ptsd Ptsd C&p Exam Result. Input Please

[scott2120]

I have to type this all by hand so if I skip something that might be important ask and I will try and find it for you. Thanks for the help.

Does the Veteran have a diagnosis of PTSD that conforms to DSM-IV criteria based on today's evaluation? YES

2. Current Diagnoses

a. Diagnosis #1: PTSD

b. Axis III - medical diagnosis: ( to include TBI)

c. Axis IV- Psychosocial and Environmental Problems:

exposure to personal assaults, inadequate income

d. Axis V - Current global assessment of functioning (GAF) score: 60

3. Differentiations of symptoms

-----------------------------------------------

a. Does the veteran have more than one mental disorder diagnosed?

[X] no

4. Occupational and social impairment

------------------------------------------------------

a. Which of the following best summarizes the Veteran's level of occupational and social impairment in regards to all mental

diagnoses?

[X} Occupational and social impairment with occasional decease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks, although generally functioning satisfactorily, with normal routine behavior, self care and conversation

Does this stressor meet Criterion A (i.e., is it adequate to support the diagnosis of PTSD)? YES

Is the stressor related to the Veteran's fear of hostile military or terrorist activity? No

4. PTSD Diagnostic Criteria

a.

Criterion A:

<X> The Veteran experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event that involved actual or threateded death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others.

<X> The Veteran's response involved intense fear, helplessness or horror.

Criterion B:

<X> Recurrent and distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions

<X> Recurrent distressing dreams of the event

<X> Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event

<X> physiological reactivity on exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event

Criterion C:

<X> Efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings or conversations associated with the trauma

<X> Efforts to avoid activities, places or people that arouse recollections of the trauma

<X> Markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities

<X> Feeling of detachment or estrangement from others

<X> Restricted range of affect (e.g., unable to have loving feelings)

<X> Sense of foreshortened future

Criterion D:

<X> Difficulty falling or staying asleep

<X> Irritability or outbursts of anger

<X> Difficulty concentrating

<X> Hypervigilance

Criterion E:

<X> The duration fo the symptoms described above in Criteria B, C, and D is more than 1 month

Criterion F:

<X> The PTSD symptoms described above cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning

b. Which stressor(s) contributed to the Veterans PTSD diagnosis?:

<X> Stressor #1

5. Symptoms

<X> Depressed Mood

<X> Anxiety

<X> Suspiciousness

<X> Panic attacks that occur weekly or less often

<X> Chronic sleep impairment

<X> Mild memory loss, such as forgetting names, directions or recent events

<X> Disturbances of motivation and mood

<X> Difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships

<X> Difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances, including work or a worklike setting

<X> Suicidal ideation

6. Other symptoms: NO

7. Competency

Is Veteran capable of managing his or her financial affairs? YES

[Berta]

“can you tell me what an IMO's is”

An IMO, Independent Medical Opinion ( or IME (Independent medical Evaluation)

is an opinion written by a real doctor, who has expertise in te filed of your disability, and whose credentials can fully matech or outweight those of any VA opining doctors.

Sometimes IMOs are costly but whenever a vet gets some retro and they question their rating, some of that retro would be a good investment in an IMO.

The full gamit of what an IMO should contain is here in our IMO forum.

The key wording, 'as least as likely as not” or “more than likely' in a strong IMO can balance the VA scale for Relative Equipoise to kick in.

This is the Benefit of Doubt concept VA uses. Meaning, if evidence for the claim and against the claim ,have equal weight, (but remember VA owns the scale and their C & P docs are paid by VA) then ,by fulfilling BOD, means the veteran has succeeded.

An IMO doc must have all available records (in your case they wont need the SMRs) and it sure helps to give them any prior SOCs etc, the current decision, and copies of any C & P or QTC exams.

If a vet has treatise or medical abstracts print offs from good internet sources , for many disabilities, they can be given to the IMO doctor , but all IMO docs have their own resources for medical citations to bolster their opinions and the full medical rationale they must state in the IMO.

This is an important point John 999 is making here:

“Once you get a VA approved rating for PTSD you can hire your own doctors to write IMO's “

The new 2010 PTSD regs have made IMOs for initial PTSD claims a thing of the past.

Based on the claim filing date (as explained in our PTSD forum) most initial PTSD claims now require

a PTSD diagnosis from a VA MH professional.

[Navy04]

Scott,

The best you can hope for is 30%, but a friend of mine in the Coast Guard jus got a 10% with a GAF of 60 and impairment sometimes symptom. I had a GAF of 42 or 45 and Impairment in Most areas and the VA gave me 30% back in February. I have a FDC to have my PTSD increased, cause I think that the VA gave me a low % because the Navy was retiring me for Crohn's Disease. I am on 3 psych meds, current GAF of 45 and unemployed. I wish you the best.