VA Rated 60% Depression BUT

[glashutte]

Hello. 

The VA rated me 60% depression and part of my VA claim process was to see a psychiatrist. 

She talked to me for about 1 hour and I guess submitted her eval. 

I don't think I am 60%. I am sure I'm at about 30%

Thing is I haven't seen a psychiatrist for about 2-3 years because they make me nervous and extremely uncomfortable. Getting the nerves to go again though. I haven't taken my psych meds or seen psychologist or psychiatrist for 2-3 years and have been self dealing with my depression and anxiety and night terrors.  (I never go to VA doctors, I only go to civilian docs)

How bad does this look in eyes of VA if they find out? What can they do?

 

What Should I do?

Edited July 20 by glashutte

[brokensoldier244th]

Why? You didn’t make the evaluation. That’s why we see doctors, we aren’t competent to medically asses ourselves. 

[glashutte]

At the time I read somewhere (reputable source) that 60% meant you had a major mental health issue that causes you to visit the hopsital X amount of times per year, or can only work part time due to MH condition. 

I don't fit that...

[rentalguy1]

There is no 60% rating for MH. There also is no requirement to be seen by a MH provider at any scheduled interval, although it is a good idea no matter what your rating percentage, both to maintain your rating and, more importantly, for your health.

 

General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders:

 

Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as:

gross impairment in thought processes or communication;

persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate

behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent

inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance

of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memory

loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name ....................100

 

Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas,

such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood,

due to such symptoms as: suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals

which interfere with routine activities; speech intermittently illogical,

obscure, or irrelevant; near-continuous panic or depression affecting

the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively;

impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods

of violence); spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and

hygiene; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including

work or a worklike setting); inability to establish and maintain

effective relationships ........................................................................................70

 

Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and

productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial,

circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once

a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment

of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned

material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired

abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in

establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships ...............50

 

Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work

efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational

tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine

behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms

as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or

less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as

forgetting names, directions, recent events) .......................................................30

 

Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms

which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational

tasks only during periods of significant stress, or; symptoms controlled

by continuous medication ..................................................................................10

 

A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not

severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social

functioning or to require continuous medication ..................................................0

[brokensoldier244th]

17 minutes ago, glashutte said:

At the time I read somewhere (reputable source) that 60% meant you had a major mental health issue that causes you to visit the hopsital X amount of times per year, or can only work part time due to MH condition. 

I don't fit that...

You aren’t required to seek treatment anywhere but it benefits you to do so if you ever file for an increase

[glashutte]

^ At this

My mistake. I was rated 70% and am actually at 30-50%

Just now, brokensoldier244th said:

You aren’t required to seek treatment anywhere but it benefits you to do so if you ever file for an increase

Does not seeing the 'VA' doctors for the granted ratings raise a red flag for the VA?

[brokensoldier244th]

10 hours ago, glashutte said:

^ At this

My mistake. I was rated 70% and am actually at 30-50%

Does not seeing the 'VA' doctors for the granted ratings raise a red flag for the VA?

No, that’s what we’re trying to tell you. There is no requirement to see treatment through private or VA means if you wanna have your days and do your own thing in your own space and whatever that’s perfectly fine. The only time it causes a problem is if you apply for saying an increase someday or for housebound, or individual unemployability. Those types of contentions are basically asking for an increase of all your conditions because the VA would rather give out a permanent and total then a partial rating that’s not 100%, but then have to explain why they’re paying it at 100%. Usually when the congress critters start asking about expenditures. 
 

In those cases, you’re going to want current records from somewhere establishing a baseline of severity so that the doctor has something to compare between now and say back when you got rated so they can determine if you’ve gotten worse or are staying static

 

I don’t know what you read that’s “reputable“ but there are no VA regulations that I have ever read that say anything about having to seek treatment or a certain rating guarantees that you can only work part-time or do you have to see a medical doctor X times per whatever. IU is the closest I'm aware of and it doesn't say you can only work part-time, it says 'unemployable' but the "part time" comes from inferring the yearly poverty level and then working enough to stay below that to not trigger 'gainful employment'. 

Edited July 20 by brokensoldier244th