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billy2
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Posts posted by billy2
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I am scheduled for a C&P for IU on Aug 18 and another C&P for PTSD on August 24. I would have thought that the PTSD would come before the IU exam because the results of the C&P for PTSD would be part of the evidence toward my IU claim.
Thanks
Bill
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If you want to look at some posers take a look at a lot of the guys in Rolling Thunder. How many Nam vets starch their jeans? Not many.
Bill
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Found this on the va site - could be the questionare - Clinician administered ptsd scale (CAPS). The CAPS 17-item Life Event Checklist may be administered as a preliminary means of identifying exposure to different traumatic events.
Cowgirl,
Your right its called the Life Event Checklist. I couldn't remember till I read your post and went to the VA site and looked it up.
Bill
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A score of 74 gets you a trip to Bellevue.
Is that in New Yotk?
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Went for my meeting with my psychologist today. In the middle of our hour together he gave me a questionaire to fill out if I didn't mind. Seventeen questions to be rated from 1 to 5. One being rated as not at all to 5 being all the time. He had a name for this form, he called it L--- something, can't recall, that should be number question 18. Well I scored a 74 and he said the higher your score the more distressed you are. If you scored a 10 you should be on the beach somewhere. I'm not sure what to think about this whole thing.
Bill
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I received two letters for C&P exams on two different dates. It doesn't state what they are for. One is on the floor that I go to for my PTSD meds so I would figure thats what one is for. The other could be for one of two other claims that I sent in. How will I know what this if for, can I call up and check. Both exams say to bring all your meds with you. Its all the computer at the VA which meds I take, no big deal. I would not like to walk into an interview and be blindsided and not know whats going on.
Bill
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They better hurry up and make the link so we can get Heart conditions and AO exposure SC'ed or we will all be dead. You know the WWII vets are going to be gone in a few years and us RVN era vets are the next big lump in the python. When all the WWII vets are gone we are next. You can bet the VA does not want to link heart disease and AO exposure because that will mean many more claims and many more DIC claims.
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John999,
I second your thoughts exactly, I was just thinking today that I'm 60 and I sometimes wonder how I lasted this long.
Bill
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Thank you all,
I have the CIB, ARCOM/V, Air Medal, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with palm
So I have establish stressor, they are verifing this, when or who give mes the eval to see the effects
of PTSD, more important when will determine the care I need
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If you were a grunt in Nam you could write a book of stressors. I was only asked for a few examples. She did ask if I saw anything like mutilation or some other crap like that. I said does cutting off a finger count? What she really wanted to hear was that I was an alcoholic and a bad husband and father, and all the sh-- that goes with PTSD, nothing positive,life sucks. This woman made feel uncomfortable and she is the one assigned for dispensing my meds.
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Go with the CAD and HTN as secondary to DMII. That is much easier that PTSD. CAD is almost a given with DMII if you live with it long enough. They don't really know why CAD and DMII go together but if you have DMII you are much more likely to get heart and artery problems like blockages. I am SC for CAD as secondary to DMII. They noticed my problem when they did a CT scan of my leg. There was calcification in the arteries. So I took it to the next step and had heart examined. DMII has so many complications that are accepted by the medical commnunity without controversy.
How are your eyes? Do you have PN?
John,
Eyes are good-get tested once a year. PN- yes, get 10% for each leg and arm.
Bill
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I am currently suffering complications from AO-diabetes and PTSD. I also have CAD(stint) and HTN which I am going to file a claim for. I have seen different claims on the internet where people claimed CAD and HTN were secondary to diabetes and others saying CAD and HTN were secondary to PTSD. I guess its the doctor that they use that will dictate whice way you go.. My heart doctor is relucant to write something for me but he wasted no time charging my insurance 48 grad for the procedure. I'm not sure which way to go with this.
Bill
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Went to the VA and saw my meds person yesterday and she gave me TRAZODONE. Said that one possible side effect was a 2-3 hour erection in very rare occasion. Things are looking up at the VA.
Bill
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John,
A Nam friend of mine told me that I have a year to apply for civil service disability retirement even if a retired under the regular retirement. I didn't apply for disability retirement because I need a check once a month and couldn't wait for months without anything. I get 50% for AO related issues and I have CAD and hypertension claim which was recently rejected. The battle continues.
Bill
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Billy2,
This is not unusual. Just because some of these people are lazy and dum, they think they have power and can say statements like they said to you. It is pitiful some of us worked like dogs all of our lives trying to cover-up our service connected disabilities and in fact making our behavioral health problems actually worse too. Those type of people have no scruples nor common sense, and could care only about themselves.
I thank you for your Nam service. I lost a cousin over there, Sp 4 Army in 1968. I will never forget him, nor how he died.
You paid your dues plus, you deserve treatment from the government you served. By the way your answer to that dimwit was eloquent! B)
Halos,
She also said thats was a long time to hold one job,35 years. I said it was the Post Office and I would have to kill someone to get fired and that fact that I was a vet also helped. I then replied that I had a wife and 3 kids and it was my responsibility to care for them. I may not have been the best husband or father but I took care of my family. Thats the way my parents raised me. When I first saw the screnner who was overweight by 40 pounds and had dirty hair I said to myself that she should be sitting where I am and I should be the one with the notepad. I was fortunate enough to work in the PO which is as screwed up as the service and they were happy that you just showed up for work which was half the battle. The other half was in your head.
Thanks
Bill
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Great response.
carlie
carlie
Good night,
Bill
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I went for PTSD screening today and it went like everyone said it would except for one question that caught me off guard.
The person asked me "You must get a pretty good pension after spending 35 years in a civil service job"
I wanted to say its none of your f------ business but instead I said that I paid my dues working all those years and I expect to be compensated accordingly. I then said I paid my dues in Nam and thats' why I'm here today.
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Ken,
I don't recall the AO at Ft. Lewis but I did have a nice steak dinner there when I ETS out of the Army back from Nam.
Bill
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Billy, the very same with me!!! never went to the VA for the very same reasons, you know, the guys that came back with no limbs etc and didn't have anywhere else to turn. Never joined any veterans group so I thought it was just me. I was diagnosed the very same way at the VAMC, I never brought it up, they told me I had the symptoms and all of them. All I know is after I left Nam and was discharged in 67 I was one messed up Marine and have been a mess for the last 42 years!! Well I've been through the C&P 2 weeks ago and will get copy of results when I return home from family reunion.
Good luck Brother
Bill
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John
Your preaching to the choir. Nam was my war also. I walked around for 37 years until I went to a Vet center because another vet told me about AO and DM2. When I was there the lady that interviewed told me I was suffering from PTSD and had all the symptoms that went along with it. Recently the nurse practioner at the VA told me that I had PTSD. I didn't bring up the subject, she did.When I told someone that knows me they weren't surprised. I walked around with issues for years, I just thought I was screwed up and different from other people. I never went to the VA because I thought it was for guys that really needed it and couldn't work or had no insurance.
Bill
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Billy
I am not knocking combat vets. After and during Vietnam (my war) there was no PTSD diagnosis. We were diagnosed with anxiety, panic, depression, psychotic disorders etc. If you have some mental health disorder related to service why would that not cause sleep apnea just as well as PTSD? The VA is just focusing on PTSD because they are getting heat from congress. They even moved the non-ptsd patients to their own building away from the other mental health patients at my VAMC. PTSD is an anxiety disorder. The difference in the VA's mind is that you have to have a verifiable stressor. If you are diagnosed with depression in-service you probably have anxiety and all sorts of physical problems as well, but you don't hear about that at all. I got a PTSD diagnosis 35 years after I was diagnosed with a different mental health disorder. It did not matter to me since I was service connected for 35 years already. Also, if you are a cook and get shot by a sniper on guard duty you are just as dead as a grunt on patrol at least you were in Vietnam during TET.
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It seems the focus is always on PTSD when many vets suffer from other anxiety disorders and mental health disorders. Why the tunnel vision just on PTSD?
John,
Can you clairfy that statement? I hope you are knocking combat vets who put it all on the line and never receive any respect.
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I think it all depends onthe period of time in which you served in the military.
There is one period that thereis no penalty or offset for the military benefit.
J
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Are you civil service or FERS?
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bronco, How much interest can you enjoy from $250? Like I said I was not trying to get in wholesale's pocket but the average person when they get money it seems it is already spent. I know you said "JMHO" but man I think your HO is way off compared to losing and fighting for $250 to $500 if SSD and VA or both recoup the funds to correct the overpayment. It was deemed by congress or whomever that only one $250 payment is allowed. Recouping the money could cause problems in his/her livelihood like paying rent, groceries, utilities etc. You never know what losing $500 could do. So I again say it is not worth it and to inform VA that it was a mistake
If I'm not mistaken, didn't you receive notification that you were getting a stimulus check and it stated that if you received 2 checks , one must go back.
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Anyone ever file or know of a non-combat related PTSD compensation claim arising from a serious accident stressor like a car crash, motorcycle accident or military equipment failure etc.? What happened with the claim?
I felt guilty about filing a claim for PTSD for combat in Nam till I read these posts. I guess getting ambushed or booby trapped mean a lot more to me today than someone having a car accident while drunk on some base in the states. I agree with you Cryptotech
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I was diagnosed with DMII in the late 1980's. Had a heart attack in 1998. I filed with the VA in July 2008 with a decision in December. Got 20% for DMII and 60% for CAD with another 40 for PN.
My VSO didn't want me to file for CAD. She said I would have to prove a nexus directly between AO and CAD. She was wrong. I didn't have any problems mainly because I have pages of medical records showing treatment for DMII for 10yrs before my heart attack. Do you think these VSO's get bad marks in their file when they assist a vet with a claim that fails?
When were you diagnosed with DMI? I think you need more medical evidence linking the two. There is also evidence out there linking pre-diabetes to heart disease. Damage is done before the DMII diagnosis is made. If your DMII diagnosis and stent were in the same year you may have a fight on your hands. Good luck.
Dave,
I was told that I was borderline(whatever that means) diabetic in 1998 and never did anything about it. By todays standards I was probally diabetic then but they said borderline. I think that is like being a little pregnant. I stopped going to the doctor because I didn't like him,real smart on my part. Finally I had to go to the doctor because they refused to refill my synthroid unless I came in. I switched doctors in that practice and now I see a lady that is real cool.
That was about 3 years ago and I had all the blood work and the news came back that I had DM11.
I started on metformin and I now take Janument for the DM11.
About 7 years ago I signed up at the VA for backup only because I had a job with medical and just wanted to be in the system. I would go to the VA each year and see some doctor and ask some questions,you guys know how it works, and that would be it till the next year. I went to the VA twice after I found out that I was diabetic and nobody said anything about the Agent Orange and the DM11 to me. I never paid much attention to the issues and I was like a lot of Vietnam vets that once we got out of the service we never looked back and didn't want anything to do with the VA.
I worked in the Post Office and one of my fellow employees was a DAV and had used the VA since he got out of the military. He told me that they were going to send him for some comp hearing because of his DM11 and Agent Orange but he wasn't in Nam so he wasn't eligable. This fellow was the one that told me to contact the VA because I had DM11 and was in Nam
C & P Exams
in Veterans Compensation & Pension Exams
Posted
Larry
Its all that Greek yogurt,I don't know which came first the chicken or the egg.
Bill