C&P for Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood

[Ademily87]

I served in the Navy from Jan 2007 - Jan 2011. I was diagnosed with adjustment disorder with depressed mood in my first year. I was having issues adjusting to the military life. It is documented in my STR as "Personality Disorder: Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood". From there on, there were other things that happened during my service (not combat related) that just made it harder and harder to perform my duties and live a normal life. I did not pursue treatment or counseling during my time in service, because I was afraid of being kicked out, and didn't want the label of having a "personality disorder" for the rest of my life. I was raised to be very "private", I guess you could say. Never been one for talking about my problems to anybody else. Instead I just do exactly what you shouldn't do; let it build and build until I break down, and start all over again. I am now the father of a beautiful 5 month old baby girl, and have a loving wife. Still, I can't get out of this slump. The thought of doing something to myself that would cause my little girl to grow up without her daddy is too much to bear, so I have started seeking treatment for my mental health issues. 

I applied for disability through eBenefits in March of this year for "adjustment disorder with depressed mood". I have no diagnosis other than my service records, because I can't get in to see my Doctor until mid-June. I have a C&P Exam this Friday through LHI. Will this count as my current diagnosis or will I still need a diagnosis from another Doctor? 

Any advice or pointers for my C&P examination? It is an in person exam. 

 

 

[Carl the Engineer]

It sounds to me like you need mental healthcare just as much as you need VA compensation.  So, first off, seek medical assistance for your mood disorder, or whatever the doc that you see calls it.  Get that help first and fast.  You don't want to loose your family or they loose you.

Now, second, not sure where you are at as far as VA compensation percentage or even if you have one, but there are different benefits for different levels, etc., State and Federal.  But you have to start.

So, if you spent 4 years in the Navy, I would suspect there are some more nuggets of information in your medical records.  Anything that ails you now, however minor, back hurt, sprained ankle, etc., and that you went to sick call on or had a line of duty on, you need to claim.

Get in the system,

Hamslice

The VA just granted my a bilateral disability I didn't even know I had because of what the exam said.  

 

 

[MostDaysIhavenoidea]

So PTSD is a no but Chronic adjustment disorder is a go.  I would think that even if the notion of your "inciting event" being at age 17, if you didn't have any symptoms going into service then it would seem as though your time on active duty precipitated and aggravated your Adjustment disorder.

I am assuming here but it doesn't seem like any branch would accept anyone with a chronic adjustment disorder, that would be like allowing someone to enlist with a known history of "failure to adapt".

Make sure details on how this condition creates a disability for you; ie) inability of establish effective and meaningful relationships (occupationally and socially); chronic sleep disturbances (inability to fall asleep, stay asleep, restless sleep); difficulty with concentration and focus; inability to adapt to stressful situations....

 

[nastroseidon]

I know at this point it is a bit late for this in your case but may help someone in the future. If you feel that you have ANYTHING wrong with you whether it be mental or physical health, having records of it being an issue while in service is only the tip of the iceberg. From an evaluator's perspective in many cases, if you are not actively seeking treatment or have been periodically for the issue you are claiming, then it isn't enough to be disabling. I had this conversation with a community care evaluator the other day. It is so much easier for a veteran to receive a rating if they have an active history of the issue or documentation of seeking assistance post-military.

An example of this would be a veteran is claiming Depression and Anxiety secondary to PTSD. The veteran may have records of being deployed and may even have a particular incident that was documented. The veteran however has never enrolled in VA care nor sought out assistance for any of these. Their claim is 100% dependent on the one conversation with the C&P examiner for that singular visit that may only take 20 minutes. 

Alternatively, the veteran either gets enrolled in the VA and speaks with someone in mental health about their anxiety and depression OR goes to a Vet Center (part of the VA but mostly ran by veterans, doesn't report to anyone, and also free) and speaks with a counselor there about their depression and anxiety. This veteran has now built a backbone to help support their claim outside of "I was deployed to 'X' at this time, therefore, the assumption should be I have 'Y'". C&P has access to the VA records and can see this but does not have access to the Vet Center's. For the Vet Center, the vet would sign a ROI (Release of Information) to get copies of their own records to take to the exam. 

A good Veteran Service Officer should walk a vet through this, but that's not always the case depending on where you are. Don't just throw a bunch of darts and hope they land. Have something that adds weight to them so they stick.