This vet pleaded guilty for lying on PTSD

[porgee]

https://13wham.com/news/local/veteran-faces-5-years-in-prison-for-collecting-92k-over-false-ptsd-claims

[vetquest]

This is big news and it only makes vets look bad.  For every veteran faking a condition there are many others with real disabilities who are denied benefits.  That should be the news.

[Navy4life]

9 hours ago, hollywoodnc said:

I was advised by TWO separate attorneys to lie on my claim.

One lawyer advised me to file for Tinnitus.  I don't have a tinnitus SC connection.  He said "You fired a weapon right?"

I told him NO...I won't file for tinnitus.  He was out of Charlotte, NC.

The other Atty advised me to file for PTSD, because I was stressed out over my claim.  He's out of San Diego, Ca.

What would have happened if I had filed?

I, and ONLY I would end up in prison and the lawyer would deny advising me of filing a false claim.  He'd be laughing all the way to the bank, while I sit in jail.

If a lawyer has been unethical in anyway, should report them to the bar.  BTW, you can have tinnitus for many other reasons besides "firing a weapon".

This is truly sad as are other cases out there like woman saying they were "raped" when in fact they weren't.  These false accusations make it hard for the true victims.  I am glad he admitted his wrong doing.

[11cvolley]

I can't believe the VA would grant him SC for PTSD based on seeing someone commit suicide. Or how the VA couldn't piece together he wasn't even there before granting him SC.

[broncovet]

I saw this earlier.  Important "Take Away": 

Dont lie to VA or exaggerate your symptoms.  

I Equally important:  Its not always necessary to "be there" when a friend commits suicide to get PTSD.  

Example:   Your spouse dies.  You were not present at her death.  This does not mean you wont grieve, it does not mean you wont feel guilty for not being there for her when she passed, and it does not mean you wont have a mental illness over her death.  

I have read of vets getting SC for a friends death even when they were not present at the death.  Of course, the problem is that the Vet lied, pretending he was present when he was not.  

Telling the truth should suffice in getting benefits, if it does not, tell the truth anyway.  You may not get your benefits but you should sleep well at night.  

 

 

 

 

[Buck52]

I agree I don't see how he was S.C. without service records or service treatment records

(evidence).

 Raters,They don't read or look at everything if there behind scheduled processing claims  they have so many claims to do each day.

seems like the ones that CAN prove they were traumatized will only be denied but the ones that CAN'T prove it gets approved  just shows VA don't have a perfect system.

And yeah this type fraud  it makes it hard for our fellow veterans to prove their PTSD Claims.

Edited October 30, 2018 by Buck52

[Pockets]

I don't understand how anyone can lie about being involved in an investigation. I don't understand how the VA didn't learn he was in another country when one suicide happened. 

 

I know exactly where I am in the investigation that I was a part of but the information reads like I was questioned off base when fact is, I was picked up in full uniform, on base driving the vehicle of a soldier that was found murdered. Obviously it was a chaotic scene but I was escorted to the MP station where I "chatted" with a friendly MP until Civilian Detectives arrived to inform me of my friends murder.  So, I know CID reports can be misleading but I don't know how a person can lie and claim to be in an investigation and not be in the investigation. 

My sarcasm is screaming to mention that the CID report I received from my friends mother is redacted but my name does slip through a few years later in the investigation when someone was talking about she and I being roommates. Maybe I should have sent that to the VA but I didn't want to promote that misinformation either. We were roommates prior to her murder but not for the last several months.

I guess what I am saying is VA doesn't investigate any better than the Army. That's a shame because I was really hoping otherwise.