ptsd Lesson Learned, Confirm Diagnosis Before Filing

[Meteesee1]

My VA doc gave me a diagnosis of having OSA. Sometime later I filed a claim for secondary to PTSD. It was promptly denied because there was no confirmed diagnosis and no etiological relationship. I would never have filed knowing this. Pure waste of time. Get the latest records before filing a claim and do nothing until you have them. I might try and get an IMO and see what they say. Question; what medical practice is best to confirm the PTSD/OSA connection, if any?

[carlie]

My VA doc gave me a diagnosis of having OSA. Sometime later I filed a claim for secondary to PTSD. It was promptly denied because there was no confirmed diagnosis and no etiological relationship. I would never have filed knowing this. Pure waste of time. Get the latest records before filing a claim and do nothing until you have them. I might try and get an IMO and see what they say. Question; what medical practice is best to confirm the PTSD/OSA connection, if any?

Welcome.

For VBA service connected benefits, I believe a sleep clinic / specialist, must test for and diagnose

the OSA. A regular PCP will not cut it.

Then to get it SC'd as secondary to PTSD - that MIGHT take a mental health provider.

Hopefully, other's will chime in on this.

[Chuck75]

Conversely, if the VA PCP had not diagnosed the condition as OSA, but something else not service connectible, the PCP's diagnosis would have been "gold" to the claims section.