clw4514

im going to double check everything and send my own copy in. i just needed his signature. it will all be over soon

well, at least i got to see the veterans assistance office without a wait. dude tried to hose me. sd i didnt have a claim. when i pointed out to him i certainly did have more than half a chance since it was clearly documented in smr's, he changed his tone. but still tried to discourage me. tried to hand my file back to me and sd go to the american legion. conversation went like this: me - "u know, they have folks at VARO much better paid and educated to make decisions on whether or not i have a claim. that is a decision way over ur paygrade, chief. so, why dont u stay within ur paygrade, point me in the direction i need to go and let me finish up since i have less than 2 wks to get ppwk in. i believe it is ur job to ASSIST me in filing this ppwk and that would be the reason i was sent here." him - "yes ma'am. i can take care of that for u." i finished the meeting with him by asking if i could follow up with IRIS on my status. he had no clue what it was....oh well, at least i have u guys! and im so grateful for that, too. miffed me that he tried to schluff his duties. fu)#er!

thats what i was thinking, too. not sure why she told me to list it anyway.

he would be a good resource to talk to....the aftermath is really nasty. i dont care to ever see anything like it again.

ahhh - im with u. well, the air show actually happened about 2 months prior to the mst so im not sure which one caused and which one aggrevates. oh hell, im just screwed up.

did u list it as a stressor? not really sure i want to but my therapist told me to.

she was an intern and last friday was my last day with her. have to wait for a new one now.....joy.

i asked pretty much the same question. was told that i could ask him to leave when i needed him to. mine knows what happened and the circumstances around it but does not know the "details" of it. i refuse to tell him that part. but, then again, he did read all my records in my medical records about it and it hasnt changed his mind about me/us at all. whatever u decide....best of luck to u!!

was anyone on here stationed there during the air show disaster in aug '88? i was. right on the strip when it happened. therapist seems to think it contributed to my ptsd. just trying to connect the dots with it, i suppose. with that crash over the hudson yesterday and the pics they posted online, maybe she was right. it took me by surprise when i saw them.

its in the psych dept where i go every week but there was never any mention of this one.

for psychiatry that i had no idea was being scheduled. im there 2x a wk so i always know what is coming up. is it possible that this is my c&p exam or do they notify u and clearly state that is what its for?

i did all that. hoping its like the others sd and just a plain ol' form letter. but, i certainly did panic when i saw it! thx for the advice :D

i am sooooo glad that u guys r here!! should i at least call the varo just to make sure? oh, and they asked me to participate in a pilot program called expedited claims adjudication (eca) initiative. anyone familiar with it?

i got the brown envelope today saying that they are expediting my claim as requested. i was so excited! then, i read down further and notice they r asking for a bunch of info that was already sent in. makes me feel as if i am just being dismissed in a way. is this standard procedure? did they NOT look at my packet i sent in?? for instance, here is one of the things they say they need: * we need evidence showing that the following condition existed from military service to the present time: ptsd due to sexual abuse. ok, i sent in the ER visit for the rape kit, the results of the rape kit, the mhc visit due to the mst....how much more evidence do they need????? all was while on active duty. its frustrating. what am i supposed to do? send in exactly the same docs i sent with the packet?

i cant speak for anyone else but after 20 yrs of avoidance, control, etc. group and individual has finally started making a dent in my emotional state. i was able to admit some awful things about my behavior over the last 2 decades, too. it hurt to come to terms with it but at the same time, i owned it. and to me, that equals control. i like being in control. so, over all it has taken a year for me to even see some relief in ptsd group and individual therapy. now they want me to try CPT in addition to these other two. apparently its supposed to make u relate ur feelings to ur actions or something. i hope u get the counselling u need and want. have they not assigned u to a counselor or group yet? stay on them. stress how much u need it.

wow - never made the correlation btwn bi polar and ptsd. but i do sometimes wonder if i am not bp. one day im up, the next im down. i have a friend who is bipolar and ive discussed it w/ the doc and im not. thankfully, i skipped that snafu with the va.

ive had time to calm down and divert my attn from today's session. i know this therapist has my best interest in mind and is only helping me. u have all had some great input here for me. and i should have been more prepared for what she told me just from simply reading other posts thru out the forum. but, sometimes with this life sentence of ptsd, u just cant control the emotions sometimes. or at least i cant as of yet. and carlie - u hit the nail on the head with me. LABELS!!! omg! labels scare me to death! im working to over come that part. hopefully, i'll be over it by the time my letter comes telling me im rejected or sc'd! thank u all for being so level headed for me :P

no, larry, i know she has my best interest at heart. she is just trying to give me a heads up on what to expect. i guess in an effort to minimize the impact if/when it does happen. im not angry with her. im angry with the process. she sd it was pretty standard to reject the initial claim. its frustrating that we have to fight so hard for the help we need.

had the 3rd and final appt today for ptsd eval. told her i mailed off my claim last friday for ptsd and she told me "dont be upset if they reject it. on ur final mhc appt, they sd u had adjustment disorder." im furious!!! first, im diagnosed ptsd after the mst, then 1.5 yrs later after absolutely no treatment, they say i have adjustment disorder??? u know, im starting to think i should have just drudged on being bat shit crazy! the more i get into this claim business, the more hacked off i get! she did also tell me that she has my file marked ptsd so that should help and she would do what she could for me. and she wants me to do CPT or something like that on top of the ptsd group and individual i already go to. isnt that a bit overkill? or is this really necessary? im on the verge of an anxiety attack from all this. i get 2 steps ahead and get drug 10 steps back. just had to vent for a minute....now im gonna go cry!!!

u know, ur right, jbasser! they r jealous that we were able to do something they werent. a few months back, we were at gymnastics and my fiance came up to watch mollie with me. he is a coastie and was in uniform. a woman up there went on to snottily (i made that word up :P ) say her hubby was coastie reserve and how much she hated it. he had a family that he needed to take care of, she didnt have these kids alone and he needs to blah, blah, blah. i try to smooth the tension and ask rank, etc. she flat out told me she didnt care, didnt have a clue and didnt want to know. i was so irritated with her. i briefed her up one side and down the other and told her the usual u should be proud, etc. not to mention her husband didnt have the combat commitment the other 4 branches have. she steers clear of me now. fortunately, im a full time student and get to be home for my child and soon to be step kids. since i just filed my claim, i havent got IU or anything yet but we can always hope.....

i agree with u both! im going to close my account on that forum after i give them a pc of my mind! not a big pc cuz i need what little i have left :P purple - ive done the same thing. once at a pta meeting. man, that was horribly embarassing! i hate being in groups of people, too but like u sd, being a single parents calls for us to endure it sometimes.

i joined a "mommy forum" some time ago. i enjoy talking about the kids and all that stuff but sometimes, those katty women get my goat! my anxiety gets so out of control i just start to cry! i didnt participate for almost 2 yrs cuz of that. seeing how im medicated now i thought i would give it another round. well, that was just stupid on my part.....my 10 yr old wants to try doing a pageant. her idea, not mine! i dont think she needs anyone to validate her beauty. but, as a good parent, u encourage ur kids to go their own way with ur guidance. so, i posed the question "how do u find legitimate pageants?" omg! u would have thought i was offering my child for sacrifice to the gods!!!! i got beat up verbally! that made me think, i have problems dealing with alot of parents. i just dont care for their condescending attitudes and like im beneath them bcuz i was a single parent for so long and a veteran. yes, a veteran. ive had them snarl their noses at me when it was mentioned. do any of u have issues dealing with other parents specifically? if i know i have to deal with a group of parents, i immediately start with the anxiety/panick attacks. i dread the weekly gymnastics classes bcuz of this.

sharon - u sooooo rock for finding this!!!!! thx so much. larry - i have printed this out. thank u guys!!

purple, ur right. i did admit it was my own fault. i put the alcohol and food in my mouth without anyone holding a gun to my head but at the same time, i would have never had that if i didnt have ptsd. i never sd i expected the va to pay for it but if it is determined to be secondary to the claim of ptsd (which i have been diagnosed with) then ur darned tootin' i want them to pay for it. like john999 sd, if other addictions can be secondary why cant an eating disorder? wasnt intended to ruffle ur purple feathers. this is a forum to learn and guide others. and if nobody has posed the question of whether or not its going to fly, then im going to claim it and see what happens. its not a frivolous claim at all. it has merit. besides, the worst the va could do is say no and decline it. if that happens, then i will inform others on here and its a done issue.

omg!!! i am nowhere near close to that! its funny how some folks try to blame everyone but their own actions for their weight. i know mine is from years of drinking and improper diet to to avoidance, etc. i did find out that the mphs va does both gastric bypass and lapband but was told i dont qualify cuz im not fluffy enuf! oh, and he put down obesity as a claim on my ppwk today. so, i'll let u guys know if they cover it.