I'm not kidding. If drinking makes you emotional, take advantage of that and do so within reason prior to your CMP exam. I not only got connected after 7 years of appeals, I apparently shared enough to qualify for 100 rather than just 70. Of course you're not allowed to be too intoxicated.
We certainly would not endorse intentionally drinking to obtain a favorable evaluation/decision....however....if you have a substance abuse issue secondary to your PTSD or other service connected conditions, you should definitely communicate and claim that. We would also echo your sentiment that the examination day is not a day to be a tough guy. Thanks for the input!
The VA here in Dallas diagnosed me with service related ptsd. I’m in the trauma unit over there. I have my PTSD C&P exam today. I hate that I’m gonna have to relive old shit again.
How do I speak about my PTSD at my C&P exam. My PTSD was caused by an accident that I had in service where I sustained a serious injury to my face which I am already receiving disability for. My PTSD really surfaces when I’m around water or pools. I use to think that PTSD causes were from combat type of events, but I’ve learned that this is far from the truth. My PTSD does not affect my everyday routine or being at work etc, but does flare up when I’m at my house when I’m looking at my pool, or FO’s forbid I see people diving into a pool or any body of water. I get flushed with flashback thoughts and feelings which then creates extreme anxiety type of feelings where I have found myself grimacing and/or closing my eyes. I’ve even kind of lost my shit by yelling at not only my kids, but have yelled at their friends when they wouldn’t listen to me about diving in, where my wife has intervened and told me to stop acting that way. I’ve expressed to my wife that I can’t control the feelings when I see this happening and she then tells me to walk away which I do, but the thoughts stay in my head.
Undoubtedly you are correct. PTSD is absolutely not exclusive to combat. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Hang in there and don’t hesitate to seek help.
This is a difficult question to answer. Generally, ptsd diagnoses have a higher percentage of success because the criteria to service connected it is less stringent. Keep in mind MDD can still be services connected, you will just need an opinion linking it to an event on active duty. Alternatively, you can link the MDD to a condition you are already service connected with. For example, your service connected back injury from the military causes your MDD now. Hope that makes sense. An MDD diagnosis isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Yes, you definitely want to reference your current symptoms attributable to your active duty event. What we are trying to communicate is you need to attribute current symptoms to active duty events and not stressful events before or after active duty. For example, focusing your mental health examination discussion on the previous death of your pet or sibling 3-5 years following your military separation would likely be detrimental to your claim as the examiner would likely attribute a diagnosis to a non-service event. Hope that helps clarify. Good luck!
Hello, to file an increase you will want to submit a 21-526EZ (www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/vba-21-526ez-are.pdf) to the evidence intake center (www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/mailingaddresses.asp). Alternatively, assuming you have an established online account, you can submit a claim online with one of the VA's approved websites (www.va.gov/disability/file-disability-claim-form-21-526ez/introduction?next=loginModal). However, just printing/mailing can be easier sometimes. If you file a claim for an increase, it's in your best interest to have your psychologist complete a DBQ first. Here's the PTSD dbq (only for PTSD claimants): www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/docs/PTSD_Review.pdf. And here's the general mental health dbq: www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/docs/Mental_Disorders.pdf Pay close to section one, part 3 of the DBQ. Specifically, at a minimum, the examiner will need to check the box that states "Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity" in order for you to help your case in obtaining an increase to at least 50%. You DO NOT need a nexus letter because your condition is already service connected. Good luck!
Had my Insomnia C&P exam secondary to Migraines for an Initial claim, today. I went through all the questions and the doctor said he would diagnose me with Insomnia and PTSD (I am going through PTSD therapy). I’m so confused cause I didn’t know they would’ve connected that way. I do have a PTSD supplemental claim.
No question, yes. The tough part can be proving it, but usually helicopter accidents are documented. Be certain to include as many specific facts as possible.
I want to bring my wife(who is also a board Certified Family Practice Physician) to my PTSD C&P exam - and when I bring her in, I want to introduce her as a Doctor. Would this hurt me, or would this make them take me more seriously and not mess around with the exam?
This is a fascinating question. It certainly can’t hurt to bring your medical professional family member into your exam. Naturally, whether that is actually helpful will be determined by the examiner. Some examiners might now like their influence, while other examiners might prefer their opinion. Rather than focus on their presence at the exam, I would instead have the spouse professional provide DBQ reports and medical opinions on your behalf. Certainly this would greatly help your case. Make sure they use the “as likely as not” language with their opinions and provide substantive reasoning to support those opinions (rough medical opinion example below); also, ensure they use the VA published DBQs. _____________ Introduction: give a quick summary of relevant active duty facts and current medical facts Opinion: the veteran’s right knee arthritis is as likely as not caused by events on active duty Reasoning: The Veteran was an infantryman paratrooper on active duty. The Veteran reported knee problems on active duty on 1/8/2019. The Veteran has a current diagnosis of right knee arthritis. Objective imaging dated 5/6/2021 confirms this diagnosis. The Veteran endured repeated stresses on the knee joints while serving their role as an infantryman paratrooper. This active duty knee stress likely caused narrowing or their knee joint space and caused the arthritis. _____________ In addition to providing the written medical opinion and examination reports, they could also provide expert testimony at a BVA hearing on the record. A Judge would likely give significant probative value to such testimony. Best of luck!
Generally you should help the examiner complete as much of the dbq as possible. The examiner should complete the examination part of the dbq. For example, if possible, you should help them complete the medication, objective testing, history, etc. this just makes it easier for them. It’s a case by case decision as some examiners want to complete the entire thing. At a minimum, the examiner should be reviewing and agreeing with anything prepared before endorsing it. Hope that helps.
You said not to bring up relationships post deployment/career. What if on your deployments you became detached, angry and aggressive to which point they caused relationship failure/divorce? 20 yrs/ 5 deployments end 2 relationships do I not bring this up?
You can definitely discuss your situation. Your situation is quite relevant to an examiner. What we were trying to impart was to focus on events stemming from active duty so you give the examiner a reason to link your current diagnosis to military service. Sorry for any confusion!
That’s a loaded question. We’ve never seen it affect someone in the thousands of cases we’ve worked. However, your job could potentially be affected if your mental health causes the desire to harm yourself or others, limits your ability to make sound decisions, or limits your reliability to perform the job in general. Generally though, we haven’t seen it be an issue in the workforce. Good that helps. Good luck!
I had my c&p exam today for PTSD. The doctor said I don't want you to relive anything. Just tell me how you are feeling. I said sad, angry, and irritable. He began to talk about all the books he wrote pertaining to mental health and after about 15 minutes of hearing him talk, he said ok we are done here. I agree with the file and i believe you have PTSD. I'm going to put in the remarks that "you need intensive inpatient mental helath treatment" has this happened to anyone else? Not sure if this is a good thing or not
This is maddening. We would encourage you to write a personal statement about this C&P exam experience. Consider submitting a higher level review (HLR) and request an informal conference so you can explain to the adjudicator that the examiner was unprofessional. Ask the adjudicator to reschedule an exam with another mental health C&P professional. Alternatively, you can obtain a diagnosis of PTSD from a mental health practitioner and submit a supplemental claim with the diagnosis. The VA will likely bring you in for another C&P exam if you do this. Be sure to submit either the HLR or the supplemental claim within 1 year of your decision to keep your claim open. Sorry for your frustration. Sadly, your experience isn't unique. All the best!
You're not taking into consideration the exacerbation claim. The service also owes you if they made a condition you already had worse. If you had PTSD symptoms when you went in the service and the service made that worse, you have a claim.
