clw4514

for my knee. the dr asked me about my PTSD. wanted to know when dx, DETAILS & such. this is for a physical therapy appt to determine ssdi. WHY does he need to know about my PTSD? im pretty pissed about it. i personally think it had nothing to do with physical therapy. after i get a decision from SSA, i think i will report him.

at the advice of my therapist, i went thru this last yr. its typically an 8-12 wk program. i didnt feel good about it from the beginning at all!! since my husband is still AD, we were due to pcs in june. i expressed concern that i would be "dropped" once i finished it. they assured me that would not happen. so, moving fwd with it not feeling as if i had a say in it....my nightmares increased to the point that my insomnia was at an all time high. my anxiety, short term memory loss & paranoia increased significantly. it had a serious impact on my family and not for the good. the VA increased my meds to help handle the symptoms. i would be so distraught after a session that i would have to sit in my van for hours b4 i could drive. i begged to stop. she pushed me to go fwd. i did. i ended up doing 16-17 wks instead of the typical 8-12 wk program. it was the 2nd wk of june when i finished. we pcs'd a wk later. it took me over 3 months to get into the VA out here in hampton even though memphis VA was supposed to have that taken care of for me so i wouldnt have to wait. when i finally got in to see the MH dept here, they were appalled at what i had been put through. to sum it up, i had one of the most miserable summers with my husband and kids, im much more isolated, i dont have ANY outside social activities/friends/etc, my meds r increased, i have horrible short term memory to the point i forget entire days at a time. would i do it again? not a chance in hell! absolutely not! has it helped any aspect of my ptsd? the only thing i can say is i am now able to speak of my rape as if its a story on the side of a box. the price for that ease of speaking is my life. i feel as if it took more from me than it helped. all this said, everyone responds differently. just thought i would offer my first hand experience with PET. best of luck with whatever choice u make. and if u would like, message me and i will answer whatever i can for u.

mine has been @ rating board ready for decision since oct 27 :( so, im right there with u. on the up side, its helping me with learning patience...

just got off the phone with the SSA to let them know about my pending surgery this thursday. during that conversation, it was brought to my attn that they never rcvd my records from the VA that i sent 2 wks ago. im in poquoson,va and the office i sent it to was in norfork,va - maybe 20 mi away. im pissed! this is extremely personal info not to mention my ssn is on every freaking pc of paper. i told her to plz check for the records and let me know one way or the other. im considering filing a complaint w/ the CIO there for loss of sensitive personal info. my question? has anyone done this and will they even bother to check on it? thx

i have no clue why they didnt consider me for it before. my GAF was either 40 or 50 at the time of my initial award. maybe that is what the hold up is? they r trying to figure that out. my initial award was w/ the Nashville VARO & i am now with the Roanoke VARO. im about to send off my records SSA requested now. hoping to have that decision soon.

good point. i guess i got so caught up in hearing "ur claim is at the rating board" that i ignored the rest. geez....i think the SSA may actually beat the VA with their decision. lol!!!

thx, carlie. i may have to suck it up and make the trip out to roanoke. if the time limits do not apply, then why do these folks throw it out there? seems like false hope....

filed back on aug 17. went to the rating board oct 27 and still nothing. im rated 70%, thought it would be an easy decision :( its getting very discouraging to say the least.....the 800# told me it was an average of 16-27 days @ the rating board and another 10-14 days @ authorization. im way past average for rating. what could possibly be the hold up??

thank you all! i know we have all touched someone's life in some way. big (hugs) to u all!

this may be in the wrong spot and if it is, i do apologize..... tonite while sitting @ my daughter's dance class, i was talking with another mom and found out we were both cops stationed @ ramstein together. she came in about 5 months b4 i left. when i told her my name, her jaw dropped and she literally gasped. she said, "omg! i know who u are! i heard what happened to u!" absolutely ashamed, i wanted to cry. it felt as if it had just happened all over again. i fought back the tears and started focusing on what else she was saying. she told me that the flt chiefs used my trauma as an example for others & it was also used to help get better/safer dorms. for once, just once, that brief moment in time i felt as if my horrible nightmare actually had a positive outcome. i paid a high price for the safety of others. i dont know if it was karma that brought us together tonite or what but i am happy that i had the chance to speak to someone who was there all these years later. oh, and it doesnt hurt that she told me the miserable bitch of a 2nd lt who took my career did the same thing to several other airmen while there. she got hers in the end. she took the 377th, a once proud squadron, and made it a 3 ring circus. i felt i had to share this story with u all in hopes that one day u will (if not already) find ur silver lining, too. this chance meeting today did my heart good more than that mom will ever know!

i just did 16-17 weeks of it @ the memphis VA. its called prolonged exposure. there seems to be a big push on it. all i can say is the solution of today is the problem of tomorrow....

had the appt today and he told me 10 wks. normal? average? thx

hello folks!! i have my appt tomorrow for TDIU. its w/ an outside agency called qtc medical. apparently they handle things like this for the govt. so, once i go for this appt, how long does it typically take to get a response? they r holding up my name/dependent change till they get disposition on tdiu. its frustrating....

yeah, ive both spoke to the dr about it and googled it myself. she sd we would talk about it at the next appt. but, i was wanting a first hand account of someone who has dealt with it. no big deal. i go back this wk i think.

anyone have this due to ptsd? i told my new dr here in virginia about my brain not working and short term memory being horrible and she sd that its ^ that word up there. not happy about it. im only 40. should not have dementia of any sort till im way older! so, my questions are 1) if u have experienced this, does it get better on its own? 2) is there treatment for it? 3) how do u make it thru a day dealing with it when its really bad? hope all is well as can be expected for everyone..... thx in advance, christy

Random, i was diagnosed w/ ptsd due to mst prior to the c&p exam. i dont know if that is typical or not but i met w/ a social worker in either the mst or ptsd clinic. it was a 2 or 3 appt process. that was the painful part. first one was general info. 2nd & 3rd were hell. took me a few hrs after appt to calm down just to be able to drive. after that, i applied for SC. when i had my c&p, it was also just general questions. it was still anxiety provoking for me. i had horrible nightmares that they were vampires (i have no idea why) and was just hysterical when i walked in the office. the dr was nice and never pushed for my "details." why? i couldnt tell u. she reassured me that she wouldnt ask. she stuck to asking questions about how the incident has impacted my social, profession and family life. i think i was in and out in like an hour or so. again, this may be just unique to me, i dont know. but, u asked. as for writing it down, i dont think that will fly. thats just my opinion. as for going in multiple times and going over this, um not so much. at least to my knowledge. i wont have to go in for re-eval for 5 yrs unless i want to ask for an increase which i just recently did. and no offense to the folks who told u they were denied when it was clear they had it, u never know the whole story. remember, perception is reality. just have all ur stuff in order and make sure u have ur documentation. best of luck to u.

thx pete!! :)

and i got the appt today. its for 10/15 w/ an outside company. is this good or bad being with an outside company? anxiety is kicking up a notch or 2 now.

i got the envelope from the VA today. sadly, it wasnt an appt but the additional forms to fill out :( oh well, thats cool. rcvd it quicker than expected too. i guess the lady was just confused when she spoke to me. <sigh> and so i wait.

thanks all! i am counting my blessings!!! of course, i could still get declined for IU but im still gonna give it a go. I owe it all to hadit.com & the members.

so i applied for IU within the last few weeks. not expecting any answers for at least a few more months from the way everyone says they r backed up. but, today, i get a call to verify my address and they say that an appt is being sent out to me that i *must* make. is this normal? i mean both the appt and the speedy response? and if the appt is normal who in the world would it be with? another c&p exam? ugh, im confused as usual. tia

thanks!! i checked it out. closest description they have to my job, transportation planner, was transp. mgr. my job was too high stress esp in this economy. then again, what job isnt?! lol. im looking at what else i could possibly do based on descriptions on O*Net. and i also was told i couldnt go back to work yet by my therapist in memphis. as luck would have it, she was an intern and left. but, i have contacted her old super to ask if i can have a letter written for me. i also have a letter from voc rehab dropping me from the program cuz i could not work according to the doctor. completely forgot about it till after i posted the OP. so....i am hoping that will work in my favor as well. i also have the goofy skills eval or whatever its called from voc rehab.

thank you, pete!! i have my first appt here @ the hampton va on monday. hopefully my pcm can write that letter. i have no idea how long it will take to get into mental health here. i heard back log for new appts was like 3 months. maybe i can contact my old dr in mphs to see if can get her to write it. hmmm, something to think about. thanks again!! :)

yesterday, i filled out my ppwk online and mailed it in for SSDI. i simply scanned and printed my award letter from the VA. i am rated 70% for one condition, ptsd. my GAF is 50 (im still floored by that one!). i thought this would be sufficient since the only thing i really get from the va is therapy (torture in some cases) for the ptsd. the lady on the phone w/ the SSA said they could get my records from the VA. so, i come back here and start reading all these posts on SSDI and how folks have been declined over and over....now, im wondering - did i just shoot myself in the ass? should i have got the records from the VA and sent in? oh, and any idea what the "typical" time line is to get a decision?

TBird, Sharon, Jbasser, & many many others.....i wanted to thank you publicly as well as privately for your support and guidance. Sharon talked to me in private and convinced me not to check out from this forum. Im glad she did. Thank you, everyone, for the citations on this subject as well. I've learned a few things thru this ordeal.....1) i am NOT strong enough yet to go it alone 2) u guys truly leave no one behind 3) i really really shouldnt bake while im pissed off! baked 4 loaves of bread and each one failed.