claim Reopening a PTSD claim

[bc0311]

I'm new to this site, and somewhat novice with claims as I've ignored them since my discharge in 2012, but I have some questions that I've yet to find answers for that hopefully someone can help me with:

In a nutshell, my story is I did my four years, two hellish combat tours to Afghan, got out in 2012, immediately filed my claims for a few disabilities like back and shoulder issues and got a 40% rating total. I've since not looked back as none of that concerns me. My issue now is that I was sent to a mandatory PTSD screening during one of my visits that year, and the examiner kind of went about the thing blase, and although I did tell her most of my traumatic experiences, she gave me 0% for "Combat PTSD not related to military service" as it says in their justification, whatever that means. I don't think they even attempted to listen to me as my experiences were extraordinarily traumatic and have been a detriment to my mental health and quality of life since. And yet I now have an effective date of a PTSD claim from day of discharge 6 years ago for 0%, says it right on eBenefits. I think you know where I'm going with this...

After 6 years of dealing with a slew of issues related to PTSD, I decided this week to start looking into trying to re open the case. My questions for you are.... Would I be entitled to any back pay if I could prove that I've suffered from PTSD since then, and that they made their original decision in error? And if so, how could I go about receiving the exact paper work / medical records from that one specific screening I had in 2012? I've looked everywhere and I don't really know how to navigate either of these situations... 

Thanks a lot!

[Buck52]

7 hours ago, bc0311 said:

I am completely deaf in one ear and they still don’t care. 

What are you fairly sure is a typo? The SC for PTSD? Is that not an error?

If you have the award letter  that has you S.C. for Combat PTSD  post a redacted copy of that letter,Ms berta has explain the CUE situation very well. I think if you were granted the S.C. for the PTSD and stating your not on ebenefits that could be a typo...they can fix that.

  CUE would be denied because a typo error is not the bases for a CUE Claim if it is fixed and made corrected. (have you ask them to correct that?)

 You need to give us more information as to what your  award letter states the reason & bases of what they decided  or ''What We Decided''

Also if you were denied on S.C. HEARING LOSS FOR A % RATING you can appeal that  and get an IMO from a quailfied Audiologist  and get his /her opinion on your deaf ear and nexus that to your prior military service  to be related to loud noise you was around durning military service as that'' it is likely as not your hearing loss incurred from loud Gun fire noise IED's ect,,,ect,, while serving in in Afghanistan/Conflict.''  the Dr needs to go into detail of reading your military records that your hearing was fine when you first went into the military and now you have a profound hearing loss as completely deaf in your left ear and give the decibels #'s  & Describe your hearing loss as military Noise induced Hearing loss, this would be a opine (opinion) from a  qualified professional Medical Person. AND GOOD PROBATIVE EVIDENCE TO SUBMIT WITH YOUR APPEAL.

[Buck52]

Although you were in combat and  in some bad situations and traumatized !

Unless the VA has found some prior medical records on you before your military service showing you were DX for PTSD or a mental health problem  and traumatize before your military service  that may be why they are saying your PTSD  is not military related.

You really need to show us more information. do that by posting your evidence.

[bc0311]

I'm sorry I just don't have those letters. I've moved around a lot and hate hoarding so I probably recycled them. My intention was to take what they gave me and go live my life. I didn't really keep much. I'm surprised I even have SOME of the stuff in a file. But now that I feel I've lived too long with PTSD, I wanted to re-open it. 

What I've posted is literally everything I have right now. The original C&P noted zero past or other trauma besides combat. I think she just didn't believe I had PTSD, even though she checked off that it meets the criteria like 8 times. 

Is there a way to request the VA to send me the same letters from 2012?

[Buck52]

Yes request all your military records from St Louis Mo NRPC 

Request Your Military Service Records Online, by Mail, or by Fax ...

https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records

314-801-9195; NPRC Mailing Address: National Personnel Records Center Military Personnel Records 1 Archives Drive St. Louis, MO 63138 314-801-0800. Please note that requests which are sent by Priority Mail, FedEx, UPS, or other "express" services will only arrive at the NPRC sooner. 

Also Request your C-File to include all the front flap the middle flap and the back  flap pages and  this you understand is now printed on COMPACT DISK and let them know why you need it ASAP.

Thank you in Advance 

 

Address this to the 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CLAIMS INTAKE CENTER PO BOX 4444. JANESVILLE, WI 53547- ..

[Buck52]

bc0311

From now on keep all correspondence you get from the VA and anything you send to the VA & keep ALL your mailing receipts ect,,,,ect,,,Its a good ideal to always get sign return receipts.

Get you a folder as Ms Berta mention and keep all these records in it and keep it organized  you may need something years later and when you keep good records it makes it a whole lot easier to deal with the VA.

you can come here to hadit any time you need  we (members) are always here to help.

I wish you the best

jmo

[Berta]

bco311- as Buck said- we do not question that you have PTSD-anyone would ,experiencing the trauma you did....

You said: "You may have won CUEs on all your cases, but you probably had concrete evidence from your original C&P. I'm not sure I have any."

I am a civilian claimant - these were CUEs in Posthumous decisions,  after my husband died. 

When you get your C file that might reveal more than you think.....

And one piece of advice ( I used to be a vet center volunteer)-don't minimize your symptoms of PTSD-when they give you a new C & P for the re-opened claim. Some vets do that because they get nervous at these exams.

Years ago my husband clammed up at a C & P  exam because some other vet in the waiting room started talking about all the "Gooks" he killed on his 3 tours in Nam . My husband had horrific guilt over deaths of  Vietnamese people,caused by him,  due to being a combat vet.

I have worked with PTSD combat vets for years and I think that other vet was full of shit.

In any event my husband clammed up when the doctor called him in.But then I heard some nurses looking for his medical records from the VAMC that treated him- this C & P was done at a different VAMC.I heard them saying they could not find his records at all.

He came out of the exam still very upset but fortunately the other vet had left.

I called the VAMC and got ahold of the C & P doctor right away- and told him his C & P would be challenged right away ,because he did not have the veteran's full med record files, and I witnessed hearing the nurses trying to find them. I guess I called the VARO too because he got  new C & P exam.

The symptoms you had might have been less severe (or seemed less severe to you)when the older exam occurred.

That is th "post" trauma nature of PTSD-it can raise it's ugly head Years after the trauma happened.And years after what we called 'shelving' at the vet center..putting it all into a 'shelf' in your mind and trying not to think about it...

Still- I cannot imagine why that examiner didnt diagnose you with PTSD from your service.

Let us know how the re opened PTSD claim progresses  because as Buck said , we are here to help you.