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Desert Storm Vet Needs Info On C&p Exam

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TANKERJOE0

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HELLO ALL.I AM A USMC DESERT STORM VET.MY MOS WAS 1811 TANK CREWMAN.

I HAVE BEEN SUFFERING FROM NUMEROUS AILMENTS SINCE THE WAR.

I AM IN THE COMPENSATION PROCESS NOW FOR A DISABILITY RATING.

I HAVE MY FIRST EVER C@P EXAMS ON JAN 15, 2009 IN GAINSVILLE FLORIDA.

I AM IN NEED OF SOME HELP AND INFO ON HOW TO PROCEED WITH THE EXAMS.I HAVE AN EXAM FOR PTSD.I HAVE AN EXAM FOR HEARING LOSS AND TINNITUS.ALSO FOR A WHOLE BUNCH OF SYMPTOMS RELATING TO DESERT STORM SYNDROME.

I HAVE BEEN GOING TO THE LOCAL VA OUT-PAITENT CLININC IN JAX,FL FOR THE LAST 6 MONTHS. BEING SEEN FOR ALL OF MY SYMPTOMS.I FILED FOR DISABILITY ABOUT THE SAME TIME.MY DR AT THE OUT-PAITENT CLINIC HAS DIAGNOSED ME WITH PTSD. I HAVE BEEN ON NUMEROUS ANTI DEPRESSANTS AND ANXIETY MEDICINE FOR THE LAST 17 YRS.I AM CURRENTLY SEEING A PSYCHIATRIS AND PSYSICOLOGIS AT THE OUT-PAITENT CLINIC.I WAS ALSO DIAGNOSED WITH A MINOR HEARING LOSS AND TINNITUS.HAVE BEEN PRESCRIBED PAIN MEDICATION FOR MY CHRONIC DIBILATATING PAIN FROM THE OUT-PAITENT CLINIC AS WELL.ANY HELP AND TIPS ON WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE C@P EXAMS WOULD BE GREATLT APPRECIATED.THANKS TO ALL

SEMPER FI!!

TANKERJOE0

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welcome devil, Preparing for your C&P exam is very key, I repeat very key. Some things you must do are get copies of all your VA notes in your hand before you ever go to your appointment. This way you know what they already said about you, meaning your individual counselor. This will be a bais point. You said you were diagnosed with ptsd by that counselor. The c&P examiner will ask you questions that are scripted out already. I'll find the link for you adn then you can know what to expect. If you get your VA notes and any other mental helath notes that are going to help your claim. You need to identify your stressor, was it actual combat? fear of indirect fire? body handling? etc. You should also make a list of the probelms you have had associated with your experience and when you experienced it and for how long.

just some suggestions: (if so and for how long?)

thoughts of suicide?

panic attacks?

depression?

family probelms? any detachment or lost feelings

relationships probelms?

financial prolbems?

job history, meaning had to work many jobs cuz of your issues?

sleep issues?

self medicating with alcohol or drugs?

irritability?

any violence? fights?

angry outbursts? mood swings?

trouble with the law?

lost interest in things you used to enjoy/love doing?

any ocd rituals? (obseesive compulsive stuff)

nightmares?

flashbacks?

on edge or jumpy/easily startled (Hypervigilance)?

Sorry for the novel. You might have some, all, or none of these. Only you know. If you have any of them, then you should be able to explain what they are with examples and how long they have happened or are happening?

The C&P itself is just reconfirming your diagnosis and the severity level. The VA doesnt care if you killled people and have no effects vs some Vet has ptsd from incoming fire. The actaul stressor isnt the major point. The stressor just proves it happened in the service. The severity level is whats most important as far as compensation goes. The VA tends to low ball ptsd. I, myself am in the appeals process for it. The key is if you can have all that written down from all your notes, for yourself, then you can see where that fits into their rating criteria. I will sedn the links for the C&P script for intial ptsd claims, the link for ptsd rating categories, what symptoms meet what percentage criteria on a whole. You dont have to have all the symptoms to qualify but it tends to be opinionated judgment calls, more often then not. They will usually low ball you, but keep fighting. I hope this helps.

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a good reference from another VET of PTSD symptoms to meet criteria for diagnosis.

ptsd criteria for diagnosis

ptsd critera for diagnosis

PTSD rating levels (general criteria under each)

VA ptsd ratings and criteria for each rating

VA initial ptsd evaluation for C&P

VA worksheet for intial ptsd claim, also known as their scirpt

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the first 2 links are different, so look at them both please. ONce you get a list of all your problems and history written down, you can see were it might fit into the criteria level, which I provided a link towards.

the last link is what the C&P examiner will be asking. THis will probably take 1-3 hrs, depending. They generally will be typing as you are telling them what is going on. They will have already looked at your VA notes and history as well before you get there. This is why you need to know what has been said about you. They start to form an opinion. YOu need to tell them all your problems, I repeat all of them, no matter how small you may think it is. You need to not dress up or shave if you dont ordinarily do. Baiscally dress as if it were a normal day and you were at home. Don't go in to the C&P trying to be buddies with the examiner. don't try to put a front up and make jokes. they are there to judge you and dont frget that. You have to let your emotions out in an articulate way.The better prepared you are before hand the less probelms of memory lapses. YOu don't want them to underestimate your severity of your problems.

about 2-3 wks after the exam, you should return and get a cop of your C&P exam. Come back to this site and post your results and people will help you out as to were they think you will be and what not. THis site is very helpful.

so in summary:

make a list of your symptoms and severity/duration

examples of each

your stressor in the Marines, where was it, what happened, was anyone with you? this is just to prove it was service connected. It must be supported by CAR (combat action ribbon), purple heart, bronze star, NAM with "V", just to name a few. Well I should say these become automatic and dont have to prove service connection is all I meant. If none of these, then you need witnesses, news articles etc that can support your stressor. Once your stressor is service connected, then the only thing that matters is your current level of functioning (GAF) and severity of symptoms at present. if can go up or down with treatment. Any medications as well.

you can have your firends and family write support letters which you can bring with you to the C&P. any other devil dogs that you served with can write ones as well. It jsut needs to say how you were before the tour of duty/incident(s) and how you are now?

you also want to write a stressor letter yourself. Take all thsoe symptoms, I had you write down and now write a letter. Tell how you were before any of this happened, what happened and the effects this has had on you since. Give detailed examples of each symptom.

Examples stressor letter format:

paragraphs

1. who you are and why you are writing this

2 how you were as a person before all this happened to you

3. what happened to you in detail/experinces that were traumatic?

4 -10 or more??symptoms (each should have an example and story behind it, so make each one a paragraph)

the effects all this has caused on your life overall.

well I hope all this helps you out devil. You have to do the research and prepare before going in. You know Marines always practice for everything...

I think if you take my advice and the advice of all the others, you will have no probelms. ANy other questions just post them

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the first 2 links are different, so look at them both please. ONce you get a list of all your problems and history written down, you can see were it might fit into the criteria level, which I provided a link towards.

the last link is what the C&P examiner will be asking. THis will probably take 1-3 hrs, depending. They generally will be typing as you are telling them what is going on. They will have already looked at your VA notes and history as well before you get there. This is why you need to know what has been said about you. They start to form an opinion. YOu need to tell them all your problems, I repeat all of them, no matter how small you may think it is. You need to not dress up or shave if you dont ordinarily do. Baiscally dress as if it were a normal day and you were at home. Don't go in to the C&P trying to be buddies with the examiner. don't try to put a front up and make jokes. they are there to judge you and dont frget that. You have to let your emotions out in an articulate way.The better prepared you are before hand the less probelms of memory lapses. YOu don't want them to underestimate your severity of your problems.

about 2-3 wks after the exam, you should return and get a cop of your C&P exam. Come back to this site and post your results and people will help you out as to were they think you will be and what not. THis site is very helpful.

so in summary:

make a list of your symptoms and severity/duration

examples of each

your stressor in the Marines, where was it, what happened, was anyone with you? this is just to prove it was service connected. It must be supported by CAR (combat action ribbon), purple heart, bronze star, NAM with "V", just to name a few. Well I should say these become automatic and dont have to prove service connection is all I meant. If none of these, then you need witnesses, news articles etc that can support your stressor. Once your stressor is service connected, then the only thing that matters is your current level of functioning (GAF) and severity of symptoms at present. if can go up or down with treatment. Any medications as well.

you can have your firends and family write support letters which you can bring with you to the C&P. any other devil dogs that you served with can write ones as well. It jsut needs to say how you were before the tour of duty/incident(s) and how you are now?

you also want to write a stressor letter yourself. Take all thsoe symptoms, I had you write down and now write a letter. Tell how you were before any of this happened, what happened and the effects this has had on you since. Give detailed examples of each symptom.

Examples stressor letter format:

paragraphs

1. who you are and why you are writing this

2 how you were as a person before all this happened to you

3. what happened to you in detail/experinces that were traumatic?

4 -10 or more??symptoms (each should have an example and story behind it, so make each one a paragraph)

the effects all this has caused on your life overall.

well I hope all this helps you out devil. You have to do the research and prepare before going in. You know Marines always practice for everything...

I think if you take my advice and the advice of all the others, you will have no probelms. ANy other questions just post them

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THANK YOU SOOO MUCH DEVIL DOG!!! YOUR INFO IS VERY INFORMATIVE AND I WILL USE IT TO MY ADVANTAGE. I POSTED ON HERE BECAUSE I KNOW YOU HAVE TO BE PREPARED WITH DEALING WITH THE VA.IF NOT THEY WALK ALL OVER YOU!!!

SEMPER FI!!!

TANKERJOE0

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hey tanker, Your very welcome..hence semper fidelis. Always willing to help out a brother. now all that info I gave you was for your ptsd c&P and claim. As faR AS HEARING LOSS/tinnitus, I will give you my comments now.

Hearing Loss-Has to be real bad at certain decibals. I too had some hearing loss but not enough. They will sit you in the room and do the whole beeps and press the button stuff again, just like you did at MEPS when you joined. They will compare your hearing to what it once was. They will also take into account why you have it. Be very careful not to stress your civy job if it's a loud one, they will try and pin it on that. Best case scenario you would get 10% but in all likelyhood they will deny it, for it isnt bad enough. They will also say words and you repeat them. They are super simple although, I had an irish voice on mine and found myself laughing over some stupid words like dyke, I know childish, but the examiner was very attractice and I had a hard time not laughing. I only had 1 isit and it was for those tests. They will ask what you did for a job in usmc and now. Then they will give you those test.

Tinnitus (aka Ringing in the Ears, as we would call it)- you just have to say you have rining in the ears from whatever you think you have it from, tanks or incoming rounds or whatever. They have no way to disprove your claim. DOn't go in saying tinnitus, go in saying ringing in the ears. This is an automatic 10%, seperate from the hearing part.

Good luck devil in your endeavor, the battle has just begun. Remember to do all that work I suggested on the ptsd, so you dont get screwed. You still might be happy with the decision but it will make everything else so much easier.

semper fi

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