ptsd New Ptsd Regs

[Berta]

This is GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOVA petitions the Court because the rule, as revised, established an arbitrary requirement that under certain conditions only Department of Veterans  Affairs ("VA") examiners can corroborate a stressor which a veteran claims caused his or her Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ("PTSD").

Contrary to law, the Secretary failed to provide any basis for such a fundamental change to the longstanding acceptance of diagnoses  from qualified private examiners, and indeed there is no such basis. The Secretary thus exceeded his authority and promulgated an arbitrary rule elevating the opinion of a VA examiner over a private examiner.  This action threatens to harm vulnerable claimants who are being privately treated for PTSD but who are unable to persuade a VA-appointed examiner of the merits of their claim.

http://www.vawatchdog.org/10/nf10/nfsep10/nf092010-1.htm

[Berta]

I raised these issues in comment I made in Sept to the proposed regs-

It is stunning to me that VA has limited the ability of many PTSD veterans to prove their claims by a blatant rejection of private records or what appears to be a rejection even before the fact-of an IMO that could help the veteran's claim.I see this as potential discrimination against some veterans and a potential threat to any veteran if VA decides to use solely VA diagnosis for any disability they have.

In part my Federal Register comment stated:

"The proposed amendment to the PTSD determinations does recognize the inherent nature of warfare, as well as exposure to hostile and terrorist activities. It does not recognize however the inherent nature of the VA claims process."

"If a VA psychiatrist or.psychologist etc makes a finding that in their opinion the veteran has PTSD but not from a service connected cause, or event,would that veteran be able via appeal to have the right to a JSRRC verification process?"

"If a veteran had an independent medical opinion from a mental health provider with PTSD expertise-

would any nexus statement from this private provider be rejected? And if so why?"

"PTSD veterans have been denied-many times over the last 4 decades-in some cases because VA said their rendition of their stressor did not raise to the level of a stressor as defined by VA."

"Could they re-open those claims providing this potential amendment as evidence of new and material evidence?"

"Prior to the VCAA many veterans with PTSD were denied because the VA said their claim was “not well grounded”?

Could they re-open those claims providing this potential amendment as evidence of new and material evidence?"

These questions are still unanswered ones and the new regulations have yet to have any assessment from vet orgs etc as to whether they are truly helping these claims move faster and resulting in proper PTSD awards.

You are right John-

more to come on this one

[OEF 21B]

I hope this passes! I have a PTSD diagnosis from a civilian MD Psychiatrist, but my C&P examiner (psychologist) stated that I had many PTSD symptoms, but none were "severe" enough to warrant a full diagnosis of PTSD. The C&P examiner did Service Connect me with Anxiety Disorder NOS... so that was a positive for me.

Now I'm just waiting for the RO to finish gathering their information and send my claim to the decision phase...

I just heard that PVA is also challenging these new regs----YIPPEE!!!!!

if a veteran has a bonafide PTSD diagnosis from a real doctor -ooops I mean a private non- VA shrink-

and their claim is consistent as to the stressor stuff in the new regs-

or proven any other way ( PH ,CAR, CIB on DD 214)etc

and then some VA shrink says they DONT have PTSD- this independent diagnosis (with full medical rationale) should stand as probative evidence and be weighed by the VA accordingly and then warrant Benefit of Doubt. (meaning the veteran DOES have PTSD).

This part of the reg has got to be changed.(I call them new PTSD regs but,in essense, the new 'regs' are in fact an amendment.

They should be amended again.They deny valid PTSD vets claims -coming under the new criteria- to rise to the level of Relative Equipoise - and that means they are crapping on our rights under 38 USC.

[Berta]

PTSD is an anxiety disorder and as long as the Anxiety disorder was service connected, this should garner you an award.

This concerns me greatly:

"I have a PTSD diagnosis from a civilian MD Psychiatrist, but my C&P examiner (psychologist) stated that I had many PTSD symptoms, but none were "severe" enough to warrant a full diagnosis of PTSD"

I wonder what the heck they meant by a "full" diagnosis.

The severity of PTSD symptoms is how PTSD is rated.

Did they give a medical rationale for their statement?

Still, it looks like your claim will succeed as long as there is a service nexus for the anxiety.

[OEF 21B]

Hi Berta - The VA examiner did not include the fact that I had panic attacks 2-3 times a week and very high anxiety almost every day for over a year and a half and he minimized my wife's "buddy statement" about how I've stopped going to a Bible study with three guys because they laughed at my when I panicked when hearing fireworks at a ball game. He also stated that my T-Score of 63 on the MMPI-2 did not warrant a full diagnosis even though I had MANY (although in HIS opinion) mild symptoms of PTSD.

His write up of the C&P exam didn't follow the "Best Practices" format for an initial evaluation of PTSD and he didn't even recognize my two bronze stars (no "V" device, but for meritorious service) as "combat awards". He stated that he didn't see any "combat awards" but did not that I had the Afghanistan Campaign Medal... There are many inconsistencies within the report where he contridicts himself such as stating that my occupational and social symptoms are "mild and transient" then later states that "the veteran's symptoms are partially managed on medications."

His last statement in the Summary & Conclusions & Function Imparment section was: "While the veteran does report significant subjective distress in relation to his reported symptoms, he outwardly shows only limited functional ipairment related to these symptoms." He didn't even mention my buddy statements from my wife, employer, and another service member stationed with me in Afghanistan... kind of made me feel like he believes that I'm just lying about all of my symptoms to get a check. Thankfully, my civilian psych has me on Lexapro and Xanex to help me get through the day, otherwise, I'd be sitting at the house and still trying to get out of bed!

Anyway, there's nothing I can do except wait and see how the RO rates me. Based on the VA examiner's C&P write up, I'm expecting SC-0% to SC-10%. Based on how my work life and home life have been affected, I feel that I'm around at least 30% to 50%...

I've been working with a friend that worked for the VA and he read my report and advised me to wait and see what the final rating is, then if it's low, to NOD it and state all of the inconsitencies in the C&P report.

Thanks for the reply!

OEF 21B

PTSD is an anxiety disorder and as long as the Anxiety disorder was service connected, this should garner you an award.

This concerns me greatly:

"I have a PTSD diagnosis from a civilian MD Psychiatrist, but my C&P examiner (psychologist) stated that I had many PTSD symptoms, but none were "severe" enough to warrant a full diagnosis of PTSD"

I wonder what the heck they meant by a "full" diagnosis.

The severity of PTSD symptoms is how PTSD is rated.

Did they give a medical rationale for their statement?

Still, it looks like your claim will succeed as long as there is a service nexus for the anxiety.

[john999]

If the VA wants to insist that a vet have every single PTSD symptom then nobody can get SC'ed for it. I don't trust the VA to be the arbitrator of who has and who does not have PTSD since they have a financial interest in the outcome.

[carlie]

Anyway, there's nothing I can do except wait and see how the RO rates me. Based on the VA examiner's C&P write up, I'm expecting SC-0% to SC-10%. Based on how my work life and home life have been affected, I feel that I'm around at least 30% to 50%...

I've been working with a friend that worked for the VA and he read my report and advised me to wait and see what the final rating is, then if it's low, to NOD it and state all of the inconsitencies in the C&P report.

Thanks for the reply!

OEF 21B

OEF 21B,

I agree with your friend - just wait for now.

The very first step is to get service connection granted.

The second and third steps are the right percentages and the right effective dates.

You can't argue percentage granted or effective date prior to the

disability being SC'd.