Depression Secondary Too Degenerative Disk Disease

[rgero311975]

Well i am trying to get service connected depression due to my back which is rated at 40% as of march 1,2009 which was previously rated at 20%.. Well my question is this...I was stabed and almost killed by someone that broke into my house about 4 years ago so i have pstd and depression and panic attacks..the VA know this ....i recieve my medication and have been treat by va doctor and outside dr for these conditions........ My back has gotten worse as you can see my rating just went up recently.... Since I have allready been diagnosed with depression not connected to serve can and how and what should i do.......I mean my back limits me physically and emotionally ...sex, daily activity,mood,personal realtionships,.....yes i was depressed before but my back limits me and it affects me the most..and the pain meds make me depressed...

Thank you ..this site has gave me hope and thank god for all of you guys...rentalguy1 you have a lot of good post ....

[rgero311975]

I've also moved this thread to claims research.

rentalguy just posted excellent advice for you.

carlie

i am still confused on what to claim..lol

[carlie]

VA only compensates for ONE MENTAL HEALTH disability.

carlie

[rentalguy1]

OK...you cannot file for depression or PTSD because they are already linked to the stabbing.

You will need to file for mood disorder due to a general medical condition. That is the name of the actual disease. BUT, before you can file for it, you have to have a diagnosis of that. So, BEFORE filing any claim, you need to get with your mental health docs and tell them you believe you suffer from this condition, in addition to your other MH conditions. You are going to point to the evidence in the DSM-IV that you researched to show the doc that you have that condition. Then, after you have a diagnosis and a nexus from a doc for this new condition, go ahead and file the new claim. To file for something before you have a concrete diagnosis and nexus will only earn you a denial letter.

[rgero311975]

OK...you cannot file for depression or PTSD because they are already linked to the stabbing.

You will need to file for mood disorder due to a general medical condition. That is the name of the actual disease. BUT, before you can file for it, you have to have a diagnosis of that. So, BEFORE filing any claim, you need to get with your mental health docs and tell them you believe you suffer from this condition, in addition to your other MH conditions. You are going to point to the evidence in the DSM-IV that you researched to show the doc that you have that condition. Then, after you have a diagnosis and a nexus from a doc for this new condition, go ahead and file the new claim. To file for something before you have a concrete diagnosis and nexus will only earn you a denial letter.

ok .. is thier anyway to cancel the claim that i put in for depression secondary to ddd back pain ?i just sent it in 2 weeks ago...mood disorder most of my docs go with depression or anxiety...lol thank you so much for the info it was very helpful and clear....

[rentalguy1]

Yes, you can cancel the claim you just filed. Just send in a VA Form 21-4138 requesting that they cancel the claim.

Now, for the mood disorder. You are looking at this in the simplest of terms; i.e. PTSD, depression, anxiety, etc. You can't do that and win a claim with the VA. You have to become part doctor and part lawyer in order to win. That means research, and lots of it. The fact is that there are many different diagnoses in the realm of mental health. They all have different criteria that the patient must meet to get that specific diagnosis. The criteria for Mood Disorder Due to a General Medical Condition are:

Diagnosis of Mood Disorder Due to a General Medical Condition

Summarized from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- Fourth Edition

A. A person has significant disturbance in mood that includes either (or both):

1. Depressed mood or significantly reduced level of interest or pleasure in most or all activities.
   
2. Mood that is euphoric, heightened, or irritable.
   

B. The person's symptoms are directly related to the presence of a medical condition.

C. Another disorder does not better explain the mood disturbance.

D. The mood condition is not present only when a person is delerious.

E. The symptoms are a cause of great distress or difficulty in functioning at home, work, or other important areas.

The reason I am steering you in this direction is it will be the easiest for a doc to tie in to your service connected back problems. If you file a claim with the words PTSD, depression, or anxiety in it, you will lose. The reason I say this is because you already have diagnoses of these things in your medical records that are tied to other events in your life. The rater will pick up on this and deny the claim. You need a new diagnosis that is completely different from anything you've had in the past, and that has a direct link to your back problems. When you have the diagnosis and nexus, then file the claim, and send the new evidence in with it. You might want to read my blog series on filing a claim as you start your research on this claim.

Good luck.

[rgero311975]

Yes, you can cancel the claim you just filed. Just send in a VA Form 21-4138 requesting that they cancel the claim.

Now, for the mood disorder. You are looking at this in the simplest of terms; i.e. PTSD, depression, anxiety, etc. You can't do that and win a claim with the VA. You have to become part doctor and part lawyer in order to win. That means research, and lots of it. The fact is that there are many different diagnoses in the realm of mental health. They all have different criteria that the patient must meet to get that specific diagnosis. The criteria for Mood Disorder Due to a General Medical Condition are:

Diagnosis of Mood Disorder Due to a General Medical Condition

Summarized from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- Fourth Edition

A. A person has significant disturbance in mood that includes either (or both):

1. Depressed mood or significantly reduced level of interest or pleasure in most or all activities.
   
2. Mood that is euphoric, heightened, or irritable.
   

B. The person's symptoms are directly related to the presence of a medical condition.

C. Another disorder does not better explain the mood disturbance.

D. The mood condition is not present only when a person is delerious.

E. The symptoms are a cause of great distress or difficulty in functioning at home, work, or other important areas.

The reason I am steering you in this direction is it will be the easiest for a doc to tie in to your service connected back problems. If you file a claim with the words PTSD, depression, or anxiety in it, you will lose. The reason I say this is because you already have diagnoses of these things in your medical records that are tied to other events in your life. The rater will pick up on this and deny the claim. You need a new diagnosis that is completely different from anything you've had in the past, and that has a direct link to your back problems. When you have the diagnosis and nexus, then file the claim, and send the new evidence in with it. You might want to read my blog series on filing a claim as you start your research on this claim.

Good luck.

man i dont know what to say your great.thanks so much and i agree with you 100% i know its a fight now but since its a different diagnosis and ties in with my back,headaches,siacitica,ankle then now i have to get a dr to say that i have a mood disorder due to general pain... i going to see a new private theripist next week. i know that i have to steer this dr in that direction or they will say depression,pstd.etc.... any advice...i am reading up on mood disorders now and getting ready to read your blog.... the only way i thought was to tell my new theripist that i am being treated for depression,pstd,anxiety..etc at the va and that i think i have a mood disorder and that the va is foucused on other labels...and that i feel like this is my major problem and casuing me the biggest thing.....