ptsd C&p Exam Report

[Fire Courage]

These are the results from my recent PTSD C&P. I know GAF scores alone don't determine a rating, but along with the examiners's note --what are my chances?

I know its only speculating, but what type of rating do you think I might receive based on these C&P results?

EDIT:

IMPRESSION: AXIS I: PTSD, Chronic, Depressive Disorder NOS AXIS II: No diagnosis. AXIS III: Sleep disturbances, Obesity, dental caries, elevated Liver enzymes, lichen planus, elevated blood pressure. AXIS IV: Marital stress, financial stress. AXIS V: Global assessment of function 50.

DISCUSSION: The claims file was reviewed and meets the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD due to his service stressors. The onset of PTSD symptoms currently experienced was likely present while he remained in the Navy, but was first noted in 1996. Symptom severity is severe and the frequency is daily. Specific stressors include mine search destroy missions and seeing mutilated bodies floating in the water. No significant post military stressors were noted and no substance abuse history was reported. The Veteran has either quit or been fired from several jobs since 1996 including positions at the ******* and the ********. He is currently employed at the City of ************ for the past 7 years with few incidents due to his limited work schedule and his abillty to isolate. However, he noted a recent altercation with a coworker. He is mostly isolated from his family and has no friends. His thought processes and communication are intact. The additional diagnosis of depressive disorder appears to be a consequence of PTSD symptoms and limited ability to cope with these symptoms. His global assessment of function of 50 reflects severe impairment in industrial and social functioning. Prognosis for improvement is guarded and this veteran would likely bernefit from psychotheraputic and psychopharmacologist interventions. There is no indication for further testing and the Veteran is competent to marnage funds in his own best interest.

Edited April 15, 2010 by Fire Courage

[Vync]

Hey Fire,

I kinda wish I had your C&P examiner. They really did a good job logging everything.

You might be good for 50%, but I'm no expert in the MH ratings area. From what I hear, a lot of factors comprise the rating, not just a single factor.

Here's the rating criteria for general mental disorders (http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/regs/38CFR/BOOKC/PART4/S4_130.DOC):

General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders:

Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as:

gross impairment in thought processes or communication;

persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate

behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent

inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance

of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memory

loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name 100

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 70

Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and

productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial,

circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once

a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment

of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned

material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired

abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in

establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships 50

Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work

efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational

tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine

behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms

as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or

less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as

forgetting names, directions, recent events) 30

Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms

which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational

tasks only during periods of significant stress, or; symptoms controlled

by continuous medication 10

A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not

severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social

functioning or to require continuous medication 0