Question About PTSD Re-Eval

[USAF K9]

I'm sorry if I am posting in the wrong place.  I wasn't sure where this should go.  

I am prior Air Force, combat action medal from Iraq, blah, blah.  Lots of issues from Iraq and base football, and other stuff.

I am 100% SC schedular, non P&T.  I am 70% PTSD, 40% back, 20% for each leg bilateral radiculopathy, and a bunch of 10% ratings on my feet, knees, hands, etc.

I went to my first and only C&P for PTSD back in March 2019, so I have only been SC for PTSD for 4 months or so.  

I recently filed claims for several other conditions (Sleep Apnea secondary to wt gain from PTSD and other disabilities, Fibromyalgia for Gulf War, Migraines from Gulf War, ED secondary to PTSD meds).  I also provided a letter from a doctor saying I should be P&T.  I would have left well enough alone after getting 100%, but the rating said I would be re-evaluated for my PTSD and my back, so I figured I may as well go for the jugular and overwhelm them with the rest of my issues, so maybe they give me P&T.  I also THOUGHT I was safe from a re-eval since I had been rated so recently. 

Anyway, despite me providing  them records to fulfill all the necessary elements (favorable DBQs and nexus letters from Dr. Ellis, and diagnoses/sleep studies, etc. from my personal doctor) for all the new claims, they still sent me to a C&P for all the newly claimed conditions. Fine, I will play the game even though I sent you everything wrapped in a nice bow. But, then comes the part that threw me for a loop, and is my actual question:

I looked in ebenefits and see a request for a PTSD increase showing in the system, which I absolutely never asked for.  I didn't even think I could go for an increase since I had only been rated like 4 months ago at that time.  I also didn't think I rated 100%, based on the description in the CFR.  Anyway, I call a bunch of people to ask what is going on and nobody has an answer.  The VA acknowledged that they asked for the re-evaluation.  I understand the VA can and will re-evaluate anytime, but it is a bit ridiculous, even for the VA, to do another PTSD exam 4 months after the first one.  I would certainly understand if they re-evaluated my physical issues since I was seeing a primary care type C&P examiner for my new claims.  But, it doesn't make sense to generate a request to have PTSD added to the mix after only 4 months.  

Does anybody have any thoughts?  Some have told me that this may be part of their process to determine if I should get P&T, but I had a VA phone rep read me the correspondence between the VA and the Psych, and nothing was mentioned about "find out if this dude is going to be messed up for the rest of his life," and I know the C&P psych certainly didn't ask any questions about permanency, and she actually seemed mildly annoyed that they sent me again so soon, especially when I told her I never requested an increase.  BTW, the C&P seemed to go really well, so I am not super stressed about the outcome, but you never know.  Actually, scratch that.  I am pretty much constantly anxious about everything.  But, the exam did seem to go well.

Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts about why they sent me for another C&P exam for PTSD so soon, I am all ears.

Thanks everyone!

P.S.  This forum has been EXTREMELY helpful to me as I took myself from 20% up to 100% (and maybe back down again depending on what the VA says about my PTSD C&P exam).  So, I thank you all for that.

Edited July 9, 2019 by USAF K9

[GBArmy]

Geeky on the comment about figuring out VA math, if you have 2 0% disabilities and they somehow effect your employability, it can convert to a 10%. However, that only can work if you don't have any rated disabilities. As soon as you have any, the 10% converts back to to their original ratings of 0%. A lot of veterans don't know about 0% ratings and think they were denied, and they do carry some benefits.

[GeekySquid]

2 hours ago, GBArmy said:

However, that only can work if you don't have any rated disabilities.

good to know. I never had to delve into the reasons/math behind it. I just knew it was possible in some situations.

 

2 hours ago, GBArmy said:

A lot of veterans don't know about 0% ratings and think they were denied, and they do carry some benefits.

SC itself even at 0% has a value, particularly for a younger vet whose SC 0% is for a condition likely to degenerate by the time they hit old age.

thanks for the info GB

[Buck52]

Service connection is the hard pat on most claims,  once service connected  then if and when the conditions gets worse  ( because usually it will )  then being service connected  makes it a whole lot easier to be rated...the VA is Agreeing with the Veteran the condition happen while in the military   even at 0%

I think  a lot or most of us had the service connection established at 0%

[vetquest]

Good point Buck52.  My condition related to my heat injury and my migraines were rated at 0% when I started out and now I am 100%

[GBArmy]

Getting a 0% rating is also a good thing for 2 more reasons. If you are in need of life insurance, you can get service-Disabled Veterans Life Insurance. You have 2 years after your award to get it. And, even if rated at 0%, if you should die from that condition, your spouse can get DIC. But the most obvious is what Buck pointed out, if you are s-c for a disability, you already did the hard part about getting the disability. If your condition worsen, say hearing loss, you just ask for the re-eval because s-c is already acknowledged.

[USAF K9]

Ugh!

My claims (including the VA's request for PTSD increase) have now gone to "Preparation for Notification," but I cannot see any updates in Ebenefits other than that status update.

-I looked in my list-o-disabilities.  No update, not even a "not SC" next to my recent claims.  I'm sure that is a good thing.

-I looked in the "Pending Disabilities" section.  That still reads the same as it always did, as though the claims are still being worked.

-I looked in the "letter generator," and it says the same stuff it has said since prior to these claims. 

I probably would not be whining about this, except that it is Friday afternoon at almost 6 PM, which means I am going to have to wonder all weekend what happened.  I guess the good news is that there is no change either way, other than the status change.  I guess I should just be happy that it doesn't show them as not SC'd.  There is still hope.  

Anybody, got any other tricks up their sleeve to try to find out the results after decision but before the envelope?