My Qtc Appointment

[bluevet]

Well I had my QTC appointment for bipolar disorder today. Here is a run down:

When I got to the office I asked the receptionist for a copy of my exam when it was completed and was told that since they were not a treating facility, that they could not provide me with a copy. I was told that if I wanted a copy I would have to call the VA.

Shortly after, the doctor called my name and when I entered his office he could see that I was shaken. He asked why and I told him. Then I told him that the truth was I didn't understand why I needed a QTC appointment for D&P when I see a VA doctor every month for my bipolar disorder. I told him that I felt the Army had cheated me when they chaptered me out with a personality disorder years ago and that although I've been diagnosed bipolar through the VA for many years, nobody ever told me it was a compensable condition. then I apologized for venting and he started his interview.

When he was done, he said to me "Stay here, I want you to hear this, you'll feel better. He picked up the phone and dialed a number. He punched in a series of numbers from my records and then he began speaking. I got to hear his entire report which was unbelievably in my favor. He leaned literally everything in my favor (rightfully so) and then hung up.

He then told me that he is not suppose to let me hear him make his report but he thought it would do me a world of good to hear it. Then he said "They are going to help you".

I was full of fears when I walked into that office and now I have no doubt that I will receive at least a 70% rating!

Thanks for all the support on this forum. I'm not sure I would have made it this far if it wasn't for this site!

BTW I was an E-3 PVC not a Seaman. I gotta fix that!

Edited July 9, 2013 by bluevet

[Philip Rogers]

Sounds good! Don't worry about the seaman thing, as it relates to how long you've been on the board and posts, not your actual military service. The site is owned by a former Navy vet and that's her way of labeling us.

pr

[Testvet]

some of the C&P docs are okay and it sounds like you got one of the great ones QTC is the company that is run by EX VA Sec Anthony Principi who got the contract to provide C&P exams to veterans, they supposedly provide other services to other companies but I imagine most of their billing is the VA. This is at the same time that Principi is stating that to many veterans are being paid for issues related to old age and not their military service (he is against the presumptives that Shinseki granted for AO) he objects to the damage caused by AO that takes decades to show up and feels that if it was caused by AO it should have showed up decades ago ignoring the fact that for many it did, except that it was the VA ignoring the issue because they wanted to even after Admiral Zumwalt asked them to years ago.

the Ranchhand study that much of the IOMs determination for service connection totally ignored cardiac issues from the beginning and never looked at it. Many Nam vets had cardiac issues in their late 20s and 30s and 40s many died Shinkseki was to late to help them or their families are some veterans abusing some of their old age ailments on VA claims rules yes the newest rage seems to be sleep apnea and it's automatic 50% rating if they can get a CPAP machine issued to them many of them never had a problem in service 20 or 30 years ago and have nothing in their SMRs to indicate it but the number of vets SC for it has been exploding for the past ten years with no reasonable explanation for it.

Yes there are many things that need to be fixed and the VA claims and compensations needs a major overhaul but not the way Principi wants to do it.

[bluevet]

That's interesting because it is well accepted within the psychiatric community that a person with a mental disorder often suffers for 9-12 years prior to receiving a recognizable diagnosis. The fact is that I spent 30 days in the hospital while in service and was discharged upon hospital release with a "personality disorder" which is non-compensable. I can't help but believe that I was intentionally misdiagnosed by Army doctors in accordance with standard Army practice of avoiding compensation payouts. As a result, I suffered with my undiagnosed disorder for 10 years before I finally found help. In addition, I have held a diagnosis at a VA facility since 2006 and nobody ever bothered to inform me that bipolar disorder was a compensable condition. as a result, the VA has saved over 1/4 million dollars in unclaimed awards from this veteran alone. Shameful!

[JT24usn]

Good luck to you. Hope it pans out.