ptsd Should I File For Combat Or Non Combat Ptsd

[SKIPRAY]

First,I want to thank all the posters on this site.I have been reading as much as I can on this site for the past year and have learned so much.

I was finally diagnosed with ptsd from the va.They have been treating me for depression since 1994.My question is should I file for non-combat or combat related depression/ptsd? My stressor for non-combat is easier to prove and is irrefutable.Does it make a difference in benefits which one I file for?

[Commander Bob]

...My question is should I file for non-combat or combat related depression/ptsd? My stressor for non-combat is easier to prove and is irrefutable.Does it make a difference in benefits which one I file for?

That depends.......

[Berta]

Don't file for "combat" PTSD if you were not in combat.

You will need proof of a nexus to your service whether you file for depression or PTSD.

"My stressor for non-combat is easier to prove and is irrefutable." You seem quite convinced of that.

Now is the time to gather any evidence of the proof.

[carlie]

SKIPRAY,

You posted, "My stressor for non-combat is easier to prove and is irrefutable."

What is your stressor for non- combat and what evidence relates to it that makes

you feel this stressor is" irrefutable" ?

[SKIPRAY]

I guess I shouldn't have used the word "irrefutable" lol.The proof is newspaper articles with dates,names and what happened.I was never going to file after I got out in 1992 because the VA in Baltimore treated me pretty good the first few years.I have moved around the country quite a bit since then and have experienced care that is marginal to unacceptable.When I was homeless in Baltimore,they at least treated me with respect and dignity.In Fayetteville,Nc and here in Vegas,they treat you like crap if you are a homeless vet.The only reason for me filing a claim is because I would rather pay a private doc for care.

Like I said before, I have been reading tons on this site,but am reluctant to post because too many people are ready to pounce on you when you ask a question.

[john999]

You have been treated for depression at the VA for years. Are you service connected for depression? It does not matter what they call your mental health issue. What matters is if you are SC for it. If you are SC for depression then why would you want to start a claim for PTSD? Were you ever treated for depression while in the service? What Pete was telling you is important. You have a lot of evidence that you suffer from depression. You don't have to prove that. All you have to show is that it is getting worse. PTSD is to a certain extent the flavor of the day at the VA. If you were a vet who was never treated for any mental health condition, but had good stressor, and 20 years later needed to get service connected then PTSD is probably the way to go. If you received any treatment or DX for depression or other emotional disorder in service that is the trail to follow. 30 years after I was DX'ed for a MH condition by the VA and SC'ed for it the VA said I had PTSD. That means nothing to me since I don't need to deal with that problem now. I am TDIU for the other MH condition and I don't have to prove any stressor. Contrary to what people may think PTSD is the hardest mental health disorder to prove. I think that is why the VA tends to funnel vets towards that kind of claim. In my 40 year old SMR's it says "This patient suffers from depression and anxiety".

That and my treatment at the VA got me service connected. Over the years the DX'es have changed from bi-polar to schizophrenic , but it is those SMR's with a DX and treatment records that allowed me to get SC. Don't take the hard road to SC. Take the road that is laid out before you. What passes as VA diagnosis and treatment is just name calling. If you have PTSD then go for it, but if you can get SC'ed for an easier DX then take the money and run.

[SKIPRAY]

I never filed any claim with the VA.They have been treating me for depression since 1994.I didn't feel the need to file a claim back then.They treated me pretty good.I realize now,that that was a mistake.For the past year,I have been getting all my records together,reading everything I can on filing a claim,spending hours and hours reading BVA decisions.I am going to get a VSO this week and file my claim.After reading on here that I(not the vso) should learn as much as I can because it IS my claim and not all vso's are the same.Any recommendations would be much appreciated on picking a vso.Questions I should ask them.

Again thanks for all the help.