Agent Orange Disability Ratings

[VietnamVetSis]

My brother's Ischemic Heart Disease as a result of Agent Orange exposure as a Marine Rifleman in Quang Nam Province in 1969-70 was just approved - and rated at 60%.   Another AO disability of Diabetes II was also approved at a 40% rating last summer.  These, combined with his previous disability of scars/lack of motion from his battle wounds, gives him a total combined disability rating of 80%.   I couldn't have done it without the help of HADit.   I had no clue about the claims process when I started.   I am still going to keep plugging away on getting a schizophrenia nexus.   But I wanted to say thank you to everyone out there in the HADit  community that has given me guidance.  God bless you.

[Berta]

Since Mark is affiliated with the North Carolina Health Service Provides as a psychologist, then you sure might want to file a complaint at the link below.

I believe his license # is 1835, but not sure.

Here is his twitter page but no input since March 3^rd:

https://twitter.com/markdworthen?lang=en

https://www.ncmedboard.org/resources-information/consumer-resources/complaint-process/file-a-complaint/

Also if you search the site more info might come up about him.

Maybe he is just very ill or has some other reason for not responding, but you deserve to know what is what.

You said you paid for a "consult"but that is different from a IME. Did you pay for an actual IME that follows the IMO/IME criteria here at hadit?

[VietnamVetSis]

Thank you Berta and Mike.

I paid for an initial consult.  So no, I didn't pay for an IME/IMO.  

My brother is indeed receiving compensation for scars and limited range of motion due to his grenade injuries.  He is also receiving comp for Diabetes II and Coronary Artery disease from Agent Orange.  

The VA diagnosed schizophrenia in 1983, but denied it being service connected and denied PTSD altogether.  Now, again in 2016, they denied service connection for schizophrenia - stating there was no injury in service (!) and denied PTSD altogether because there is "no current diagnosis" of PTSD.  

Anyone who is following my brother's saga would certainly agree that by today's standards, he had PTSD when he came back from Vietnam, with additional psychosis (suicide, hallucinations) presenting in 1978.   However, you had to "get" PTSD within a year of discharge by the old VA rules at that time.  

So I've pretty much forgotten about trying to Disagree formally on the PTSD denial.  He does not exhibit PTSD symptoms (nightmares and such) currently although medical research now says there are overlapping symptoms with schizophrenia.  I'm no doctor so this argument won't stand up.   Also new evidence that the blast wave from explosive devices gets into the brain and scars it - causing symptoms that are mistakenly diagnosed as PTSD when it is actually a TBI.   Again, no help to me.   My dilemma is I need a nexus letter from a psychologist connecting the schizophrenia to service.   The deadline for NOD is fast approaching and I need to get my brother in front of a doctor and have him fill out a DBQ.    I'm going to try for Dr. Bash who is relatively close to me in the DC area.   If anyone out there can help with this, please please contact me.   email is smccabe122@msn.com    Thanks much.  

[VietnamVetSis]

UPDATE -- I have heard back from the PsyD who will be addressing the nexus letter shortly.  

[MikeHunt]

Good!

Schizophrenia, Anxiety disorders and TBI are three way different things- as far as psychology goes.

The VA only understands PTSD and TBI. Other disorders don't exist unless they were diagnosed in service.

You need to supply the bugs doctor with something from his records, and have your brother make statements to tie the two together- AND/OR you provide the statement "He was vastly different than the brother I'd known for 18 year when he came back in that he ..."

That something could be his Purple Heart citation and/or medical (or even VA rating language) on his shrapnel wounds.