Gaf Rating Question?

[allan]

Would anyone know what the rating for GAF score of 52 might be?

Thanks in advance.

Allan

[allan]

I have had gaf of 32, 42 & 52.

52 was the last one provided by a resent psychiatrist in 2008.

I've gotten kinda crazy for a while, so out side of family. I don't have a relationship with friends except Hadit.com. Get periods even with currant meds where I stay in the house & away from family except my wife. Cognitive issues make it difficult to understand others sometimes. Waves of depression, anger out breaks, anxiety.

Suicidal? I don't talk to the Dr's about it. Share it with the wife but not the VA Dr's. Don't want to get into it with them so I would just take the 50% over a 70% if thats the case. I don't think I would act on the thought, but have them for some reason I can't pin down. Even with the currant meds that seem to keep my bipolar in better balance.

I read they treat me for PTSD, depression & bipolar. But it must be with just the depakote. I take a high dose of it three times a day. Also a high dose of buspar for the panic/anxiety attacks.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations,

judgment, thinking, or mood, due to such symptoms as:

suicidal ideation;

obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities;

speech intermittently illogical, obscure, or irrelevant;

near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively;

impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence);

spatial disorientation;

neglect of personal appearance and hygiene;

difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or a worklike setting);

inability to establish and maintain effective relationships.

Yes. I go through this. Not near as bad as I did taking Paxil, but still experience it during the week.

Thank you for your since of humor Larry. Hope you never leave this board.

[LarryJ]

B)

[LarryJ]

Allan, you're running 32, 42, and 52 GAF's and you are only at 30%?

That jist ain't right. I mean, that jist ain't FAIR!

Listen, buddy. If, IF you are having suicidal thoughts, even fleetingly, then please tell them at the VA. I tell the VA psycobabblers much MORE than I would ever tell the Wife. Unless it bears directly with something that she NEEDS to know and something she can help me with (she's an RN and has managed a couple of times to keep me alive until I could get to where I needed to be. But, I wouldn't tell her, for example, that I have the place picked out, if I was to commit suicide.

I told the little fellow that did my psych C&P that I had suicidal thoughts from time to time......he noted that in my C&P and I'm almost certain that that notation alone got me 70%. But, it didn't cause me any "problems" at the VAMC.......if anything it helped. I noticed that they paid a lot closer attention to making sure that I got what I needed as far as treatment, quick scheduling of appointments, stuff like that, and I've been going there for 5 years so I did have a background to compare my improved treatment to.

And, I get like you are saying that you get, what with the depression, etc.

You know, here's a "funny" fer ya:

When I first started my psych visits there was a notation in my chart that the Mental Health Team needed to rule out bi-polar. That was around 4 years ago and I get copies of my medical records quite often.................and I guess they are STILL trying to "rule out" bi-polar................naw, they done gave up on me a longgg time ago, I guess, and finally decided that I'm JUST NUTS!

Anyway, if your GAF is running in that neighborhood and you are having those thoughts, then let them know. Because you are certainly deserving of a lot more than 30%.

later dude.

[broncovet]

I agree with Larry:

If you have SI, then you need to tell your VA docs, and get treated for it. I/hadit.com dont want you left behind. Dont "suck it up"...instead get help, and get compensated for your SI. More Vets currently kill themselves than are killed by the enemy. DO NOT, REPEAT, DO not let the VA do this to you. If you commit suicide, the VA wins because you dont get paid. Fight the enemy, Fight the VA, but do not fight YOU. You are an American Veteran and do not deserve to die by your own hand.

I understand that some of the numbers geeks go to the trouble to do this:

Count the number of symptoms you have medically documented in each category, 30, 50, 70, 100 etc. The category with the highest number "wins".

Example:

You have SI, impaired impulse control (near continious panic attacks), neglect of personal hygene...total 3 in 70%

YOu also have impaired judgement, inability to establish and maintain relationships total 2 in 50%

In this example you would be 70% impaired, because you have 3 symptoms in the 70% category but only 2 in the 50% category.

There is no real evidence that most raters use this "numbers" formula, however, if you have an appeal, and this evidence favors you, by all means use it.

Lastly, you can apply "weight" to the symptoms:

For most people, SI would be more significant thatn an inability to establish/maintain relationships, for example, because SI is LIFE threatening. In an appeal, I think you can "hit em where it hurts", for example if you have SI and are rated, say, at 30%. You can contend that the Veterans own life is surely more important than some of the lesser symptoms, that is, SI is present ONLY in the 70% and 100% categories.

Edited June 16, 2009 by broncovet

[WHOLESALE]

Get a copy of your most recent medical visits and turn them in. With those GAF's you should have symptoms documented to support those GAF's. Suicidal thoughts should also be in your file if you told this to your shrink. Like larry said you definetely should qualify for a higher rating considering your treatment records are indicative of your GAF scores.

Jay

Allan, you're running 32, 42, and 52 GAF's and you are only at 30%?

That jist ain't right. I mean, that jist ain't FAIR!

Listen, buddy. If, IF you are having suicidal thoughts, even fleetingly, then please tell them at the VA. I tell the VA psycobabblers much MORE than I would ever tell the Wife. Unless it bears directly with something that she NEEDS to know and something she can help me with (she's an RN and has managed a couple of times to keep me alive until I could get to where I needed to be. But, I wouldn't tell her, for example, that I have the place picked out, if I was to commit suicide.

I told the little fellow that did my psych C&P that I had suicidal thoughts from time to time......he noted that in my C&P and I'm almost certain that that notation alone got me 70%. But, it didn't cause me any "problems" at the VAMC.......if anything it helped. I noticed that they paid a lot closer attention to making sure that I got what I needed as far as treatment, quick scheduling of appointments, stuff like that, and I've been going there for 5 years so I did have a background to compare my improved treatment to.

And, I get like you are saying that you get, what with the depression, etc.

You know, here's a "funny" fer ya:

When I first started my psych visits there was a notation in my chart that the Mental Health Team needed to rule out bi-polar. That was around 4 years ago and I get copies of my medical records quite often.................and I guess they are STILL trying to "rule out" bi-polar................naw, they done gave up on me a longgg time ago, I guess, and finally decided that I'm JUST NUTS!

Anyway, if your GAF is running in that neighborhood and you are having those thoughts, then let them know. Because you are certainly deserving of a lot more than 30%.

later dude.

[allan]

I only have 30% right now because the VA has only granted what was on my separation examination in 1967 so far.

10% for tinnitus, 0% for hearing loss, & 20% for virococele.

I had vision loss(fluctuating vision) on separation exam also, but they won't process that one.

SO's asked & so did I but never could get any in service records until 1997. The Seattle VARO ended up with "ALL" my original Naval records. St Luis archives couldn't say why. Just that I was screwed over.

VARO has only provided 11 months of a four year hitch.

Requests to have sick call treatment records on ship have only fell on deaf ears.

I filed for spinal, shoulder, left arm, depression, chronic pain, "neuromuscular disorder of unknown cause" in a 1995 reopen. They only gave me 30% SC & Pension.

For over a decade they walked & walked around providing a definite diagnoses of any kind for the "neuromuscular disorder of unknown cause", while I went to mental health outpatient PTSD treatment. They pumped me full of the wrong meds & nearly killed me. Suggested & was faking it when ever I got angry over their treatment or lack of, while lesions showed on MRI's. Said there was nothing wrong with me for three years, then discovered my TSH level was 550.5

The BVA just denied all the spinal last month. My claim for MS, depression, chronic pain & fibromyalgia has just now gone to the VARO, since my appeal has become final last month. They have been on hold since 2005.

I DO NOT TRUST ANYONE AFFILIATED WITH THE VA, and have many reasons for it.

As far as acting on suicidal thoughts. When they come, I pray, meditate & thank GOD for what I have in life. The VA is the cause of far to much of my stress & HTN if you ask me. The sooner my claims are final, the sooner allot of this stress can go away.

My Pension stopped when I recieved SSDI back in 2000 or so. They make me pay for my pain meds around $250 a month. But I guess that doesn't count off the 1200 income a month we recieve or else I would get the Pension still.

I sent in my ILS award info & SSDI info, along with Dr Bash's IMO for MS and all the medical records to support PTSD, Depression, mood swings & bipolar, chronic pain syndrome diagnoses for secondary claims, as per PVA request.

I also filled out the forms for CAVC as the PVA requested I do for the BVA denial on my spinal issues.

All I can do now is wait. My guess is it could take six months to a year before I hear about the MS & secondary claims. And it will be a couple months before an attorney contacts me for the CAVC issues.