ptsd Alcohol Abuse/cirrhosis Secondary To Ptsd

[SigBnSoldier]

In April 2013 I had an initial exam for PTSD, the diagnoses were-

Axis I

1. PTSD

2. Bipolar NOS

3. Alcohol abuse in full sustained remission (5 years)

When I got my award 5 months later I was connected for "PTSD with bipolar disorder" but no mention of alcohol abuse. The examiners rational DID state, "claimant started drinking to deal with symptoms of ptsd".

So, six weeks ago I filed a claim for Alcohol Abuse, secondary to PTSD with Bipolar disorder and submitted a copy of that C&P as a nexus statement. Will that suffice for a nexus or do I need to go out and get another one?

My whole goal eventually is to get the cirrhosis covered, which I have very firm documentation of.

Thank you

[Andyman73]

I'm wondering, tomorrow I'm going to the MH walkin clinic. I have a NJP and 3 weeks of outpatient treatment with the SACO office. It's in my smr, so...what do you think this will do for me?

[Berta]

With documented medical evidence of the liver disease and a diagnosis of PTSD, veterans can raise Allen V,. Principi:

Unfortunately the most recent BVA case I found today was from a widow:

http://www.va.gov/vetapp13/Files5/1339753.txt

"FINDINGS OF FACT

1. The Veteran died in January 2007. The cause of his death was liver failure.

2. At the time of his death, the Veteran had been awarded service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), effective May 8, 1984.

3. Alcohol dependence was due to or the result of PTSD.

4. Alcohol dependence contributed materially to cirrhosis of the liver and subsequent liver failure.

5. The grant of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is a complete grant of benefits sought on appeal. "

These are the confitions a livin veteran must meet as well.

Allen V Prinicipi is mentioned in the decision, and also the widow submitted some excellent excerpts from studies by the National Center for PTSD.

The PTSD diagnosis must comply with the new 2010 regs or already have been established as due to service,by the VA.

[Berta]

Gastone is right.....and spouses can say the wrong things as well.

I had a good friend and neighbor who I drove to and from the Vet Center ,where I was a volunteer, for a long time.

He definitely had severe alcohol problems and was diagnosed at 100% with PTSD (Vietnam)

After we moved to NY , and got a phone ( that took time because my barn was in one area code and my home and rest of my farm another area code) we called the Vet Center to see how everyone was.....

He had died. Cirrhosis of the liver..........

Unfortunately, his wife told me the VA interviewed her many years ago (social survey) and she told them he didn't start drinking because of Vietnam, like he told everyone, he had started drinking when she knew him from high school.

When I heard of his death ( and he had 3 small children) that statement alone might have prevented her from ever attaining DIC.

The VA is quick to skim over and even ignore the good stuff in our records, but sure seems able to find lots of stuff in even old med recs, when they need to find something to use against someone.

I have dealt with a few wannabee widows. One had a denial of DIC that said the veteran himself had stated to VA he never was married and had no common law wife, in some exam, or VA MSW interview he had taken.

Also the VA questioned the widow's buddy statements from 2 nurses in NJ who said they knew he had lived with this women in NY in a common law marriage.

Neither NY nor NJ is a common law state.

I feel vets have to be honest and make sure their wives don't say anything to VA that might be held against them, maybe only because the spouse is upset with the vet that specific day.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Berta

[SigBnSoldier]

The only thing I see preventing me from winning this claim will be the entries from when I was 11 years old. The only thing I can think of why the VAMC psych entered that in my progress notes was because I believe he asked me how old I was when I first had a drink. Not thinking anything of it I told him that when I was a kid a friend and I used to go play in a large wild area near our houses and we found a homeless encampment. There was a six pack of beer there and no homeless person so we took it somewhere else and drank it. Kids stuff, shoot, we also tried smoking cigs too.

I have 3 buddy statements from guys in my platoon that were with me at the stressor event that also say my drinking went out of control after it.

My liver is diagnosed by VA and by civilian health records in 2006 and again in 2014.

[SigBnSoldier]

Just finished with C&P exam for psych. Indeed the VA reviewed my PTSD even with a P&T rating. I claimed alcohol abuse secondary to PTSD and they put me through the whole thing. Exam was about 1.5 hours, my feeling is it went well but we shall see.