C&P Exams: PTSD
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- Welcome to our informative and comprehensive CZcams video on obtaining service connection for PTSD as a veteran. In this video, we will guide you through the process, regulations, and the essential Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) you can expect during your Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam.
PTSD DBQ:
www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/...
Website: vadisabilitygroup.com/
vadisabilitygroup.com/c-and-p...
Video Content:
0:00 Intro
0:25 Service Connection PTSD
1:03 Diagnosis
1:16 Favorable Medical Nexus
2:00 Regulations
3:26 DBQ Walk-Through
8:00 Outro
My man. Straight to the point. Bada Boom Bada Bing😂
Thx for the comment. Correct, straight to the point!
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.
Sorry to hear this. It can be such a frustrating process. Hang in there.
@@VADisabilityGroup hey, I’m under the wing of all you fellow humans so I’m gonna be ok. Appreciate your work,
How did it go?
I absolutely hate those intakes and evals... fucking infuriating that I have to do it every time I see a new doc.
Thanks for this. I sure could use help
Yes sir! You are on the money as 7 days after I submitted my fdc they scheduled my c&p in 4 weeks from now; truly appreciate your feedback sir.
Fantastic! It is better than waiting 6-12 months for them to schedule the C&P exam. Good luck.
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.
Thank you for this!
Thanks for all you do sir. I sent in my FDC recently using ALL the tools you taught in your videos My FDC included a great Nexus letter, personal statement, in-service event medical documentation, all x ray and mri reports and office visits (va and private) and all medical evidence with diagnosis for my disability. Someone told me recently that all i submitted was great; BUT being that I could not get my private Dr. to do a DBQ for me, the absence of a DBQ from my FDC will now knock it out of FDC status and it is going to get a special indicator called FDC Excluded!
Is this true? It seems counter to anything you have ever taught us. Your feedback would be appreciated.
Great job doing your due diligence and preparing the evidence. That's the tough part. No, the lack of a DBQ should NOT kick it out of the the FDC lane. As long as you have a diagnosis and a medical opinion linking the condition you should be ok. What may happen, and what we've seen occur in this situation, is the VA will award service connection with a tentative 0% evaluation; the VA will then schedule an immediate examination to determine the severity of your condition.
To answer your question though, "no" it should not automatically be discarded from the FDC lane.
Keep in mind it's not uncommon for FDC claims to have VA C&P examinations scheduled. The goal is to provide as much evidence/documentation as possible so the VA can either grant the benefit or get straight to the scheduling C&P exam phase. The majority of the time the VA will still schedule its own C&P exam. It usually takes 5-6 months for the C&P exams to be scheduled if you aren't in the FDC program, but you are giving them the documentation to get straight to that phase.
You are definitely putting yourself in a much better position to receive a favorable decision by taking the actions you are taking. Nice work.
Hope this all makes sense.
If you go in for PtSD C&P exam and they diagnose you for major depressive disorder instead what can you do after ?
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.
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!
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!
I have 30 percent for mental health. How do I file for an increase? Do I need a nexus letter?
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!
You said not to mention your post service too much, but won't it help speaking on how your service connected incident impacts you today?
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!
@@VADisabilityGroup thanks for clarifying.
Is it possible for a PTSD claim to interfere with my job in public safety?
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!