DSM 5 and Mental heath and Sleep disturbances

[uniccco]

I come with more questions I recently had a c and p exam for sleep apnea or sleep disturbances as the va calls it I was diagnosed with

mental disorders or major depressive disorder like episodes ICD code F06.32

Panic disorder ICD code F41.0

Insomnia disorder ICD code G47

Chronic pain bilateral knee pain  ICD code M25.56

a lot of symptoms for my mental disorder of course already 70 percent rated for it just in 2017

Section four of the DBQ says and its checked by the examiner at least likely as not ( 50 percent greater  probability ) the sleep apnea is proximately due to or the result of the veterans service connected condition  I guess it looks good for service connection but the examiner said on the form that per DSM 5 a concurrent insomnia diagnosis may be given when insomnia is sufficiently severe to warrant clinical attention do I get a separate rating for insomnia.

 

[GeekySquid]

4 hours ago, uniccco said:

I guess it looks good for service connection but the examiner said on the form that per DSM 5 a concurrent insomnia diagnosis may be given when insomnia is sufficiently severe to warrant clinical attention do I get a separate rating for insomnia.

 

yep it looks good, the C&P doc gave you the magic words.

As for getting a separate award, that would depend on your Insomnia code and how it is connected to your other conditions. sadly there is no way to guess, I hate to say that.

Look on Ebenefits under the Disability link. It will show you the relationship between all your conditions and what rating they may or may not have. As a note under the AMA forum is a post noting the Ebenefits has recently started posting results before the BBE arrives. Check it out and let us know in the AMA forum if yours shows the latest results before you BBE arrives.

There are some possibilities on what could happen.

1) nothing beyond the SA decision

2) If the Insomnia is rated as secondary to your Knee or MH and has a rating, that rating might go up. If it does not have a percentage it might get one.

3) The VA may or may not send you for another C&P to identify if the insomnia severity has increased.  They may just rely on your record. It is a crap shoot to guess which they will do.

4) if the Insomnia is not secondary to your MH or Knee, then it might have a percentage assigned or it might not. It might get one with this new note or it might not. Like the above possibility you might or might not get another C&P to see if the insomnia has increased.

Since you know what is on the form, I can only assume you got your DBQ from the VARO or you got a new copy of your C-file.

The award letter should say something to the effect that you might have a claim for increase if the rater noticed that comment about insomnia.

IT all depends on the above possibilities and your specific situation.

Both the PTSD and MH DBQ's mention Chronic Sleep Impairment. The DSM lists Insomnia as a primary condition unto itself or related to other conditions.

Here is a case where Insomnia by itself was awarded

https://www.va.gov/vetapp06/files3/0613404.txt

check out all your ratings, you might just have a bump to 100%.

Your combined 70% plus an assumed 50% for SA brings you to 85%.

From there to get to 95% or higher you would need at least another 60% rating,

But if the insomnia is secondary to your knee pain, or gets rated as primary, you might get a bump there that bumps your combined 70% up.

And if that gets to 89% your new SA at a presumed 50 would put you at 95, which rounds up to 100.

so there is a path to 100%, it just depends on your claims, percentages and what is in your record to justify the bump.

 

 

 

[uniccco]

i thank you very much for that response it explained a lot and took a lot of worry from me Thanks again and i will keep you posted  

[GeekySquid]

29 minutes ago, uniccco said:

took a lot of worry from me

I am glad it provided some relief. I just wish we could be more specific, but only the VA can do that.

Be clear once you get that information in hand, if they have not increased, AND you feel your insomnia merits a larger percentage, then file the claim for it.

Since it seems you are already SC for Insomnia, the really hard part is over. As SC you have shown the nexus and the diagnosis, now it is about maximizing your benefits as Congress decrees the VA is supposed to do.

Lack of sleep amplifies so many MH conditions and PTSD/MST related problems that it can even be deadly. People need adequate sleep!!!! It is a real harm to people and veterans who are SC'd and experience sustained Insomnia merit the appropriate compensation.