ptsd A Little Warning For All -

[Philip Rogers]

One of my vets called me yesterday. In 1995 he was awarded 100% P&T, for PTSD, retro to '91. Last year called in for Comp exam. Examiner reported vet has improved. Vet fails to rebut report. Recent Comp exam reports still improved. Monday vet receives notice of intent to reduce to 50% compensation level. The VA has followed the 10 yr protection rule, in that it takes 2 exams reporting improvement to reduce a 100% vet. Now vet is in a panic. Watch for more of this as the VA tries to tighten budget. This is from the Spokane, WA, VARO. jmo

pr

Edited June 20, 2007 by Philip Rogers

[Pete53]

thanks for the voice of reason. i've only been coming here for 3 days and boy am i stressing out.

rick

Rick:

Welcome to Hadit. I recommend that if there is something that concerns you ask a question. As you come you will get a better comfort level. Keep in mind that many posters are not finished with the VA and also many have been burned.

Hadit is the best help a Veteran can get in dealing with the VA.

Pete

[SLEDGE]

I've been notified twice of impending C&P, PTSD exams, the exact date as yet to be determined.

2 or 3 years ago, still no notification of the date or place of the exam.

Prior to becoming TDIU with P&T they scheduled a PTSD, C&P exam for me.

When I got there they informed me that the location of the exam had been changed.

Well, that's in a strange town to me as I do not live there or visit anyone who lives there.

If the VA was not located there I would have no reason to set foot in that city.

Not knowing the streets or addresses, I asked for a map so I could find the right address.

They handed me a post-it with some numbers on it and the name of a street.

It took me 2 hours to finally find the PARKING LOT that matched the address that they had written down for me.

The address was actually the middle section of a large, empty, parking lot and none of the buildings in the area even came close to having the right numbers on them.

Now, I'm completely lost as to where the VA medical facility is in relation to where that address was supposed to be, outa gas, hungry, thirsty, royally pissed off, getting a migraine, need to pee and I'm saturated with my own perspiration in the middle of the winter and I have missed the C&P appointment.

While I pumped my last buck into the gas tank I was able to receive instructions on how to find my way back to the VAMC.

When I got back to the mental hygiene clinic the nasty little bitch asked me if I had found the address.

She didn't ask me how it went or if I had come back to collect travel pay or to get a prescription.

Then I found that it was too late in the day to collect any travel pay.

So, I limped back to the little bitch and informed her that I was done and I was going home.

Another clerk stood up and said, "but", and was stopped by the bitch from saying anything else.

After a few seconds of mutually evil eye contact I left the totally silent clinic and drove my growling stomach home.

I have not been back.

So far, they have not requested my presence either.

sledge

[john999]

Cal

The way I read the regs is that if you are IU there is just about no way for the VA to take away the IU rating unless you go back to work. They have to re-evaluate you under the conditions of you being at work to show an improvement that would indicate you can maintain gainfull employment that is not marginal. If you are static for more than five years it gets even harder. IU is probably the safest rating. The thing is that for mental conditions we are all basically IU even if we are 100% schedular.

[Philip Rogers]

I found out his 2006 comp exam was triggered by a claim for housebound status. That claim was denied and he never appealed it. He's going to local VFW rep today and will advise me of what the rep plans to do. He's prepared to pay for IMO and is re-requesting a hearing, certified, return receipt requested, as he failed to do that with his original request yesterday.

pr

[john999]

Phil

So not only did they deny his HB claim, but also want to reduce his compensation. That sounds like retaliation. This might be the VA's way of saying don't ask for more or we will take away what you have. When I filed a CUE the VA was making implied threats about my original service connection decision. That was 37 years ago so unless they can prove fraud how could they take away anything from me. They denied my CUE but I sent in my NOD and asked for a De Novo Review. You can bet I will file the Form 9 and go to the BVA with this since the VA made gross errors in the CUE denial. I guess you cannot let bad decisions just stand without appealing them.

[Jay Johnson]

I hate to say it, but that led me to a sigh of relief:-) It's still wrong on the RO's part, but knowing that they weren't just randomly selecting a 100% P&T PTSD vet for "review" is FAR different than being pricks over a reopened claim with new and material evidence. BTW, I think this is seattle's MO....they seem to completely ignore ALL of the prior evidence in a given PTSD case while focusing ONLY on the newest evidence and, more specifically, ONLY the portions of the new evidence which are against the veteran (IE - a report can give a 20 GAF, say the person is all but bedridden, but if the word "better" is anywhere in the document, they decrease the rating). It's almost word for word what they did to the wife (or tried to do at least).