Claim Incoming

[Sludge]

Well folks, just three weeks ago I finally made my PTSD/Depression claim. The VA is treating me for it, so they better pay me for it, is my thinking.

I got the letter five days after filing for my compensation exam.

Bit, nervous, me.

Good news is, I have very easily proven traumatic events. One is googleable, the other, well all I have to do is lift my shirt and show them.

I figure I have a good shot since the brain meds they tried to kill me with all say "...for symptoms of PTSD and Depression..." right on the labels. The original civilian diagnosis helps too.

What worries me though, is they are going to force me to rehash everything I have worked so hard to accomplish in regard to dealing with the beast. I hate repetition. I hate doing the work twice.

So, I go in on the 17th so they can find out what they already know.


Sometimes the VA makes me giggle in how lost they appear.


"Eight cops and dog to get you out of the basement?"
"Disarmed and lectured a cop!?"
"Drank how much that day?"
"How'd you get that big assed scar on your gut and why did the VA rebuild your face?"
"What do you mean Columbian accents set you off?"



This is gonna suck.

 

[Grizzly]

Good luck Brother. If it works, I wrote my triggers and stressor letters in outline form and submitted that as a statement supporting claim. At the very beginning of the outline I had bullet points of the statement on what my issues are.

During the C&P exam the Dr. told me he read my statement. He then said he didn't want me to re-hash everything. He went down the DSM-5 list and ask me questions that simply required a yes / no answer. At the end he told me how he is evaluating me and wished me luck in my treatment.

Obviously every C&P is different. Maybe a worth a try. I took baby steps when I wrote my statement.

 

[Sarg]

They're going to rip off the scab, Sludge. All you can do is hunker down and take the pain. Do not hold back! Try getting vivid enough for them to throw up. They want you to hold back. That way they can low-ball you on your percentage. Bring your pill bottles and show them the labels. Pull up your shirt. Bring the documentation on them fixing your face.

VA medical and VA claims are two entirely different outfits. They don't communicate. They don't want to. Like Grizz said, write it down. Every little bit.

Good luck, Sludge.

Sarg

 

[BaMuoiBa]

Good Luck Sludge! You'll do just fine.

It could be like going into the belly of *The Beast* or nothing alt all - depending the person doing the C&P. I have been SC for PTSD for 5+ years. My VSO recently applied for IU and that triggered a re-evaluation for several of issues. Of course PTSD was right on top of the heap. In the past 5 years I have been seen by two medical professionals and the total time for both was less than 25 minutes. Via appeals and Veteran law court I was awarded 10% at first then 30% under appeal and recently 50% by a Veteran law Judge. A few weeks ago I go for the C&P for PTSD based on the IU. The psychiatrist asked about my prior evaluations and asked why I was never evaluated via the DSM V standard (as If I'm supposed to know why the VA does stupid shit). I say "can't say I was - it has to be in my chart" she say's "Hummm" and begins reading. After a few uh's and ah's and shaking her head she say's "lets get started".

Long story short, she ran me thorough the gauntlet for about 45 minutes. Other than my supporting narrative on my initial claim and my therapist this was a first for me with a VA shrink. A few days later via myHealtheVet I downloaded the report. I compared the results with a blank copy of the DSM V. Although it was sort of an ambush the way it went down I just answered honestly and commented when necessary. I almost never got any 90's in school but almost aced this one. Not finished with the IU claim yet but it should be interesting to see where it all ends up. Stay tuned boy's and girl's.

Ba

 

[atilla]

Good luck Sludge!

 

[Deleted member 43454]

Always seems worse then it ends up being... most of the time :P For me at least.
Get some gnarly anxiety going an nervousness an then its just questions about your life and how you've adapted basically.
The lot of us have many examples. Brutal honesty, what can they do?
I think you will be fine Sludge.

After the fact... yea may not be easy. For that I do wish you the best of luck.
Leaving those appointments can be real shitty. My C&P was in EP, TX.
And the VA clerks were dicks, but the evaluation outside the VA was understanding and listening to what was going on basically.

 

[combatgoldfish]

My C&P was literally 7 minutes if that. The guy could tell I was getting worked up and pissed. I came back out and a buddy asked if I had even seen anyone lol. My 5 year is coming up. Should be interesting.

 

[vikingr24]

Good luck with it. Reading the results is great from you guys but I just don't have the fortitude to go through that BS. I was given the forms when PTSD was battle fatigue and they knew nothing about it. (Nothing has changed.) I looked at all the forms and Sludge you nailed it: repetition, redundant, redundant, redundant. F&ck it. But I am glad the VA is coming to their senses at least for some of us.

Admire your fortitude.

 

[Sludge]

Good luck with it. Reading the results is great from you guys but I just don't have the fortitude to go through that BS. I was given the forms when PTSD was battle fatigue and they knew nothing about it. (Nothing has changed.) I looked at all the forms and Sludge you nailed it: repetition, redundant, redundant, redundant. F&ck it. But I am glad the VA is coming to their senses at least for some of us.

Admire your fortitude.

Not my cup of tea either. Spent the entire summer out of my comfort zone...figure might as well continue the trend....


Perhaps they will finally recognize I am likely not an epileptic, but a PNES sufferer.

 

[Grizzly]

Sludge. My PCP mentioned PNES too me a few months back. I have been going through all the creening to rule out other issues.

Good luck to you on that.

 

[Sludge]

Sludge. My PCP mentioned PNES too me a few months back. I have been going through all the creening to rule out other issues.

Good luck to you on that.

Yeah, PNES is relatively new, but current research is demonstrating a trend with a direct correlation of seizure-like symptoms with military PTSD, DU exposure, and PNES.

I fall into all three categories. However, the DU is a tricky one as the VA only recognizes it for those with embedded fragments. This is frustrating as anyone that worked with the M61/M168 Vulcans bathed in the notoriously toxic shit as the residue after sabot dispersion blows back and sticks to the surface oil on the guns. Funny when mercury and lead are safer than DU, but the VA doesn't recognize the permanent neurological effects the rest of the world does.

(They have since dumped PD680 as solvent and 9700 as surface protectant and gone to methanol and Dry Film lubes on these guns in addition to dumping DU in favor of the High Lethality Tungsten rounds.)

PNES is basically anxiety attacks so bad they look like seizures. It is recognized in the DSM-V, but diagnosis can be difficult as a percentage of non-epileptics show epileptic brain activity, and many epileptics have no signs of such activity. It is believed now that PNES is likely the explanation of this issue.

To me this is a likely logical diagnosis, as I have all three types of seizures, and thanks to careful record keeping on my part, my Docs agree that there is a definitive link between my PTSD "flare ups" and my "seizures".

Interesting thing is since I had my teeth fixed and am not in constant pain and infected, and have started actual PTSD treatment, my seizures have gone away.


truthfully, I just want to get it over with, just want to get on with my life. Being told I am mentally ill is insulting. Sort of an "No shit" situation.

This is why I have officially dumped Biochem and psychology and am getting a MS in entomology. I feel as if I know to much about what is wrong with me, and this is hindering treatment due to personal bias. I wont have that problem with bugs, and can be that guy with a bug in a jar. Only makes sense as I was that kid with a bug in a jar.