ptsd Just Did My C&p And Have Questions

[Jaymega1]

Hi. New here. I found this site while looking up some info regarding my recent exam. I have a few questions I would like to ask of anyone who cares to read.

I just had my C&P. Almost missed it since my car took a dump on me. Thank god since now I know it is basically mandatory. I took the test for Tinnitus among others but i am mainly concerned with PTSD. I don't have any paperwork I can show and I am curious how long I must wait until i can get a copy of what the psychologist typed down? It's been like 2 days now.

Regarding the exam, I have an issue where I tend to just get used to things and feel like it is normal. Example... 90% of my dreams involve someone trying to kill me. I just got used to it and when i wake up sweating, i am just like "Cool, I'm not dead." It's been about 3 years since I left service and I never bothered to even think about compensation because I felt as though it was pointless.

The reason I say this is because that mindset influenced how I dealt with the reviewer. Not gonna lie, i sugar coated a lot of my responses. Even still, I look back after reading some of these other folks C&P posts and I see that my responses were still rather saddening. I didn't even really think about how bad I was. And remember, these are the sugar coated responses. Here is a random selection of my answers. I don't recall the exact questions.

I never had a relationship actually last longer than 30 days.

I got upset at my sister who I am very close with and stopped communicating for what i felt was a month. She says it was 3 months in reality.

Just last week I found myself thinking that if things got real bad I can just off myself. I quickly had to correct my thinking. I told myself that if I ever decide to I will at least call my sis and give 30 minutes notice first so she can respond.

I find myself getting a little depressed and I tend to not have the energy to even follow through with an appointment. I always say I'll do it later or reschedule.

I don't have any friends in the state really. I am friends with my vet buds and we talk on facebook from time to time.

I stay inside. I write or play games. No I don't think of military stuff. I purposely put an effort to think of other things.

Now that I look back I see a rather sad picture. I feel "fine" but that is apparently only due to the fact that I am so used to feeling like I do. My sister is very worried about me and doesn't even want me to get a gun because she feels I will kill myself. I want to say no, but when I get depressed and worried, it gets REALLY bad. My question here is what do you think about the general vibe of my responses? The reviewer seemed very interested and we were actually running out of time since I apparently wasted time trying to put a positive spin and explain crap like a moron. I feel she saw through my positive spin on things (thankfully). I just don't feel comfortable admitting I am suffering. i feel like I am cheating or I am some kind of scumbag. I mean, several of my friends are dead so what right do I have to complain right?

Anyways, About that. I know I should get some rating at least. I am just not sure how much. I have been deployed 4 times and I am 28 years old now. That's life in the 101 (lol). She stopped me after my second tour when i was explaining my experiences. After I explained the first major incident where I saw what was left of someone I was just speaking to, she probably had heard enough. Plus the many MANY IED blasts I have been in (too close) proximity of. I am just wondering, How does that affect my claim? Would I be able to use future experiences in the other two deployments if I want to try for a higher rating?

If anyone is curious. I really cool NCO I rather liked was killed by an IED and it was very bad. I learned that day that the dark spots on the side of the HMMWV's were a mix of dirt and blood...My buddy that got out before me has a 100% rating and I am 100% sure his PTSD stems from the same incident since he was my gunner.

Another thing I am curious of is how college affects my possible rating. I don't work. I did have a job for like 2 weeks but I just stopped going to work one day. I lied and said I was never employed like a moron because I was being stupid and worrying about faking issues to try and get a high rating. Seriously, what is wrong with me? Anyways, I go to school and it is the beginning of my third year. I explained that my GPA was a 3.68 but after this last year it is now a 2.2. I just lost steam and I barely feel like getting out of bed most days. I am shocked I managed to pull off some C's. Like I said, my buddy has a 100% rating and I was with him during some bad times. Then i went on to experience more bad times, carrying body bags and placing what was left of poor guys in orange plastic baggies. Again, not trying to make people like "poor you". I was lucky so in my book I owe those guys for their sacrifice.

So that's about it. I also have a Tinnitus claim from mortars too. I will post whatever the psychologist wrote down when I get it. For now I kinda want a rough guesstimate from others who have been through this. i am flying blind here so for all I know I could get nothing except a prescription for Ibuprofen (you guys know where I'm coming from ) or I could get 100%.

Oh, I need to start seeing my therapist again (VA appointed). talking really helped me out. She (and others) say that I have Anxiety and PTSD but since I handle it well they will not prescribe meds unless i ask. I am thinking of asking for sleep aids for my insomnia. Something you can't OD on.

[NavyWife]

Sometimes VA will release your exam report in approximately 3 to 5 days. At that time you can get it using Ebenefits>MyHealthEVet>BlueButton download>Notes. If you don't have Ebenefits you can go in person or fax or mail a request for a copy of the exam at the Release of Information office at your VAMC. That being said, sometimes, they will not release mental health exams. Also, if your exam was not done at the VAMC, but rather a contractor, then the process to get a copy is different. The contractor exams would usually require a request to the Regional Office handling your claim.

　

How does that affect my claim? Would I be able to use future experiences in the other two deployments if I want to try for a higher rating?

VA rates the PTSD and all other mental health issues on the degree of how bad it affects your life right now. So once you get the service connection approved, then you won't need to use any different experiences for a higher rating. You would simply request a higher rating and say the PTSD is having a more severe affect on your life.

The main things they look at is how does it affect your social and occupational parts of your life. For example, if you are not able to work due to PTSD, then you would likely receive a higher rating such as 70% or more.

Here is what the rater uses to determine what percentage you get.

38 C.F.R. § 4.130, DC 9411
General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders:

Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as: gross impairment in thought process or communication; persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation occupation, or own name …………………..100%

Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, due to such symptoms as: suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities; speech intermittently illogical, obscure, or irrelevant; near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively; impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence); spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and hygiene; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or a worklike setting); inability to establish and maintain effective relationships ...................................... 70%

Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in establishing and maintaining Effective work and social relationships ………………..50%

Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as forgetting names, directions, recent events) ............................ 30%

Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress, or; symptoms controlled by continuous medication .................. 10%

A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication .............................. 0%

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Also, keep in mind if you do get the 70%, then you could apply for Individual Unemployability which pays at the 100% rate.

You mentioned being involved in IED blasts. Did you suffer any TBI injury or file for TBI?

Also, if you are not working, have you considered filing for Social Security Disability? You can do it all online. They will send you to a doctor just like VA does to be evaluated. They even have some programs right now where they are expediting the claims for veterans-just need to tell them upfront you are a vet.