Anxiety Disorder, Should Be Ptsd

[show7299]

Good morning and thank you all for the help in advance. Before I jump in and ask my questions I just want to give a little background. I am an Iraq Combat Veteran. I have a Combat Action Badge and a downgraded bronze star to an ARCOM. Anyways when I got out in 2009 I filed my claim for PTSD and Back injury which occrued during an IED strike. I went to my CP exam and told them most things, but not alll as I didnt want to talk about. I told them about engaging the enemy and killing them. Told them about the IED strikes, but I did leave a lot of stuff out. I was rated 30% anxiety disorder with alchohol abuse and signs of PTSD. I was also rated 10% for lumbar spine Disc Disease. I tried living through the pain for a couple years. Eventually the VA gave me vicodin. Then they gave me oxy. Then the real problem started. For about 3 years I was a full blown addict to pain pills. I realized not only did it help my back but it numbed my thoughts and emotions. I eventually checked myself in and detoxed at the VA. Even tho I am clean I still have major issues at home and am on the verge of losing my job, luckily they will send me back to my old job so I wont be completely out of a job. I have been speaking to my PTSD doctor weekly now and have confide in him the things i originally left out of my initial CP exam. He said I should be rated at 70% for PTSD and that he has no clue what the doc who did my first exam was thinking. So I filed for an increase for the anxiety disorder, filed for PTSD, Increase in Back, and Tinitus because originally no one told me what that was. I filed in November. What should I expect? Thanks a lot everyone.

[john999]

You can get 100% for an anxiety disorder easier than for PTSD and the money is exactly the same. PTSD is an anxiety disorder. What I would try to do is prove via medical evidence that my service connected anxiety disorder has gotten much worse. I came back for Vietnam and I was diagnosed with schizophrenia and service connected. They did not even have a PTSD DX then. Even after all these years I am 70% TDIU for schizophrenia and I don't have it. However, if I tried now to prove the VA was wrong and I had PTSD what good would it do me? I might get a reduction (I doubt it since I am P&T) but my point is that not every vet has to have a PTSD DX to get to 100% or TDIU. Just from what you said I would bet you do have PTSD, but get the money is the point.

John

[carlie]

Good morning and thank you all for the help in advance. Before I jump in and ask my questions I just want to give a little background.

I am an Iraq Combat Veteran. I have a Combat Action Badge and a downgraded bronze star to an ARCOM.

Anyways when I got out in 2009 I filed my claim for PTSD and Back injury which occrued during an IED strike.

I went to my CP exam and told them most things, but not alll as I didnt want to talk about.

I told them about engaging the enemy and killing them. Told them about the IED strikes, but I did leave a lot of stuff out.

I was rated 30% anxiety disorder with alchohol abuse and signs of PTSD.

I was also rated 10% for lumbar spine Disc Disease.

I tried living through the pain for a couple years. Eventually the VA gave me vicodin. Then they gave me oxy.

Then the real problem started. For about 3 years I was a full blown addict to pain pills.

I realized not only did it help my back but it numbed my thoughts and emotions.

I eventually checked myself in and detoxed at the VA.

Even tho I am clean I still have major issues at home and am on the verge of losing my job,

luckily they will send me back to my old job so I wont be completely out of a job.

I have been speaking to my PTSD doctor weekly now and have confide in him the things i originally left out of my initial CP exam.

He said I should be rated at 70% for PTSD and that he has no clue what the doc who did my first exam was thinking.

So I filed for an increase for the anxiety disorder, filed for PTSD, Increase in Back, and Tinitus because originally no one told me what that was.

I filed in November. What should I expect? Thanks a lot everyone.

Hopefully the VA has / will acquire / or you have submitted, the medical evidence

from your weekly visits (PTSD doctor) so this is in the record for consideration.

Keep in mind that the doc's do not have authority to decide what evaluation

is or will be decided.

You probably still have a wait in front of you and if the evidence supports

a higher combined evaluation, it should be assigned.

Good luck, hang in there.

JMHO

[meghp0405]

Carlie is correct, the Doctors do not have the authority to tell you what you should be rated at. I wished I had a dollar for every veteran that told me that there doc said they had PTSD but the VA diagnosed them with some type of a disorder.

As for the tinnitus, this is only a 10% rating, if it is constant.

like John stated, it's easier to receive a rating of 100% for a mental disorder than it is PTSD. The pay is the same. As long as you are receiving the treatment that you need, does it really matter what the diagnosis is?

As for your claim that you submitted, the VA will schedule you for a C/P exam. When you attend that exam, if you are going to spill your guts, that is the one person that needs to know everything!

good luck!

[show7299]

Thanks everyone. I am on a boat load of medication too (not opiates anymore thank lord) but they really don't seem to help with my issues. Life is much different and it sucks. I have a 9 month old son and I love him to death but its hard for me to just deal if you know what im saying. Everything from the depression, anxiety, and anger make things so hard. I try so hard too, but sometimes i will just get up and leave work. Without saying or thinking anything of it. Im just like F it and I know i cant do that because I have to provide. I just wish things were how they used to be, but that will never happen. Ok im done sobbing like a lil Biatch but hopefully they realize my struggles and give me more than 30% for anxiety disorder with alchohol abuse.

Thoughts, Comments? Thanks

[john999]

Keep appealing and stay in treatment! If you don't get treatment at the VA get it somewhere for the PTSD/Anxiety/Depression. You want to document treatment until at least you get 100% if it takes ten years. It took me 30 years from the time I first got 10% but that was before the internet.

[show7299]

Yea I Just checked Ebenefits, even though I put in a fully developed claim it originally said my average completion date would be May13-Aug13....Now it says Oct13-Mar14.......Considering I just keep getting letters saying were still working on your claim and no C&P Exam yet I would guess I won't know til next year. Gotta love the system