 'blitzed' me with enough detailed questionaires i'll tell ya that! But yeah, i sent 'em all my psych evals from VA and a private shrink plus group therapy notes,medication sheet,socilal worker's eval, plus a cogent and compelling statement in support of claim included coz at one point SS was just focusing solely on "anxiety attacks" in their questionaire rather than "core" PTSD symptoms,etc,so i let 'em know that wasn't right and also included my citation for valour so they could see just some of what i've been through not only in the military,but also of course what i and people close to me have been through in civilian life. So i just let SS know that they were putting me at a disadvantage with all the focus solely on anxiety attacks etc.Don't know if it helped but i know it didn't hurt as much as having to go a lawyer would've.....lol. BTW.....you can track your claim online.good luck! David, Congrats! Was the paper work from the VA enough to get the social security award, or did you give them other documentation. I have also applied for SS, I provided them with my award letter from the VA, and had one interview with SS over the phone. It's been 3 months and have not herd anything. Can you give a short narritive on how you went about your claim with SS. Thanks, tanker31

Hello everyone! Last November VA awarded me 100% P/T for PTSD. I immediantely went to the local SS office and applied for SSD.They said a decision would take 4 months,but it only took 'em 2 1/2 months.I'm happy to report i've been awarded SSD based on PTSD.This will certainly make our lives a little easier and thanks for listening.Any questions? Please ask. Be glad to help if i can. Take care and best of luck to all!! David

Hey everyone! Was awarded 100% P/T 3/11/05 based on PTSD. Immediately filed for SSD. They said they'll make a decision on my SSD claim sometime in March. I sent 'em a boatload of documentation; they in turn 'blitzed' me with 2 inches of paperwork in the form of questionaires - fair enough - but instead of focusing on my chronic/severe PTSD core-symptoms SS chose only chose to ask me about my occasional "anxiety-attacks" which are largely controlled by medication tho i still have the occasional anxiety-attack from PTSD 'triggers'. They also sent the lady i live with a questionaire concerning only anxiety-attack. We immediately answered everything on the questionaire plus statements from us both and sent it all back to SS pronto. I also wrote a personal note complaing to SS for only focusing on anxiety-attacks letting them know that three (3) shrinks diagnosed me with "severe and chronic PTSD" and NOT "generalized anxiety disorder" tho anxiety-attacks are certainly a part of PTSD. So now just have to wait and see, but hey, i'm sure i'll fall into SS's 65% rejection rate for all first-time claims.....lol......i'll keep ya posted. David

Have you ever read the PTSD C&P exam available online to familiarize yourself with the specifics of what the examiner is required to look for when interviewing you? If so, great! You're on the correct path. If not, i strongly advise you to do so,my friend? I know of no specific reg or regs you're asking about tho one or more may indeed exist. Unusual circumstance(s) as far as PTSD is concerned can be the discovery of a secondary mental disorder such a neurosis not previously detected in your personality due to your SC condition which is a nexus and can move you to P/T. If i can be of any assistance,let me know. David

Hi.....i posted a sorta general answer to your question here on the board for other vets to read but if you have any specifics and i can help please don't hesitate to contact me. David

Hi Dean.....i mean no disrespect,but your question if posed to a SS rep would be irrevalent to them since they do not care what or how you're rated by VA and will not hesitate to let you know it in uncertain terms right up front as i'm 100% P/T myself with a SSD claim now pending. The question for SSD standards is are you either unable to work at all now and is your condition expected to last at least a year and/or end in your death? Cheery thought,especially this time of year,huh?......lol So if you haven't already done so go to the SS website and check-out their requirements. If you're currently working part-time and depending on much you currently earn you may or may not be eligible for SSD but again,go to their website.......information and knowledge are your best friends and good luck! David

Hi Pete.......in the past VA has always robbed Peter to Pay Paul (no pun intended) so they did this to prevent $$ being siphoned off for things like building repairs,etc,and in anticipation of all the 'new' claims they are now receiving and will continue to receive from returning Iraqi and Afghan vets. They feel all the political pressure and thus need to "show" the families of returning vets as well as the public at large that VA is doing "all" it can to care for returning vets thus in the past VA has had to siphon-off any available funds and cut corners elsewhere for appearances sake they can meet current vet obligations and VA's former monetary short-falls due to VA underfunding caused by a lack of foresight,planning,and understanding of what they were and are now faced with in the aforementioned Iraqi and Afghan involvement. Oh well, some things never change,huh?.....lol David

For the first time in VA history 2.2 billion in "fence" money has been set aside for vets with PTSD and other mental health issues which means this appropriated money cannot be siphoned-off for other VA funding purposes coz it's "fenced" for mental health issues only. Vets like myself who now attend badly needed weekly PTSD group therapy can at least for fiscal year 2006 rest a little easier knowing this money won't be diverted for other purposes. Good luck to all and stay safe! David

Hi everyone...... recently i received a message from another vet here on the board about my post indicating i received a rating of 100% P/T SC for PTSD as of this past 3 Nov. In a previous post i mentioned gathering "evidence" as in "new and material evidence" and credited this material along with a cogent,compelling "statement in support of claim" for my 100% P/T award. BTW,i've never considered myself as having to battle the VA,but rather,learning to "work" within the system and simply giving the VA all that they require keeping in mind that more is better as long as it's germaine to your case of course. Prior to being being awarded 100% P/T SC for PTSD i was rated 50% PTSD plus 10% for tinnitus which is exactly the same rating as the aforementioned vet. Evidence for VA purposes are things such as: Any increse(s) in current medications and/or the addition of new medications. Attendance at PTSD group therapy meetings. Seeing your psych as often as possible. Seeing a VA Social Worker. When requesting an increse for PTSD you WILL be scheduled for a C & P exam so you NEED to prepare yourself for that part of the process as well. At my C & P exam i brought copies of a few important things i felt the examiner needed to see just in case what i'd sent to VA hadn't made it into my C-file but as it turned out everything was there as verbally verified by my examiner. You can get a copy of the PTSD C & P exam online and i strongly urge you to do so in order to know just what to expect. In my humble opinion there are far too many vets who fail themselves because they have no familiarization at all with 38 CFR,COVA rulings,etc. thereby doing themselves and their families a great disservice so put down the TV remote,get off the couch/recliner and get moving!.....hey.....it's only your benefits at stake!

Hi Pete......thanks for the reply and Happy Thanksgiving to you,your family,and friends! SS told me they don't pay the first six (6) months from my last day of work which was 26 October which means my first SS disability payment would arrive on 1 May '06.Again,this is what SS told me plus it would take 4 to 5 months for a decision,but its usually 4 months.Pete,it's my understanding that 65 or 70 per cent of initial claims are rejected by SS,but i sure gave 'em lots of psych reports,etc,so now it's a waiting game as per usual.Good luck! David

Hi......i was very recently awarded 100% P/T for PTSD so yesterday (Nov. 21st) i went to my local SS office and applied in person for benefits.You CAN apply online but eventually you'll need to see someone with a heart-beat anyway coz SS wants to see an original or certified copy of your birth certificate so i figured what the heck i'll just go and get it over with.The SS person you deal with makes up a file for you so bring any relevant/pertinent information you wish SS doctors to see in your SS file even before they contact VA and your doctors.They'll make copies of things you wish to submit but it's a faster process if you have your own copies in-hand as i did upon arrival at SS.They ask detailed questions like "what are the side-effects" of each of the meds you take and not just which meds you take so be prepared for that.The gal at SS that took my info and made up my file was kinda crafty sorta like trying to catch me in some sort of lie or deception by asking me if VA had offered me any sort of vocational rehab even tho i'd already told her twice in less than 5 minutes i was VA rated P/T, but i kept patience thru it all and got finished in about an hour with all the questions she threw at me.I also signed 5 release forms for VA and doctors to give SS my personal records. Afterwards i was told by the same gal that SS takes between 4 and 5 months to render a decision and and that SS does NOT pay me for the first 6 months of disability so no retroactive $$ there.Good luck to all and have a Happy Thanksgiving!! David

Hello everyone! Received my award letter 3 Nov for 100% P/T due to PTSD. Prior to this award i had a combined rating of 60% i.e. 50% PTSD - 10% Tinnitus. In the interim before the 100% P/T award i gathered additional 'evidence' for the VA to feast on to the point where it became a no-brainer even for the dimmest person handling my claim. My RO's in St. Pete. My first POA (American Legion) i had a very good rep but he moved on while my claim was being processed and i got a dud for a rep so i switched my POA to the VFW at the advice of my SO. As luck would have it i got a very concientious rep. That's what anyone should look for of course - easier said than done i'm afraid. Over the past 3 years i really educated myself about VA regs and 38 CFR as well as talking to many reps at RO's and SO's.But for me,in the end it seemed to come down to gathering all needed evidence,writing a cogent/compelling "Statement In Support Of Claim",etc. Good Luck to all on their VA journey! David