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packrat

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I am going for my first VA visit on the 30th. A retired master gunny told me their is no doubt at least in his mind that I have PTSD. My hearing is really bad and I am very concerned that if I tell them exactly what is on my mind I might get tossed. Do you hold back or tell it like it is?

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  • HadIt.com Elder

Welcome to Hadit.

Honesty is the best policy. Don't worry just answer questions posed to you and ask anything that bothers you. Many can recognize the symptoms of PTSD but for the VA to pay you it has to be diagnosed by a VA Doc.

Good Luck

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Thanks for your replys. I have been reading here and this stressor letter thing really bothers me. I have proof of a stressor as I was decorated for exposing myself to enemy fire to aid others.. My problem is I have other stressors that effect me more then this recorded incident I have a copy of. Some of the med evacs and dead I picked up haunt me to this day more the the incident under fire. I am not sure there would be a report that would show the condition and particulars of each seperate med evac incident.I know the particulars, condition, and were they were droped but not the exact day or month. My time in Nam 67-68 the days run togeth as I worked hard conditioning myself to whatever came down the pike. Remember folks in Nam a lot of Med evacs were done by the closest chopper in the area and a lot of time we didn't even have a corpsman on board. Would you list all these stressors or the one you know you can prove right from the start?

Jim

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I would list the one first that will be the easiest for them to verify and then list the rest of them.

Is there any way you fall under the new PTSD regulations here?

"Med evacs were done by the closest chopper in the area and a lot of time we didn't even have a corpsman on board"-

Your MOS as med evac should be enough, in my opinion, to warrant stressors occurred as well as the personal decoration ( I assume this was a personal action citation)

In the claim for PTSD, and hearing loss ( also possibly due to the helo sounds etc)make sure you put any thing else that disables you and could potentially be service connectable.

If the VA dfoes send your stressors to JSRRC , make sre you have given them as much detail as you can as to time,and place,etc.

I would list the one first that will be the easiest for them to verify and then list the rest of them.

Is there any way you fall under the new PTSD regulations here?

"Med evacs were done by the closest chopper in the area and a lot of time we didn't even have a corpsman on board"-

Your MOS as med evac should be enough, in my opinion, to warrant stressors occurred as well as the personal decoration ( I assume this was a personal action citation)

In the claim for PTSD, and hearing loss ( also possibly due to the helo sounds etc)make sure you put any thing else that disables you and could potentially be service connectable.

If the VA does send your stressors to JSRRC , make sre you have given them as much detail as you can as to time,and place,etc.

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I would list the one first that will be the easiest for them to verify and then list the rest of them.

Is there any way you fall under the new PTSD regulations here?

"Med evacs were done by the closest chopper in the area and a lot of time we didn't even have a corpsman on board"-

Your MOS as med evac should be enough, in my opinion, to warrant stressors occurred as well as the personal decoration ( I assume this was a personal action citation)

In the claim for PTSD, and hearing loss ( also possibly due to the helo sounds etc)make sure you put any thing else that disables you and could potentially be service connectable.

If the VA dfoes send your stressors to JSRRC , make sre you have given them as much detail as you can as to time,and place,etc.

I would list the one first that will be the easiest for them to verify and then list the rest of them.

Is there any way you fall under the new PTSD regulations here?

"Med evacs were done by the closest chopper in the area and a lot of time we didn't even have a corpsman on board"-

Your MOS as med evac should be enough, in my opinion, to warrant stressors occurred as well as the personal decoration ( I assume this was a personal action citation)

In the claim for PTSD, and hearing loss ( also possibly due to the helo sounds etc)make sure you put any thing else that disables you and could potentially be service connectable.

If the VA does send your stressors to JSRRC , make sre you have given them as much detail as you can as to time,and place,etc.

Thank you for your response. Yes it was a personal action citation. It states all the particulars and states under heavy enemy fire. My hearing loss on my discharge phys. showed a moderate close to severe 45-50 at high frenquency, 4,000-6,000. My hearing now is a severe loss 76 average one ear and 8o average in the other. I crewed for close to four years on a H 34 and worked on the flight line at NAS Norfolk where jets would taxi. Mos was in choppers and have my combat air crew wings and 260 recorded combat missions. All of this is easily verifiable from my DD214. Since I have all the paper work to verify this I was worried about listing other stressors as dates and will be real hard for me. I remember one time when they had to impound the aircraft to be cleaned and disinfected to kill the critters. I have had and now have ulcers and I feel that is brought on by the constant stress. My circulation in my feat and legs is getting bad as my ankles burn. I would like to sleep through the night and not have my bedding soaked from sweat. I am getting to the point that I know most movies by heart. I am rated 10% from 40 years ago and still remember the sights and sounds of the VA hospital in 1970. I have stayed away ever since and am not looking forward to this but I need some help as I know I have become a danger to myself and am looking for some peace.

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"I am rated 10% from 40 years ago"

You have brought me to tears.

What is the 10 % for?

You wonderful Vietnam vets went through so much sh---t oooops CRAP- when you returned to the "world" that many stayed away from the system as much as they could------and still stay away from VA health care and are still reluctant to deal with filing a VA claim-----

my own husband (USMC Danang 65-66) thought ,when he came home, he was just crazy and hoped no one would find out.

He went to the VA one day 16 years after discharge for a VA business loan and came away from the VA the same day with a PTSD diagnosis (he tried to choke the VA loan officer -who unfortunately was an Oriental man who he thought was the enemy)

I think you have enough evidence to succeed on a PTSD claim as well as the HL claim.

You could briefly mention any other stressors but dont worry about them.

DO you have the CAR or CIB on your DD 214?

Are you sure your DD 214 is correct.

My husband filed for a DD 215 DOD form 149-I can post it here if you need it, and much to his surprise they forgot 4 awards or decorations on the original one.

One of his stressors involved a medivac chopper situation.

It took him a miserable week to list them all-for the 21 day PTSD inhouse program ---hardly no sleep and it was just awful-but they were always like yesterday to him anyhow.

Claim every thing that you feel in addition to the PTSD and hearing loss-could be service connected.

Do you have any other disabilities?

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