ptsd Please help! Death certificate PTSD veteran

[hedgey]

My ex husband is in the hospital dying from an overdose yesterday of his PTSD medications. Because we had a daughter together, and he wisely married a wonderful woman for his 4th wife, I want to help her as much as possible.

Ex was a Viet Nam medic in 1967-68. He's 100% for PTSD, but not for more than 5 years (it was so hard for him to ask for help).

What will VA be looking for on the death certificate to consider it a service-connected death when the vet has PTSD?

If it seems bizarre to think there's a way to influence what the certificate says... when my father-in-law died in the nursing home a few years ago, I gave them the list of his SC conditions and they were happy to list one of them as his cause of death.

Please help with this question. I talked to the ICU nurse and he's in a coma, no brain activity, lungs full of gastric fluid. She doesn't think he'll last the night.

I really want to help this woman. She was the best stepmother I could have prayed for for my daughter. He wasn't often the best dad, but she was great and deserves whatever benefits we can get for her. She would definitely be eligible for DIC, as long as the VA counts his death as SC.

 

 

 

Edited February 13, 2017 by hedgey
clarification

[broncovet]

As always, you need medical evidence.  You need a doctor to state that his PTSD caused his death.  

Check the records to see if it says that, if not, you will need an IMO/IME evidence to state this to get DIC.  Evidence wins claims.  

[Carl the Engineer]

https://www.va.gov/vetapp12/files6/1244071.txt

I was intrigued at the thought that PTSD could cause death.  However, a quick search found this archived VA claim for DIC.  From what I see, you could die from something that was caused by the PTSD.  In this example, the Veteran's PTSD led to drinking which led to pancreas cancer to which he died from.

More of interest is that an IME/IMO beat the VA doctors denial.

Not sure if a autopsy was performed in this case, but he did have a cause of death listed as pancreas cancer, which was later linked to his PTSD.

I'll have to see if I can find one that lists cause of death as PTSD.

FWIW,

Hamslice

 

 

[Carl the Engineer]

https://www.va.gov/vetapp14/Files2/1415185.txt

Here is one where PTSD cause a heart condition that cause death.

Won by an IME/IMO, again.

Seems like you will need to get a independent doctor on board to make the link if there is one.

Hamslice

 

[Carl the Engineer]

https://www.va.gov/vetapp15/Files3/1526226.txt

Last one for now.  This one is closer.  Accidental overdose of PTSD medication caused death.

Still had to fight for it.

Not sure about this, but where I work the coroner takes a blood sample to help him determine cause of death when we do not do autopsies.  So, you need to get them to do that at least.  Ask the coroner when the time comes, he can help.  We rarely do autopsies around here unless foul play, or a younger person with no reason for death.  Older persons, not so much.  $$$$.  

Just sayin, 

Hamslice

 

[Berta]

Hamslice, 

I sure appreciate that you used the BVA search feature.It can take a lot of time but this decision is very hopeful to this family's situation.However the BVA case vet had a history of getting his meds mixed up and had prior overdoses and they also had a strong IMO as well. Still Nothing is impossible.

There is a widow here in the Flu shot thread who thinks her husband died from the flu shot but I saw something else in her  posts that made me think her husband died from an infection or internal problem caused by a VA procedure he had a few weeks before getting the flu shot.

I am not a doctor  but in many cases any IMO doc would certainly want to consider the whole picture of any veteran's health care...to include any potential 1151 issues.

The autopsy might reveal something other than the overdose or in addition to it, that caused or contributed significantly to his death.We are assuming it was an overdose but maybe the vet actually took the correct dosage,when he realized he forgot to take the meds. 

 

 

 

[Buck52]

this  is going to be interesting as to the outcome?for DIC Benefits  and who gets what?

remember the spouse of a PTSD Veteran that was riding his motorcycle and she claimed he had a panic attact right before the crash that killed him this was what she claimed that actually lead to his death.    and he had alcohol in him that would declare him intoxicated.

I never knew how that case turned out?

Edited February 14, 2017 by Buck52