ptsd Gaf Score

[Moody]

how does the va caculate your GAF score into there decision I really dont know much about it but I have a claim in for PTSD and my GAF is 55 some any help in understanding this will be greatly approciated .

[Papa]

Thanks Moody, I met no harm.

Papa

[Moody]

no its fine I wasnt upset at all I just like the conversation I read on the fourms all the time and I dont care who post what and where its all good reading plus like I said when you get a chance to talk to someone on the inside you better take it

[Veldrina]

Thanks Veldrina. The Lady on the 1-800 # could not find a request for an increase. Now, should they not re-rate me or at least send me a letter telling me something? When, you say "the examiner seems to hit all the points we use for rating purposes." What does that mean? Also, how would you rate this and how would you handle the eating issue?

Papa

Did u get letters saying they were going to re-rate u? if they can't find your request for an increase (u put one in, no?) then that's the office's fault & they should still set u up if they started development. Re "hitting the points", i meant there are certain things asked on the interview that go into the rating, such as "do u have panic attacks? frequency? Are you oriented x3 (to person/place/time), your appearance at the interview (were you restless, lacking hygiene, staring vacantly, monotone, etc) Re the rating i would need to have all the medical evidence in front of me to really give u a sound answer, sorry...we do not, however, have any guidance re eating disorders secondary to PTSD. Obesity itself has not been linked to PTSD, from the few cases I have seen, because this is a physical condition that normally isn't service-connected. An eating disorder is usually its own rating. Everyone handles PTSD symptoms differently....some self-medicate with alcohol or drugs, some ppl eat, some ppl have no appetite. Personally i think that eating should be treated like drinking, in that it is a coping behavior, but the medical world doesnt really care about my opinion. Thus far, I have only seen alcohol/drugs as part of the PTSD claim (secondary but not separated from the PTSD as it would have no evaluation of its own), never an eating disorder, & therefore no obesity linked. Perhaps that will change as more vets appeal.

[Papa]

I got a call from my Attorney's Office, and they said the PTSD came from a 2009 appeal from the DAV that had my POA at the time. The Attorney is calling the Houston RO to find out what is going on.

Papa

[Berta]

I am always glad to see Veldrina here as she is certainly a hard worker, but still willing to share her expertise- Plus I love her photo!

Papa I found this BVA award:

http://www.va.gov/vetapp/wraper_bva.asp?file=/vetapp10/Files4/1030679.txt

It was an appeal of the veteran's EED but.......

“ORDER

A TDIU is denied prior to June 8, 2006.

A TDIU is granted from June 8, 2006, subject to the legal

authority governing the payment of VA compensation.”

The veteran had already established a 70-% SC for PTSD with an eating disorder in June 2006

"However, the Board finds that the collective evidence of record

since June 8, 2006 indicates that the Veteran has been

unemployable due to service-connected psychiatric disability. In

June 2006, the Veteran was dismissed from the university where

she was pursuing her degree, and a physician and social worker

both found her PTSD with major depression and an eating disorder

to be contributing to her unemployability. The Board

acknowledges that the Medical Director of the PTSD program at the

VA Health Care System in New Jersey and social worker noted that

the Veteran was unemployable due to PTSD along with her

"physical ailments," and that service connection had not yet

been award for some physical disabilities in June 2006. However,

the Board finds notes that service connection for PTSD, major

depression, and an eating disorder resulting in morbid obesity-a

physical ailment-was then in effect. As such, the Board finds

that the June 2006 statements of the Medical Director and social

worker can be reasonably interpreted as including her physical

ailments resulting from her PTSD and eating disorder, for which

she was service connected at a 70 percent rating in June 2006.

In further support of this sentiment, on VA examination in

February 2008, the examiner found her unemployable due to her

PTSD, depression, eating disorder, and resulting morbid obesity. “

In this case ,the medical evidence warranted not only the finding of the SC PTSD (the prime disability)

but included the eating disorder as part of the rating.

I certainly agree with Veldrina as I have seen many TV shows on obesity and eating disorders that stem from depression or anxiety disorders that PTSD actually is. Food is being recognized as an addiction by many in the medical community and certainly as a coping behavior for stress.

But to get VA to grant PTSD with an eating disorder, as this BVA case shows, needs very strong medical evidence.

Even some meds might cause an eating disorder,in my opinion, because many meds increase the appetite and/or alter the metabolism.

One med ,forget what, not long ago was on the news because it was causing people to get up in the middle of the night and start eating a lot.

The VA does have a C & P worksheet exam for eating disorders and recognizes them , but it certainly takes very strong medical evidence to association any physical disability with a mental disability.

[Papa]

I am always glad to see Veldrina here as she is certainly a hard worker, but still willing to share her expertise- Plus I love her photo!

Papa I found this BVA award:

http://www.va.gov/ve...es4/1030679.txt

It was an appeal of the veteran's EED but.......

“ORDER

A TDIU is denied prior to June 8, 2006.

A TDIU is granted from June 8, 2006, subject to the legal

authority governing the payment of VA compensation.”

The veteran had already established a 70-% SC for PTSD with an eating disorder in June 2006

"However, the Board finds that the collective evidence of record

since June 8, 2006 indicates that the Veteran has been

unemployable due to service-connected psychiatric disability. In

June 2006, the Veteran was dismissed from the university where

she was pursuing her degree, and a physician and social worker

both found her PTSD with major depression and an eating disorder

to be contributing to her unemployability. The Board

acknowledges that the Medical Director of the PTSD program at the

VA Health Care System in New Jersey and social worker noted that

the Veteran was unemployable due to PTSD along with her

"physical ailments," and that service connection had not yet

been award for some physical disabilities in June 2006. However,

the Board finds notes that service connection for PTSD, major

depression, and an eating disorder resulting in morbid obesity-a

physical ailment-was then in effect. As such, the Board finds

that the June 2006 statements of the Medical Director and social

worker can be reasonably interpreted as including her physical

ailments resulting from her PTSD and eating disorder, for which

she was service connected at a 70 percent rating in June 2006.

In further support of this sentiment, on VA examination in

February 2008, the examiner found her unemployable due to her

PTSD, depression, eating disorder, and resulting morbid obesity. “

In this case ,the medical evidence warranted not only the finding of the SC PTSD (the prime disability)

but included the eating disorder as part of the rating.

I certainly agree with Veldrina as I have seen many TV shows on obesity and eating disorders that stem from depression or anxiety disorders that PTSD actually is. Food is being recognized as an addiction by many in the medical community and certainly as a coping behavior for stress.

But to get VA to grant PTSD with an eating disorder, as this BVA case shows, needs very strong medical evidence.

Even some meds might cause an eating disorder,in my opinion, because many meds increase the appetite and/or alter the metabolism.

One med ,forget what, not long ago was on the news because it was causing people to get up in the middle of the night and start eating a lot.

The VA does have a C & P worksheet exam for eating disorders and recognizes them , but it certainly takes very strong medical evidence to association any physical disability with a mental disability.

Most people can not relate to the fact that some people have a food addiction. I joined OA several years ago, and they use the same concept as AA, the 12 step process. In fact, we had a speaker come one night from AA, and he said something very profound: A person does not need drugs and/or booze to live, but a person must have food to survive. I think the Doctor made the connection as she Dx'd me with OCD.

Papa