ptsd What Should I Do-Symptoms There..it's Been 39 Years And Vet Center Asked If A Claim Had Been Filed..

[mrs rockman (widow of vet)]

Rockman went to his first PTSD group on Tuesday. He will be doing his intake on 06/20/11. She met with Rockman in between the 2 groups to get some info from him.

We had his med list and also his DD214. We have to take back his med list and say what each is for.

She asked him if part of his percentage was for TBI and he said no. We did not know anythimg about TBI. He had a wound to the head while in Nam.

He does have so many of the symptoms, but just felt it is what it is.

I read somewhere on the VA site that your VA PCP was the one you needed to go to first. He has an appointment on 06/28/11 with his PCP.

My question is: Should he go on and do an informal claim thru the 800# and then talk to his doc when he goes in?

What do you think that he should do? He has so many things that he did not realize that could be connected to his Nam service.

We have learned so much from this site and we are eternally greatfull for all of the help here on Hadit!!!

HELP!

Mrs. Rockman

[timetowinarace]

Well, the vet center can't dx him so he needs to request a tbi exam through his PCP.

If your confident he will get the dx(it will take some time) it could be benificial to file a claim now for the effective date if it will increase his rating. Sorry, I didn't look to see if his current rating was posted under his username. If he is already at 100%, there isn't much of an advantage to filing the claim untill he has a proper dx for tbi.

I suggest reading the TBI Guide(free for download) I have posted links to in previous threads. If I have time, I will find it and post it here again.

Take care.

[timetowinarace]

This won't help with the VA but is great for a better understanding of mild to moderate TBI.

http://www.tbiguide.com/

[mrs rockman (widow of vet)]

Well, the vet center can't dx him so he needs to request a tbi exam through his PCP.

If your confident he will get the dx(it will take some time) it could be benificial to file a claim now for the effective date if it will increase his rating. Sorry, I didn't look to see if his current rating was posted under his username. If he is already at 100%, there isn't much of an advantage to filing the claim untill he has a proper dx for tbi.

I suggest reading the TBI Guide(free for download) I have posted links to in previous threads. If I have time, I will find it and post it here again.

Take care.

We figured that it was best to start with his VA PCP and talk to him about it. Right now he is at 80%. Then, if need be he will do a consult to have him tested at the VA. I will check these links also and thanks for your input.

Mrs. R

[mrs rockman (widow of vet)]

This won't help with the VA but is great for a better understanding of mild to moderate TBI.

http://www.tbiguide.com/

timetowinarace-

Thank you. I am just now getting to read it. Rockman has his 6 month visit with his VA PCP next Tuesday. He wants to go on and file for it first. Should he wait for the C& P exam and get that result or could it POSSIBLY be quicker for him to have his doc do a comsult for an exam? If he files for comp and gets a consult, then maybe the C&P would be easier on the examiner. What do you think?

Yes, timetowinarace, it is TIME TO WIN THE RACE!

Mts. Rockman

[timetowinarace]

Well, it's kind of a personal choice wich route to go. There are pro's and con's to both.

The pro for filing now is the effective date. If he is doing okay financially and does not need a quick decision(in VA terms) it could be okay to file now.

The cons for filing now before PCP visit is denial and fighting for maybe years to keep the claim open and getting enough evidence to dispute a bad C&P.

My opinion is that C&P docs are not prone to DX something that could be compensated. They will not order the tests needed and in my case, even though the test was ordered, the VA did not do it. C&P exams that are not favorable take allot of time and are difficult to overcome. It can be done, but it is very difficult.

You need to be aware that it can be very difficult to get a tbi DX years after the injury, especially through the VA. There is a good probability that getting a DX through treatment channels(PCP referals) will be difficult. There is a high probability getting a DX through C&P will be unlikely and you will have to overcome that examiner's opinion to continue.

After 39 years without the DX, I strongly suggest waiting to file untill he has a DX for tbi before filing for it. You lose the effective date but the claim has a better chance to succeed and will be much faster if you don't have to fight and appeal.

My claim took years and required going to private health care to get proper tests.

I weighted the cons pretty heavy, lol. It comes down to how important the effective date is to him. For some, it's worth the fight.

Edited June 22, 2011 by timetowinarace

[mrs rockman (widow of vet)]

Well, it's kind of a personal choice wich route to go. There are pro's and con's to both.

The pro for filing now is the effective date. If he is doing okay financially and does not need a quick decision(in VA terms) it could be okay to file now.

The cons for filing now before PCP visit is denial and fighting for maybe years to keep the claim open and getting enough evidence to dispute a bad C&P.

My opinion is that C&P docs are not prone to DX something that could be compensated. They will not order the tests needed and in my case, even though the test was ordered, the VA did not do it. C&P exams that are not favorable take allot of time and are difficult to overcome. It can be done, but it is very difficult.

You need to be aware that it can be very difficult to get a tbi DX years after the injury, especially through the VA. There is a good probability that getting a DX through treatment channels(PCP referals) will be difficult. There is a high probability getting a DX through C&P will be unlikely and you will have to overcome that examiner's opinion to continue.

After 39 years without the DX, I strongly suggest waiting to file untill he has a DX for tbi before filing for it. You lose the effective date but the claim has a better chance to succeed and will be much faster if you don't have to fight and appeal.

My claim took years and required going to private health care to get proper tests.

Thank you for your reply. If Rockman can wait until after we have met our insurance deductable, then we will get our private doc to refer us to someone on the "outside". I can see your point on the C&P- VA does not want to have to grant you a disability percentage unless that really have to! It looks like this is the best route to take and Rockman may just decide that he does not need any more aggravation for right now and I can see that.

We will just see. His private cardiologist also wants to have him tested for RLS. He may wish to just pursue that and forget the other for the time being.

Mrs. R