ptsd Helping My Dad Out

[montanagray]

Hello everyone,

I am a disabled veteran myself and trying to give my dad some advice on his disability. When he retired from the Marine Corps he submitted for tinnitus and hearing loss. He was given 10% for tinnitus and 0% for hearing back in 1998. He is currently getting his records together for a new claim on the following information:

1. His blood pressure

2. Sleep Apnea (uses a breathing machine)

3. Hearing loss again. He got the hearing test used by the VA just to have a hard copy to compare. Here are his results: RT EAR 1000=35, 2000=20, 3000=25, 4000=55, LT EAR 1000=30, 2000=15, 3000=30, 4000=50 The results of the speech audiometry are as follows: MVL, SRT for RT EAR=15 and then some goofy number that is under HL/PB% those numbers are 75/100, LT EAR SRT 15, HL/PB% 75/88 and his masking numbers are 55 for both ears.

4. Exposure to toxic chemicals at Terrawa Terrace, Camp Lejeune. Both of his natural children were underweight and learning difficulties.

5. Multiple Lipomas, he has about 50 of them. The VA has even removed some of them for him.

6. PTSD, was a combat camerman/photographer in the USMC. He photo'd alot of dead bodies to include military dependent children. HE DOESNT KNOW WHAT TO WRITE FOR THE STRESSOR since it spanned quite a few years.

7. He is currently seeing a military physician for his diagnosed longterm depression and takes anti depressants and sleeping medication. Does this fall under PTSD or another diagnosed criterion.

8. Head trauma during military service.

Is there any suggestions that you may have to help my dad in this process.

Thanks,

montanagray

[timetowinarace]

montanagray,

First off, welcome to Hadit. Sorry your post hasn't been answered yet. Occasionaly when the board is busy it happens but we try to answer all new members.

The two main concerns for new claims falls to medicall records and doctors opinions. There of course must be a medically diagnosed condition and very important for claims purposes a link(nexus) to service.

Some of the conditions you mentioned may be difficult to get the nexus if it hasn''t already been determined such as sleep apnea and blood pressure as these conditions can occur due to age. I'm not well informed about them. However some may be secondary to established SC conditions and rated as such.

Chemical exposure takes allot of legwork to prove. There are others here that may be able to give you more information for that.

You mentioned head trauma. If there is sufficiant evidence in his SMR's of a head injury I may be able to help with that. It's difficult for a person to get a TBI residuals diagnoses well after the injury but possible in some situations. Some points that stand out to me in your post are: 1. Sleep Apnea, tbi often causes sleep disturbance(I have mild sleep apnea) 2. PTSD and TBI share most symptoms, some people, myself included, have been misdiagnosed with PTSD symptoms when they are actually TBI residuals, However many people have both 3. Depression is often a residual for TBI and can be rated as such.

If you plan to pursue a TBI claim, my first question would be, is there evidence in his service records of a head injury and if not can you obtain buddy statements that he had a head injury?

[fanaticbooks]

Welcome Montanagray,

As the wife of a disabled vet, I can't offer you specifics. What I can offer though is my website that might help you research, organize and assemble a claim.

There are a lot of knowledgeable people in here who can be much more specific on the ins & outs of VA stuff. They should be along shortly as timetowinarace has done.

Timetowin has good advice.

I wish you well in your journey for your Dad.

fanaticbooks

Edited October 31, 2009 by fanaticbooks

[Berta]

With a PTSD diagnosis- this certainly reveals stressors:

. "PTSD, was a combat camerman/photographer in the USMC. He photo'd alot of dead bodies to include military dependent children. HE DOESNT KNOW WHAT TO WRITE FOR THE STRESSOR since it spanned quite a few years."

I did a thesis on USMC journalists and photographers and their role in Vietnam for school a few years ago. In researching this I also studied Matthew Brady, the famous Civil War Photographer who certainly developed PTSD from this work.

Your dad's MOS itself is the stressor in this situation and any photos he took and still has of dead combatants would be evidence.I assume he also took photos of very well known battles or firefights too.

I might be assuming too much but it sounds to me that he did in this work in Vietnam. Military journalists and photographers and film makers were in harm's way during every war and their work is an integral part of every war college's curriculum.

The VA could disagree with what I say here as to this being PTSD stresssors- but if his PTSD doctor is willing to write a very strong letter on his behalf stating his inservcice MOS was as likely as not the cause of his PTSD (or caused his depression depression) then I feel the VA should award him compensation.

Pictures are worth 1,000 words. Does he still have any of these photos or can he obtain copies of them?I imagine some of them might even be within Marine Corp History books on the war or even in Marine Corps Gazette-or Leatherneck.

I get the Gazette and I am sure USMC holds the copyright so they could possibly have used his photos from time to time. The Gazette still opines in many articles on the Vietnam War.

But it would be best evidence if he has any actual photos in his possession.

His job was sort of the way crimes scenes are handled by the police-I would think that type of work would have a very serious long term affect on anyone.

[Berta]

This Vietnam veteran's PTSD claim was awarded for similiar reasons.

I cant determine if she was incountry Vietnam but was in and out of Okinawa at time of the War.

http://www4.va.gov/vetapp05/files3/0516694.txt

The photographer MOS she had certainly caused her to experience stressors.

[Pete53]

Montanagray:

Welcome to Hadit. We welcome all who are here to help Veterans with claims.

[broncovet]

Montana...

Altho not all would agree with me, there is a good chance you can benefit from a Veterans Service Officer, such as VFW, DAV, etc. (S)he can help you fill out the forms, if you have not already.

I woulld recommend you keep a copy of everything, and best if you can mail it to your Regional Office Certified mail return receipt requested as RO's have a habit of shredding your evidence and then saying "we never received your claim for ....".

You came to the right place, here on hadit. For further information about shredded documents at the VA, see here:

http://www.vawatchdog.org/VAshredderscandal.htm

You will get a much more honest opinion here or on vawatchdog.org that you will at www.va.gov. However, you can look up information at the VA's website. Beleive it or not, some of the information the VA publishes is actually true.