Mental Health Increase?

[sbrewer]

Hi,

What would happen if you put in a claim for an increase for a mental health disability? Would you

have a C&P exam or would they use notes from your mental health dr? Or would they send you

to a different dr for an examination?

Thanks,

sbrewer

[hookrunner]

In my opinion ,unless you have very strong documentation from a VA shrink ,they most likely will send you for a c&p evaluation. That being the case if you feel you are entitled to a higher % ,if you don't request it you'll never get the raise.

[Old 5311]

Hi,

What would happen if you put in a claim for an increase for a mental health disability? Would you

have a C&P exam or would they use notes from your mental health dr? Or would they send you

to a different dr for an examination?

Thanks,

sbrewer

sbrewer,

Ask your VA MH Doctor for a C & P Exam because symptoms are getting worse, med side effects-not working or new symptoms etc. Your doctor can make it happen. Read posts here how to conduct yourself at a C&P. A FAX to him is very effective in your handwriting. Ask him to call you if you would like. Plan to use his remarks and notes and private doctor's notes, if any, as evidence for increase.

[Guest fla_viking]

Dear Veteran

before you ask for an incress. Send to the RO Dr statements or an IMO that says your disablity has gotten worse. DOnt leave it up to the RO or examiners to be the sole determining factor.

Terry Higgins

[Pete53]

Asking for an increase also opens up a review of your current condition. For most that is not a problem but if you have improved it might be.

[john999]

So many mental conditions are just not evident in a 15 minute interview with a VA C&P doctor. You need the IMO and lots of good stuff in your records. For people who have panic disorder, for instance, unless you are in the middle of a attack it may not be evident how bad your condition is and the C&P doctor is not going to see that. When you go for that C&P exam for mental anything can happen. First thing they are going to ask is if you are working or not as that is a concrete example of your functioning.

[Shalia]

I went from 30% to 70% by asking for an increase.

I had DOCUMENTS. Not from the VA, but when they sent me to an outside doctor <is that this C&P you keep referring to?> I had mood charts for the last few months, I had lists of all the meds I'd been on and the side effects they'd caused, I had copies of all my hospitalization records, I had a mood journal, etc.

Oh, and it probably didn't hurt that I had a panic attack in the middle of his office when he kept insisting I wasn't answering his questions properly. <I discovered they like "clinical" answers and I do better answering subjectively. My need to be perfectionistic caused me to freak out. It even got written up in the report. How embarassing.>

So I'd say just plan and prepare far in advance so you can go in with lots of armor. B)

Shalia