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Voslik

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Morning,

Going to try and cut right to the chase. Marine Veteran with 1 year service, discharged with "personality disorder" that was diagnosed as an pre-existing condition. That's my first question, I have my entry records showing my exams were clean and I entered on a clean bill of health. Is there any way to correct this? Since I was in the Marines and had left I have been having issues ever since. As of late I was finally pushed into seeing a therapist and psychiatrist. The standing right now is a diagnosis of PTSD and Schyzotypal Personality Disorder (Cluster A), they are both concerned that these are service connected and I agree. How and what do I need to submit from the therapists to the VA to get my claim rolling.

It's been suggested that I quit work and file for disability as my conditions have become severe enough to interfere with work and my interaction with the outside world. I have my OMPF, Medical records, and DD214. I can get any written statement from the docs to forward for my claim so that the VA will consider doing an eval. Any advice is helpful.

At the very least I need to get the particular reason for my discharge corrected, I didn't have any issues mentally or physically when I entered and I have documentation to prove so as well.

Thank you all.

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That was some really informative and helped me understand something I had never heard of! Thanks for that! Plan is to take the both diagnosis,submit them to both SSA and file a claim through a VSO with anything records the VSO suggests. I'll more than likely get SSD before I hear anything from the VA. Both professionals have pushed for it. Guess I will keep you updated. Thanks.

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I assume you have requested your SMRs as well as your 201 Personnel file from NARA. You got good advise here.

I need to explain something....a diagnosis of PTSD, per the new 2010 PTSD criteria, MUST come from a VA Mental Health provider.

The VA will not accept a PTSD diagnosis from a non VA MH doctor.

The new PTSD criteria is in our PTSD forum here.

Carlie is correct. The VA never has and never will service connect a personality disorder.

You might need the MH professionals you see now ,to clarify in writing to the VA at some point, that they do not consider you as ever having a PD and they need to give a full medical rationale for that and refer to your SMRs.

You can begin a SSA disability application one line:

http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/326/~/apply-for-social-security-disability-benefits

This is some info on how to upgrade your discharge:

http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/generalinfo/ht/dischargeupgrad.htm

As this site says:

If the Discharge is over 15 years old, you must apply for a Correction of Military Records.

Here is a link to the DD 293:

http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/infomgt/forms/eforms/dd0293.pdf

If 15 years have passed since discharge ,this is the form you need for that:

http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/infomgt/forms/eforms/dd0149.pdf

Have you been given a full gamut of psychiatrict tests such as MMPI, Weschler, etc etc to determine the exact diagnosis you have?

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The VA had advised me that I have to see someone outside the VA first and then submit a claim before they will even consider running an eval for it to count towards my claim. Not to mention I sought help and was pushed into it as thinks have gotten a whole lot worse.

Having the professionals clarify in writing won't be an issue. I think this is something I will have them do as well once the diagnosis are ink as well, so that all information as possible is submitted.

As far as SSA goes, I am waiting because I have never filed for SSA before and the diagnosis haven't been submitted to SSA,. We are still going through alot of tests and getting through the thick of things to say at the least. This was exactly what I needed to know though Berta, Thank you!

It's only been 9 years since I have been out, I became aware of DD 293 and know somewhat about it. However, without evidence showing that I was fine when I entered the military I didn't have anything to go off of. It wasn't until recently, thanks to this site, that i found some leads on how to pursue it. With everything going on however, I don't know where to begin with correcting my records, or for what for that matter.

As far as a full gamut of psychiatric tests, my psychiatrist and therapist both made a general diagnosis at first by getting a list of everything, and then they actually did the MMPI. They also talked about doing a test that included some nodes and monitored behavior or something? Not certain. But it has been spoken about. These two professionals are really crossing their t's and dotting their i's. I'm not sure if the military was supposed to do a full run of tests when they had the idea of discharging me, however, they didn't. I sat in a room with a wizard, he asked me how I felt, and determined that because of some anger issues and being home sick that I should go home. I was young and didn't think at all to appeal it.

Thank you for all of the wonderful information Berta!

Oh, As far as SMR goes I received a packet that was all my medical records from boot camp until discharge. It was rather small. My 201 personnel file I received that with the SMR's, it came in the form of a disk and it had ALOT of information on it too. They call it an OMPF (Official Marine Personnel File).

Edited by Voslik
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Found all the information I need right now. I just need to wait until the diagnosis from my therapist and psychiatrist are in ink so that I can file them with my claim. I'm also filing for state disability as well at the recommendation of the two professionals I'm seeing. I'd rather not even go through the VA but I was discharged based on false facts. I've never seen a therapist, counselor psychologist, or psychiatrist until AFTER I was done discharged from the Marine Corps.. I don't know how it was considered a pre-existing condition.

Both the psychiatrist and therapist feel what they have received from me and the documents they have read from my military documents, provided by me, that they don't think that I had a pre-existing condition and it's not noted anywhere either. To make a judgement as such they have said there is either something missing from my files or an error has been made. Though I am not a combat veteran, they have explained that there are many factors that could have lead to PTSD and the schyzotypal personality disorder that I have now. They said that life events that happened after the Marines obviously made them worse, however, they feel that the issues all point back to the Marine Corps..

I'm trying to take care of myself, this is all new for me and I have been in denial for years, pretending as if everything is fine and lying so that I don't get thrown in some hospital. It explains alot though. Why I can't keep jobs for more than a year, the violent behavior towards everyone including family.

I've reached out to a forum to help me get to were I need to be because honestly, I am truly in a bad state and am trying to figure stuff out. I'm having a hard time understanding some of the things people are saying too because I am not to familiar with the abbreviations and terms or how they are used. I can't concentrate long enough to compile anything so that it will make enough sense to relay to my VSO , therapist, or psychiatrist At this point I am thinking of admitting myself into a hospital because I'm in pain and this isn't good for me or the world.

I'm just trying to take care of me. Thanks.

Edit:

Is there a way to get documents that were recorded by the psychiatrist? I was sent to anger management and like 4 other unit ordered classes for weeks after being sent to the psychiatrist. They put me on suicide watch and restrictions to work duty. I don't see any documentation of it in my records though.

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It's important to keep in mind that medical evidence / diagnosis, developed subsequent

to discharge does not negate / overrule the medical evidence of record, or from

active duty.

JMHO

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So it's been determined and changed that I have full blown schizophrenia, medication has been given and I am in my "pilgrimege" to get on the right path. Both docs seem to think the military is a major contributor in some way and are really digging to get to the bottom of this all the while of dealing with my insanity.

Today I meet with a lawyer to file for SSD and boy do I have no idea or desire to do this, but it's for the best for now.

Do I need to include my medical documents from the military as part of filing for SSD? They document that there was something mentally wrong regardless of service connection and that it would in fact effect me long term. I also had another question too. I was looking through my medical documents and found that it was put down that I developed exercise induced asthma in the Corps. which I thought was never diagnosed but apparently was. Is this considered a medical condition as far as discharges go? Because it's exercise induced. Just trying to get some insight on the finding.

You all have been grand and I appreciate your honesty and blunt truths. The information you all provide is great. Thank you.

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