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Va Ptsd Compensation Claim Examination

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Bob-e

Question

I received the letter, followed by a phone call. I have an appointment to see the psychologist on the 18'th of May.

I am going to meet with the county VSO the day before and have asked the VSO for a statement from him about the emotional and mental state I have been in when we have met. I would hope his notes about PTSD, panic attack, MDD, and Dysthymia will help to raise my service connected disability from 10% for tinnitus to 100% for PTSD. The county doesn't allow the VSO to go with the vet to the VA exam. The letter is the best I can probably do - or should I ask the VSO for something else?

Should I tell the shrink that last month I had no money and the State of Oregon, Veterans Services Office paid my rent and utilities? Does that matter? I can't function and have not brought any money in the door in five months. I am on the waiting list for food stamps.

I have filed my social security disability but they told me it will be six months before anything is determined. Does that help with the VA claim, should I mention it?

The VA has already sent me to its Voc-Rehab and there were no jobs I could do today due to physical and mental disabilities. Does that matter? The VA already have all of my medical records because I use it as my primary. Have been using it for the last six years. Does this guy I'm meeting need this information or is that another part of the VA... and WHY can't the fools just talk to each other?

I plan on creating a list of bullet statements on such things as my daily life and how PTSD affects me (IE. isolation, anger, panic attacks, loss of sleep, fear, memory loss, etc). Should I write a book - or will bullet points be Okay?

I am going to try and keep it together. The last visit I had on May 3,2010, I yelled at my new psychiatrist and then had a break from reality. The shrink was going to admit me but I asked for my wife and she helped bring me back to a point where I knew where I was. That was the first time I have lost touch with reality - should I ask for my new shrink to send his notes or does the VA already have access to that?

I am scared. Seventeen years ago I did this interview with a sub-contracted VA shrink, picked by the VA, and he said I didn't have PTSD. This time I have done my homework, as much as I could with flaming PTSD.

Oh, last question. Does the exam letter mean the VA has accepted the "stressor" or is that a battle I have to continue to fight?

Any help or wisdom is appreciated.

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  • HadIt.com Elder

Your VSO cannot help you get PTSD he like us is stuck with using Medical Evidence. I know that you are anxious but what is needed is to make sure the professionals are aware of your panic attacks and symptoms of PTSD. Yes yelling at people is a symptom.

Under no circumstance lie cause they try to trap you and if they think you are lying your claim is toast.

My advice to you is study on Hadit how others have won their claims and spend a reasonable amount of time looking and researching but not obsessively. I recommend some time when you don't work on your claim like weekends and holidays.

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Thank everyone for your posts and support,

I used Senator Merkley (D-OR) to assist me with my 17 year battle against VA - it PAID OFF!

The senator's office called yesterday and told me with some effort he was able to pull my 1985 Congressional testimony, which was originally un-classified - then classified by President GW Bush.

Lucky for me as a US Senator he was able to go into Lexus and get the booklet. The Senator's aide was upset because the VA had been double-talking him and after he read the Congressional testimony he told me I should have received PTSD treatment and compensation in 1985, when the assault by Primo happened... and more importantly, when the US Navy stripped me of my honer and dignity in the national and international press and in the very halls of Congress. The Senator's aide told me the VA has NO choice but to approve the PTSD, MDD, Panic Attacks and Dysthymia, since it is Congressional testimony given by multiple Congressmen.

Last week I sent a letter to President Obama and Sec. Shinseki and used your suggestion to keep it simple and short. I wonder what the General will think once he becomes aware of what the VA did to me. Maybe, he doesn't care how the VA makes the C&P a antagonistic battle for vets. It is wrong.

If I as a honorable discharged vet who has Congressional testimony and the Congressional record and news articles behind; if I can't get approved for PTSD - God help ALL vets.

I have also found out that my lawyer from 1985, is going to take on my case, of course now that the Senator has paved the road the lawyer's job is pretty easy.

I am not playing any games and not trying to get anything I have not earned. My mental health issues are directly tied service connection.

On 5-18-10, I have the Comp exam. At this point my wife and the VSO are going to attend with me because I can't seem to stop cracking up and breaking down, and I can't stop crying? I was raised "big boys don't cry", so the lack of control on my emotions is torture. If I am correct, and please let me know if I am not, in this meeting I am going to give him a bullet list of issues I have that have led me to be unemployable. I am going to give the VA shrink a sample of my daily calendar and show him the scar tissue, and I have my (former) employer sending me a letter detailing how the PTSD caused my performance to go down. He is also going to note how my PTSD anger made it hard to work with me. My wife also has a list of PTSD caused problems. I was a GAF 45 back in January. I know I have deteriorated since them. It took my four hours to write this one email.

Two months ago the VA sent me to the VA Voc-Rehab to see if I qualified for any jobs. I didn't qualify because of mental and physical health issues. I can't sit for more than 15 minutes (VA malpractice caused severe scar-tissue and an umbilical cord hernia. The VA gave me a zero (0%) rating for the problems above. Perhaps down the road I will re-file that claim, which I first filed in 1985. And worse, my brain has 10,000 thoughts going through it at a time. So if I'm not cracking up and crying, I forget what I am saying, which makes it hard to do business, especially sales.

Thank God for spell check.

Bob-e

===========

I already had an exam in January with a VA psychiatrist and she gave me a GAF of 45, and wanted to put me in the VA hospital - in January.

This meeting on 5/18/10, is a C & P exam.

I have gone downhill since January. On May 3, 2010, I had a melt down while in my new psychiatrists office. It was embarassing since it was out FIRST meeting. I'm not sure what happened? I yelled at him, "How can the VA not understand how getting strangled by a thief you were blowing the whistle-on would cause the DSM-IV stressor. That is the "official" stressor that I am using because it happened and as reported worldwide in the press. I thought it would be a "slam-dunk" form of proof. The VA not recognizing the stressor causes me to experience a RAGE inside that is tearing me body apart and causing me serious health issues.

Thank you for your time and help.

Bob-e

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  • HadIt.com Elder

When you go for your C&P exam stick to facts. Stay on track regarding the incident that caused your ptsd and how it affects your life now. If you start raving about senators and the VA your claim will trickle down the drain. All they are interested in is the medical evidence, your symptoms and your credibility. If you start to cry, shake, tremble that is OK. Just stick to facts of your claim. For God sakes don't be late or miss the exam.

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Nothing your VSO takes note of will help with the claim as far as compensation goes.As Pete said.

PTSD comp requires a current medical diagnosis of PTSD and a confirmed stressor.

"Does the exam letter mean the VA has accepted the "stressor" or is that a battle I have to continue to fight?"

Unless you have the PH, CAR, or CIB on your DD 214 the VA will need to verify your stressor.

Give them as many details as you can as to time and date and place and how your MOS put you at the stressor.

Buddy statements can help and you might find a buddy through your unit's web site who could give an eyewitness account of the stressor and corroborate it for you.

Jpint Services Records Research Center verifies stressors for VA. The more details the better.They search your unit history and records.

VA Voc Rehab isnt a job center. Did you apply for Voc Rehab schooling benefits?

I

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  • HadIt.com Elder

I am praying that this time Justice will prevail. The VA has for many years been the Cover Our Ass Agency and not the help the Veteran get their earned benefits.

God Bless the people who are helping you now.

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