ptsd Ptsd - Va Does Not Recognize Private Diagnosis

[Apple]

I was Diagnosed with severe PTSD with panic disorder, social/work impairment and personality disorder one year ago by a private psychologist. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break"> <br style="mso-special-character:line-break">

I have been unable to work since that time due to PTSD and other medical conditions. Although I have been suffering with the symptoms of PTSD, for a long time, and out of the service since 1999, I have just recently filed a claim with the VA for my PTSD.

I had my C&P examfor PTSD in March. It went as such:

I was greeted with a typical 'how are you' when meeting the examiner. Then, the examiner said that he thought I was an army vet, to which I stated "no, I was Navy". The examiner asked a variety of questions, including "do you have a stressor"? - to which I responded "yes". Note: the examiner never asked me to elaborate on my stressor during this exam. After approximately 110 minutes with the examiner, the exam concluded.

I requested and obtained a copy of the C&P exam by mail a few weeks later. I noted that the answers I gave were not those that the examiner recorded, but were mostly the opposite to the answers I gave during the exam. The C&P examiner's results stated that I do not have PTSD because I do not meet the DSM IV criteria for a PTSD diagnosis. However, my daily condition supports nearly all the affects and symptoms of PTSD, and my private psychologist confirms this in his diagnosis.

Although I was not involved in direct gunfire, I am a combat vet, and have several stressors that were considered life threatening.

My questions:

1) Will not having a diagnosis of PTSD by the C&P examiner stop my claim for PTSD regardless of the supporting evidence?

2) Seeing that I was given a C&P exam for PTSD, does that mean that my stressor was accepted?

3) Does branch of service stressor play a role in whether one is diagnosed for PTSD by the VA? If so, how?

4) Is it possible to get another C&P exam for PTSD before my claim moves to the next stage?

This C&P exam has me believing that the examiner failed to look at private medical records, and made everything up. I sure don't want a denial based upon a bogus C&P exam.

Thoughts..

Apples

[Apple]

<br />test,<br />Yes, I caught it too.<br />Check your PM's.<br />There are more issues with this claim than a private diagnosis<br />of PTSD.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Hi Carlie,

Can you give me a few details regarding the issues you've found with my claim? I hope I'm wrong, but I'm beginning to think that I've committed some sort of crime by posting for help with claim. From my perspective, all I've done is ask a for help here. That is all.

[Philip Rogers]

The new rule is just another way to screw the claimant. I think the court will correct it. Besides, it's the rule of law that when a rule changes during a claim process, the VA must use the rule that favors the claimant. The VA is sooooo wrong on this!!! jmo

pr

[NSA-Saigon-ET]

From what you posted in the beginning,

it doesn't look like your claim can be approved without first having a DX of PTSD from a VA doctor. Your stressor/s must only be consistent with your service at that time and approved by the physician as adequate to support the dx.

Unfortunately, at this time, the private diagnosis carries no weight unless the VA doctor agrees to it.

You stated your C & P exam was around 2 hours in length. That is a pretty thorough exam and I am sure they covered all areas required by the VA. It might be difficult to schedule a new exam unless you have some pretty good reasons.

I don't mean to be negative, but at this point it just doesn't look like you have much going for you on this issue.

Good Luck!

[john999]

The vet gets a 2 hour exam on PTSD. If he does not answer every question to indicate he has all the symtoms of PTSD his claim is denied. The VA knew what they were doing with this rule change. How many symptoms of PTSD are there.....20-30. You must have all of them? They just do not want to DX PTSD because it looks bad to the public and they have their orders. If they say the vet has anxiety and depression due to combat experience but not PTSD what is the difference except perceptions.

[Papa]

Most of the post here talk about only a VA Doctor can Dx PTSD, and this is totally wrong. But, I don't think the VA even likes it when their own Doctor Dx Vets with PTSD. I had a VA Doctor Dx me with PTSD, and about a year later decided that I needed to be re-evaluated, and we know it is not for an increase, well the second VA Doctor's Dx was even more compiling then the first. It was not what the VA wanted to see, I guess that is why I have been waiting since Oct 2010.

Apple, do not give up. These people here are wonderful.

Papa

[carlie]

<br /><br /><br />

Hi Carlie,

Can you give me a few details regarding the issues you've found with my claim? I hope I'm wrong,

but I'm beginning to think that I've committed some sort of crime by posting for help with claim.

From my perspective, all I've done is ask a for help here. That is all.

Apple,

I will defer to several details that are already clearly listed in Testvets response to you.

I will also answer to your original post in this thread.

" I was Diagnosed with severe PTSD with panic disorder, social/work impairment and personality disorder one year ago by a private psychologist."

When this "private psychologist" provided a diagnosis of PTSD, was this done by your

stated history to this psychologist or did this psychologist personally have your service records to review, since the diagnosis this psychologist provided related their opinion in support of PTSD (per DSMIV) to something that happened to you medically while on active duty, that you claimed to them was your "stressor"?

"I had my C&P examfor PTSD in March. It went as such:

I was greeted with a typical 'how are you' when meeting the examiner. Then, the examiner said that he thought I was an army vet, to which I stated "no, I was Navy". The examiner asked a variety of questions, including "do you have a stressor"? - to which I responded "yes". Note: the examiner never asked me to elaborate on my stressor during this exam. After approximately 110 minutes with the examiner, the exam concluded.

I requested and obtained a copy of the C&P exam by mail a few weeks later. I noted that the answers I gave were not those that the examiner recorded, but were mostly the opposite to the answers I gave during the exam. The C&P examiner's results stated that I do not have PTSD because I do not meet the DSM IV criteria for a PTSD diagnosis. However, my daily condition supports nearly all the affects and symptoms of PTSD, and my private psychologist confirms this in his diagnosis.

Although I was not involved in direct gunfire, I am a combat vet, and have several stressors that were considered life threatening."

In my opinion, from from other posts you have made, the C&P examiner did not accept your "stressor" as one that fell within the DSMIV criteria required to support any diagnosis of PTSD.

Now there are some cases in which the VA can support that the evidence is in relative equipoise, thus allowing them to apply the Benefit of the Doubt (BOD) regulation.

Again, from other post's you have made and I have read, I do not feel your private psychologist diagnosis and opinion will be weighed as credible, due to the factors I questioned above.

If the private psychologist's diagnosis and opinion is not weighed as credible, then the evidence is not in relative equipoise and the Benefit of the Doubt will not be afforded

to the claimant.

If you care to post unambiguous details of your "several stressors" here, I will continue following this topic, if not then I have no further response.