ptsd Recent Letter

[rydastar]

so i have a ptsd claim and heart aschemia going on...my question is...i received a letter from v.a. that states they cannot find my IN SERVICE records for my claim???

Is this a typical letter that goes out? I have NO in service claim records as the ptsd and heart ischemia diagnosis was done a year ago? so they said on the letter that to look else where would be futile.

Is this the END of my claim? or is this a form letter they sent just to inform me , as they said that no other in service records can be found of my claim..its crazy to me, as i didn't have any inservice claim for anything 40 some odd years ago...no one knew about ptsd, or AO!

thanks i was rambling but trying to get my point across.. i hope this is not the end of my claim..

[Berta]

I see you are USN.

'I have NO in service claim records as the ptsd and heart ischemia diagnosis was done a year ago?'

Are you considered Blue Water Navy or Brown Water?

Did you have visitation to Vietnam-even for mere minutes?

Is your ship on the Brown Water list?

Does your claim fall into the New PTSD criteria?

If not have they asked for stressor info yet?

Be as detailed as possible on the stressor.

[Berta]

sorry be as detailed as possible to the VA- you dont need to reveal the stressor here.

The new PTSD criteria is here in our PTSD forum.

In some cases the VA will not consider the MOS and time of stressor etc as consistent with the new regs andwill try to have it verified by Joint Services Records Research Center.

Did your PTSD diagnsis come from a VA MH professional?

[Berta]

I found a past post your made here.

You said you were on the Mekong Delta in around 68-69. I assume you went into tributaries (Brown Water)

Can you tell me exactly what type of boat or vessel this was and what ship it came from?

[Chuck75]

Generally, the VA sends out a letter acknowledging a claim. This letter may ask for the world as far as service records, medical records, etc..

What I do know is that your Navy service records were kept at the St. Louis records center. When the VA receives a claim, they normally request those records.

The records center has been known to occasionally say that they don't have records when they actually do have them.

IMPORTANT!

If you have a service connected disability, or claim in progress, the VA likely has the master copy of your records.

It seems that the National Records center sends the ORIGINAL to the VA, not a copy. The Original may eventually be returned by the VA to the records center after a period of inactivity.

(No further claims, no VA actions needed, etc.)

Just to add to the problems, service record custodians have repeatedly claimed that the VA is returning incomplete files, showing that the VA "lost' key records. It also seems that the type of records

often "lost" are those that might be favorable to a claim.

If the VA has somehow "lost" the original copy, completely reconstructing the records is a chancy thing.

"Buddy" Statements may be the only option. This gets difficult after forty or so years have elapsed.

Since you mentioned "brown water" service, you may have been part of what is called the "River Rats". If so there is a web site run by the MRFA that may have some useful information.

http://www.mrfa.org

When I was separated from the Navy in 1969, I was given a copy of the records in my "jacket".

These were not complete, and several problems resulted. I had to do research to determine the number and type of awards that I was entitled to that were not on the original DD214.

This eventually resulted in the issuance of a DD215. All of the records involved were at St. Louis.

I was also able to obtain a copy of my records from ST. Louis before the VA got their grubbys on them. This included some hospital records that were key to proving "feet on ground" well before the VA finally acknowledged

"Brown Water" service was presumptive for A.O. exposure.

Funny thing, records of a potentially "CUE"able claim going back to 1969-70 are no longer in the Original file currently held by the VA.

(I'm still digging to see if I have a readable copy of the VA denial somewhere in a closet full of records.)

Just to complicate matters, my parents passed away some years ago, and we are still sorting those records as well.

So far, we have disposed of uncountable bags of shredded records that are un-needed. After a dozen or so bags, we loose patience, and have to quit for a week or two.

so i have a ptsd claim and heart aschemia going on...my question is...i received a letter from v.a. that states they cannot find my IN SERVICE records for my claim???

Is this a typical letter that goes out? I have NO in service claim records as the ptsd and heart ischemia diagnosis was done a year ago? so they said on the letter that to look else where would be futile.

Is this the END of my claim? or is this a form letter they sent just to inform me , as they said that no other in service records can be found of my claim..its crazy to me, as i didn't have any inservice claim for anything 40 some odd years ago...no one knew about ptsd, or AO!

thanks i was rambling but trying to get my point across.. i hope this is not the end of my claim..

[Berta]

Great info Chuck-I misunderstood this vet-

I thought he was saying VA said they found no evidence of PTSD or IHD in his service records.

[john999]

This is what VA told Commander Bob about his PTSD claim. No in-service record of PTSD therefore claim denied.