ptsd And, The V A People Wonder Why We Veterans.....

[LarryJ]

Could it be things like THIS!

THREE opinions positive for PTSD.

Receiving TREATMENT FROM A VA PSYCHIATRIST AND TWO VA PSYCHOLOGISTS for PTSD!

Fourteen Months in I Corps.

USMC

....and he gets this!

[rthomass]

I should not do this but i will any way. James I dearly would like for you to e-mail me (Private Message Member for Email Address)

Edited July 30, 2010 by Tbird
Removed Personal Information: Email

[JamesBreckenridge]

I should not do this but i will any way. James I dearly would like for you to e-mail me rthomass@insightbb.com

Sorry, I can't respond via real-world email. Too much like disclosing my identity. But feel free to send me a private message through here.

[LarryJ]

No, opening a new claim isn't going to help. The change in PTSD makes it easier to concede stressors, which is not your veteran's problem. He's got a conceded stressor.

It appears that this veteran's claim was denied because his diagnoses were either informal diagnoses by doctors who were treating his symptoms, and a formal DSM-IV diagnosis, but by a nurse rather than a board certified psychologist. By the first and only page of the C&P exam available, I know that the examiner was a board certified psychologist.

Get the exam scanned and I can tell you more.

Okay, James. Thanks. I won't be able to scan it tonight, though. I am bushed. I will tomorrow. This fellow needs the help.

(I passed out, this morning, at my PCP's clinic at the Dallas VAMC. Low blood pressure. I stood up........last thing I remember......and they wound up with me all morning due to that. I've been on some BPH medication and I'd just started an increase in my dosage.........that, supposedly, is what did it. We'll see.).

[Commander Bob]

To get service connection for PTSD requires an in-service stressor, a formal diagnosis of PTSD that satisfies the DSM-IV, and a nexus opinion by the examiner that states that the PTSD is at least as likely as not caused by that particular stressor.

With the new PTSD rules, doing away with a specific stressor, isn't your in-service stressor comment a bit moot, James?

All that is now needed is; “fear of hostile military or terrorist activity and is consistent with the places, types and circumstances of the veteran’s service,”

Here is a link:

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=59987

edited to up-date link

Edited July 30, 2010 by Commander Bob

[JamesBreckenridge]

With the new PTSD rules, doing away with a specific stressor, isn't your in-service stressor comment a bit moot, James?

All that is now needed is; "fear of hostile military or terrorist activity and is consistent with the places, types and circumstances of the veteran's service,"

Here is a link:

http://www.defense.g...e.aspx?id=59987

Yes, I am familiar with the relaxed evidentiary standards for PTSD stressors. We're not doing away with stressors, we're just relaxing the evidentiary standards for showing that a stressor occurred. Prior to the change, you had to have a confirmed stressor, or something like a combat badge or Purple Heart. Now we concede a combat stressor as long as it's consistent with the circumstances of your service. I think this is a good thing.

You still need a stressor, and the examiner has to draw a nexus between the stressor and the diagnosis of PTSD, but we don't get all hung up now on confirming the stressor as long as it's based on fear of the enemy and consistent with the circumstances of the veteran's service.

[sharon]

http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/pages/dsm-iv-tr-ptsd.asp

The criteria for DSM IV PTSD.