ptsd Moved Post From Willy

[jbasser]

Today, 08:51 PM IP: 24.3.113.110 | Post #2 |

Recruit

I HAVE BEEN SCREWED OVER AND OVER BY THE VA FOR MY PTSD CLAIM. IT IS NOW ON APPEAL WITH THE DRO NOW. I RECEIVED A DIAGNOSIS 2 MONTHS AFTER BEING DISCHARGED AS HAVING PTSD BY A PRIVATE PSYCHIATRIST FOR THE NUMEROUS IED AMBUSHES I WAS IN AS WELL AS THE FULL BLOWN COMBAT THAT I EXPERIENCED DURING THE BATTLE OF FALLUJAH(OPERATION AL FAJR). SO FAR THE VA HAS ONLY SCREWED ME OVER EVEN THOUGH I HAVE BEEN IN TREATMENT AT THE VA HOSPITAL FOR THESE PROBLEMS GOING ON OVER A YEAR NOW AND NUMEROUS MEDICATIONS LATER. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT I CAN DO TO STOP HAVING TO TELL MY HEART WRENCHING STORIES TO A BUNCH OF DESK JOCKEYS? I WAS PROUD TO SERVE MY COUNTRY EVEN WITH THE TOLL IT HAD TAKEN ON ME AND MY FAMILY, THAT IS BEFORE I WENT TO THE VA FOR HELP. I SPENT LAST WINTER IN A HOUSE WITH NO HEAT AND RUNNING WATER BECAUSE I WAS UNABLE TO FUNCTION INDEPENDENTLY. WILL THIS EVER STOP? THEY HAD THE AUDACITY TO TELL ME WHAT I HAVE BEEN THROUGH IS NOT A SO CALLED STRESSOR EVEN TOUGH I WAS AWARDED A CAR AND A NAVY COM FOR MY ACTIONS IN COMBAT. DO THESE GUYS WANT ANOTHER DEAD COMBAT VET?

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[Berta]

"THEY HAD THE AUDACITY TO TELL ME WHAT I HAVE BEEN THROUGH IS NOT A SO CALLED STRESSOR EVEN TOUGH I WAS AWARDED A CAR AND A NAVY COM FOR MY ACTIONS IN COMBAT."

Veteran-what exactly did the VA say?

What VARO is this?

Does your DD 214 fully reveal those awards?

Do you have a vet rep or NSO?

Did you get a VCAA letter that explained in an underlined statement what evidence they needed from you?

HAs the VA attempted to get verification from JSRRC yet?

Then again- the CAR and the Navy COM indicating Merit or Valor denote combat participation-

I cannot imagine why they are questioning your stressor at all.

Something sure stinks here-

can you tell us exactly what reason the VA gave you to deny your claim?

[Berta]

In re-reading all this-

the VA has a specific definition of what a stressor is-

and 38 USC 1154 ( shows that those combat medals you have should

support the stressor you give them.

However-my husband was a combat vet and had to give them the blood and guts stuff on the PTSD questionnaire when he applied for higher rating for his PTSD.I think it made his PTSD worse just doing that.

There wasnt room for all of the stressors he told them about on the month by month page -he only put what he could fit into the form.

Also he only put what there was established verification of- like deaths of his buddys and their Commander- he gave names ,places and dates on that and an incident that made national news back home that he was involved with.it was beyond horror-NOT combat at all-just the consequences of a combat op-the VA didnt want details but he put enough if they needed to check it.

You need to reveal to the VA what stressors you had that raise to their definition of a stressor.

Once you do that, you wont have to deal with all that awful stuff anymore regarding the VA.

[WILLY3521]

THE VA STATED THAT NONE OF THESE EXPERIENCES QUALIFIED AS A STRESSOR. BEING BLOWN UP OR WATCHING YOUR BUDDIES GET BLOWN UP ISN'T CONSIDERED COMBAT SINCE THEY HAPPENED ON PATROL NOT IN COMBAT( THIS WAS THEIR WORDS REGARDING THE IED AMBUSHES). AT MY C&P EXAM, THE NURSE PRACTIONER CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW'S FIRST QUESTION TO ME WAS WHO IMPORTANT I KNEW IN THE MILITARY OR THE VA SYSTEM THIS WAS SIMPLY AN OUTRAGE TO ME AS I'M SURE SHE HAD ALREADY MADE HER DECISION WHEN I TOLD HER THAT I DID NOT KNOW ANY VIP'S. THIS WAS THE FIRST QUESTION THAT SHE ASKED ME. IS THERE ANYBODY THAT CAN TELL ME WHAT THIS HAS TO DO WITH MY PERSONAL HEALTH? NOWHERE IN MY LETTER FROM THE VA DID IT EVEN STATE MY PARTICIPATION IN THE BATTLE OF FALLUJAH, OR THE DIAGNOSIS THAT I HAD ALREADY RECEIVED FROM A PRIVATE PSYCHIATRIST EVEN THOUGH I WENT INTO GREAT DETAIL ABOUT IT WITH HER. LIKE I SAID I BELEIVE HER MIND WAS MADE UP WHEN SHE FOUND OUT I HAD NO TIES TO PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY MATTER TO THEM(VIP'S). THIS HAS ALL BEEN DONE OUT OF THE PITTSBURGH VARO AND IT HAS REALLY HURT THAT THEIR IS SUCH PREFFERENTIAL TREATMENT IN A SYSTEM THAT IS IN PLACE TO HELP THE AVERAGE VETERAN, NOT JUST THOSE WITH TIES TO POLITICIANS. I AM ONLY TRYING TO GET THEM TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I SUFFER DUE TO THESE EVENTS. AS OF THIS TIME THEY HAVE JUST TRIED TO WASH THEIR HANDS OF ME.

Edited April 18, 2007 by WILLY3521

[tssnave]

Willy,

Hang in there.

The folks here who know the system, like Berta, will help you through this maze. You can prevail.

Those of us who are in the VA maze ourselves without much understanding of the procedures may not be able to help you with the process but we can be an encouragment to one another.

The paradox of any mental illness claim is that the person who has to explain the situation (you, me, others on this board with mental disorders) is often the least able to because of the mental illness. You combine this with the VA process and it can seem overwhelming at times.

But again, you can prevail. Hang in there, post your questions to hadit (preferrably not in all caps because it's hard on the old eyes to read), and keep us posted on your progress.

Thanks,

ts

[Berta]

The VA has a specific definition of a stressor for PTSD claims-

http://www.ptsdmanual.com/chap1.htm

"A. The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following were present:

"(1) the person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self (i.e. combat, friendly fire, being mortared or rocketed, wounded, captured, driving a truck on a mined road, flying in a helicopter that was shot at, jumping our of a helicopter into a hot LT) or others (if you had a buddy who was wounded or lost squad members, family member, or seeing anyone who has recently been killed or injured such as being a medic or nurse on a trauma ward, body bagging, seeing someone you didn’t know killed, seeing kids, women or other Americans or civilians who had been killed, or wounded, etc.)

(2) the person's response involved intense fear, helplessness or horror."

______________________________________________________________________

Do you have a service officer or vet rep helping with this claim?

It seems to me that the stressor should have been conceded with the combat awards you have.

Something is really wrong here---

PTSD can come from a non-combat event as well as actual combat---

The very first 100% PTSD vet I met (1984) had NO exposure to combat at all in Vietnam but his Nam MOS clearly revealed his stressors.

[WILLY3521]

yeah my car is on my dd214. right now im just appealing their decision that my ptsd is not service connected and it's at the dro. anybody in that city during that battle seen enough dead bodies to last a lifetime. i just feel like they're just reaching farther and farther to wash their hands of me. everything about that city was a stressor at that time. there was bodies laying on every street for weeks at end before thay sent out a mortuary affairs team. and a good number of them were kids that didnt want to leave their father's side. all the dogs that had gotten loose were eating them, so we had to start puttin down the dogs too. there were so many carcasses that the insurgents started booby trapping them with ied's. nothing like ducking sniper fire while you watch a dog eat out someone's throat. and all this doesn't even include the times i had to waste some. tell me what part of that doesn't sound like it'd screw with you?