[Quickie C&p Exam]

I had a C&P recently for PTSD. The Doctor spent only a minimal amount of time with me, maybe 15 minutes. He asked a couple softball questions and it seemed like he was about to dismiss me. He touched on a "stressor" and I told him I had pictures and a buddy letter etc and was eager to explain the stressor aspect but he didn't want to hear about it as he said it was all in my file. I have been seeing the VA Counsellor at the clinic as well as the VA psychiatrist and am on meds for sleep, panic, depression and have been screwed up since the 70's. I was stationed near the DMZ in '68 at a Marine Combat base with almost daily artillery strikes. I was unaware I could file for PTSD till I learned about it after developing prostate cancer last year.

My question is that since the Doctor at the C&P learned nothing about me and my case, will he just rubber stamp what the local VA Counsellor and psych doctor have reported about my condition?

In my appeal process, I finally got a second C&P. This 2nd one was short and limited compared to the first one. The person conducting the C&P kept asking questions prefaced with "She wants to know.....". My conclusion was that the rater at VA directed that these particular questions be asked at the C&P, and nothing more. The rater obviously had a big file on me, but maybe these particular things were still unclear. The C&P psych said at the outset they didn't want to re-do the original lengthy type questioning like in the first C&P. Also, not much was asked about my Vietnam experiences, it was purely about how all this affects my life TODAY. It's all about severity and frequency.