Thank you in advance for sensitivity to these questions. I entered the army in 1976 and the two years I spent in the military was nothing but sexual harassment, intimidation, sexual battery and even rape. Reporting to my superiors what was happening to me only made it worse; in fact, my superiors were very often the ones coercing, intimidating and assaulting me. It is gut-wrenching to think or speak about all the horrible things that happened to me, but I will say that I was so despondant and desperate to get out of the army and away from all the abuse I was suffering that I actually married the soldier who raped and impregnated me. Suicide and abortion were the alternatives. At the time, I made the only choice I could to survive. While married, my ex did horrible things to my children, which gave me the courage to divorce. I have been diagnosed with PTSD due to MST from several VA doctors and the C&P examiner. I have been in therapy for over 2 years. It took over 30 years to confide in a professional about what happened in the military and although I have documented all the stressors well and have many letters from family and friends and one year of psych records, I have no official police reports or medical evidence except the pregnancy to corroborate my claims. My claim was denied because the examiner said it is "unlikely" anyone would marry the person who raped them. They also said one of my journal entries said I laughed with my ex. They also said my PTSD was more likely due from my daughter being molested, which was not service connected. There was no mention whatsoever of any of the other reported MST I documented in my claim or that were in my psych records and how any of that caused my PTSD.
I plan to file a NOD, but want to make sure I do it correctly. Here are my questions about the NOD. Should I send in any additional information, such as more psych records and letter from pastor who counseled me with the NOD? The psych records document everything if someone would only read them. Should the NOD be a standard letter with the required info or should I address the reasons why they denied me? Should I have lawyer represent me or wait to see if I need to appeal further? I was really expecting a Women Veteran Coordinator to contact me because of the sensitivity of the MST claim, but I was not contacted. I am hoping someone with more experience and sensitivity with MST will review my case. I really appreciate any advice on what to do next. Thank you.
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lp56
Thank you in advance for sensitivity to these questions. I entered the army in 1976 and the two years I spent in the military was nothing but sexual harassment, intimidation, sexual battery and even rape. Reporting to my superiors what was happening to me only made it worse; in fact, my superiors were very often the ones coercing, intimidating and assaulting me. It is gut-wrenching to think or speak about all the horrible things that happened to me, but I will say that I was so despondant and desperate to get out of the army and away from all the abuse I was suffering that I actually married the soldier who raped and impregnated me. Suicide and abortion were the alternatives. At the time, I made the only choice I could to survive. While married, my ex did horrible things to my children, which gave me the courage to divorce. I have been diagnosed with PTSD due to MST from several VA doctors and the C&P examiner. I have been in therapy for over 2 years. It took over 30 years to confide in a professional about what happened in the military and although I have documented all the stressors well and have many letters from family and friends and one year of psych records, I have no official police reports or medical evidence except the pregnancy to corroborate my claims. My claim was denied because the examiner said it is "unlikely" anyone would marry the person who raped them. They also said one of my journal entries said I laughed with my ex. They also said my PTSD was more likely due from my daughter being molested, which was not service connected. There was no mention whatsoever of any of the other reported MST I documented in my claim or that were in my psych records and how any of that caused my PTSD.
I plan to file a NOD, but want to make sure I do it correctly. Here are my questions about the NOD. Should I send in any additional information, such as more psych records and letter from pastor who counseled me with the NOD? The psych records document everything if someone would only read them. Should the NOD be a standard letter with the required info or should I address the reasons why they denied me? Should I have lawyer represent me or wait to see if I need to appeal further? I was really expecting a Women Veteran Coordinator to contact me because of the sensitivity of the MST claim, but I was not contacted. I am hoping someone with more experience and sensitivity with MST will review my case. I really appreciate any advice on what to do next. Thank you.
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