Jump to content
VA Disability Community via Hadit.com

VA Disability Claims Articles

Ask Your VA Claims Question | Current Forum Posts Search | Rules | View All Forums
VA Disability Articles | Chats and Other Events | Donate | Blogs | New Users

  • hohomepage-banner-2024-2.png

  • 27-year-anniversary-leaderboard.png

    advice-disclaimer.jpg

  • donate-be-a-hero.png

  • 0

Ptsd Cp Exam

Rate this question


Papa

Question

I have a PTSD CP exam on Oct. 6. At my first PTSD exam I was rated at 30 percent, but the doctor wanted only information related tg a war zone. Would it be a good ideal to bring up the fact that I had a terrible experience prior to Vietnam. I had a medical issue that the military doctors could not recognize and therefore had to suffer. I was forced to climb telephone poles and fall down and fall down and fall down. It got so bad that Congressman Hamilton had to get involved. The military said that all I needed to get out of the course was to say I was scared of heights. I refused because that was a lie. The doctors would laugh at me and send me out for more punishment. They even sent me to a shrink. I did not mind the normal military structure of discipline, and the normal military life, but this went far beyond.

papa

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Answers 5
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters For This Question

Popular Days

Top Posters For This Question

5 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

I have a PTSD CP exam on Oct. 6. At my first PTSD exam I was rated at 30 percent, but the doctor wanted only information related tg a war zone. Would it be a good ideal to bring up the fact that I had a terrible experience prior to Vietnam. I had a medical issue that the military doctors could not recognize and therefore had to suffer. I was forced to climb telephone poles and fall down and fall down and fall down. It got so bad that Congressman Hamilton had to get involved. The military said that all I needed to get out of the course was to say I was scared of heights. I refused because that was a lie. The doctors would laugh at me and send me out for more punishment. They even sent me to a shrink. I did not mind the normal military structure of discipline, and the normal military life, but this went far beyond.

papa

Papa,

You are already SC'd for PTSD at 30 percent.

In regards to PTSD (I assume you have filed for an increase) absolutely nothing about a stressor or your active duty

needs to be discussed at all - that no longer has ANYTHING to do with your percentage level for PTSD.

The ONLY thing relevant to you getting an increase is how PTSD (and any RX negative side effects as secondary) is effecting

your life today. Your occupational and social functioning, family relationships, flashbacks, loss of sleep, concentration,

hypervigillance,suicidal ideation, depression, etc... - whatever the criteria states for a rating higher than 30 %.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • HadIt.com Elder

Carlie's correct, nothing about your stressor is relevant, to the claim, at this point. They may review your stressor, w/you, but please don't muddy the waters by adding this. Remember, someone would like to reduce your disability, if possible. You should, as Carlie discussed, describe all the problems your PTSD is causing in your daily life. Whatever you do don't minimize it's affects on you, your ability to work, your family and personal relationships, your daily living, etc. Some suggest you should describe your worst day. Remember, the doc is only seeing you for a very short time and needs to get an factual picture of everything in order to do a report that shows your current condition.

I suggest you review the criteria for each percentage of disability for PTSD to get a better picture of where you fit and be sure to describe those criteria at your C&P exam. You should also review the worksheet, for the PTSD review exam, which a link to can be found on hadit's home page. jmo

pr

Edited by Philip Rogers
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • HadIt.com Elder

it sounds like you and the pole farm at Fort Gordon didn't get along I taught basic training there for 3 years I worked on the ranges as a instructor grenade range, known target range, mad minute monday, the M 60 range infantry MOS are pretty restricted to what jobs they can do on a signal post, but it was a great 3 years then they sent me to Germany

I agree with the others other stressors do not matter you are already SC for PTSD I had many stressors but I went with the easiest one to prove the VARO here did not want to SC for PTSD but after I found the 4 general court martials of the men who were prosecuted for attempted murder and robbery of me, they finally caved, even they could not make general court martials disappear once they had them but they sure didn't do anything to help me find them but I found a real nice lady at DA JAG she mailed them to me less than a week after I talked to her, she used my name as a witness and pulled them up on her computer, they have every general court martal on a database going back to 1935.

I was also on the DMZ for Operation Paul Bunyan, I was at Fort Irwin when they first opened the base, it is the most dangerous playground the Army has, vehicle rollovers, friendly fire incidents, pyro going off in the wrong place, loss of hands holes blown in peoples sides, 2 tanks running into each other with people standing in between them, etc they don't care how many stressors you have just do you have one that can be proved you have met that or you wouldn't be SC for it

like Philip said focus on the symptoms and see where you actually fit on the rating scale and then you will know where to focus your attention to on the day of the C&P that GAF they will give you that day is just a snapshot if you go in like it's the best day of your life then don't get surprised by the rating it's not an acting class these C&P docs have been doing this for years be yourself if you stay around the house in sweat pants and a T shirt then go to your C&P like that do not get dressed up you are not going to church if you don't shave daily then don't shave the morning of the C&P be yourself that will help you get the correct rating they can smell BS a mile away if you tell them you are remote and don't have friends and then you sit in the lobby and talk to everyone in there that won't exactly match what you are telling them will it? They have even wrote down the fact that my wife drove me there and she was dressed real nice what does that have to do with me? Nothing except the fact I don't drive and have not had a license since 2002 my wife doesn't wear my clothes and I DON"T wear hers what she wears should not have anything to do with my rating and it didn't my point is they make notes about everything

One guy a year or so ago was worried that he had told the VA doc that he never left his house because of his fear of crowds and being around other people but then the doc asked him about the last time he went on vacation and the guy said he had a great time at Disney World need I say anymore?

Be who you are on YOUR normal day don't act

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They have even wrote down the fact that my wife drove me there and she was dressed real nice what does that have to do with me? Nothing except the fact I don't drive and have not had a license since 2002 my wife doesn't wear my clothes and I DON"T wear hers what she wears should not have anything to do with my rating and it didn't my point is they make notes about everything

Be who you are on YOUR normal day don't act

Testvet, good advice. That last line says it all.

The stuff about your wife and her appearance is just too flipping bizarre. The examiner at mine noted that my daughter drove me, but I told him I could drive around our small town at home, go to the post office, etc. The exam was in a large city, and I couldn't have dealt with driving there. I can't believe your guy actually even noticed what your wife was wearing, let alone put it in the report. If I was his supervisor, I'd have some concerns.... Man, that creeps me out.

I also had a rough time in the waiting room because it was busy with lots of people passing through between the chairs (way too close for my comfort). There was a woman who came out and sat in a chair across from me and I could feel her watching me - I didn't look directly at her because eye-contact is a problem for me, though my peripheral vision is always working - but she had a clipboard and just sat there watching, didn't talk to anyone. Then about ten minutes later she went back in through the door to the office area. I thought it was weird, but I think Testvet might be right. She might have been evaluating me. Now if that doesn't give you a case of the paranoid PTSD heebie-jeebies..... plus the flipping waiting room only had 6 chairs, and one young vet had to stand and was pacing constantly, and the only chair I could get was too close to the passage and people were constantly bursting through the door.

Sorry. It wasn't fun and I get rolling. Maybe they set it up that way on purpose.

Anyway, be yourself. If you don't like to touch people or have them touch you, don't shake hands. Just be straight and say you'd rather not. I think no mental health specialist should ever expect a PTSD patient to make physical contact. The only thing you need to keep hold of is your temper. It's fine to be angry, but don't be threatening toward the examiner or anyone else. No violence, no menacing!

And don't worry about being in control of the situation. I think it's very hard for guys not to keep up their end, so to speak, and they have a really hard time letting the pain and confusion show. If you feel scared and want to cry, it really is okay. Or freaked out about being there at all, that's okay too.

One more piece of advice... others might disagree with me about this one. It's often recommended that you bring someone into the examination room with you - that you might need a witness or someone to prod or bring things up that you might forget to mention. My advice is to be VERY selective about this. Having someone there can be helpful, but if it's someone you feel a need to protect, or someone you can't be extremely frank in front of... don't have them there. Most of us struggle to conceal the depth of our suffering from our loved ones. Before you bring your wife, be absolutely sure you would be able to tell the whole truth about your feelings. I would NEVER want my family to know that I think about suicide everyday..... and the examiner will ask about intimacy and how you feel about it. See what I mean? Could you really talk about how you feel in front of that other person? Could you let the tears flow or be honest about your hopelessness?

Sorry to yammer on so long. The babbling keeps me going, I guess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Guidelines and Terms of Use