If you have PTSD or another disability, physical or mental, that you incurred while on AD or while you were drilling if you're National Guard or a reservist, OR if you were called to AD through Title 10 or Title 32, OR if you disclosed a pre-existing condition and a doctor cleared you on your entrance exam and it was aggravated while on AD, here's some help.

If you haven't already, file a claim with the VA. There is an online form called VONAPP https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits.portal?_nfpb=true&_portlet.async=false&_pageLabel=ebenefits_myeb_vonapp1

Veterans' Service Organizations (VSO) are very helpful in guiding vets through the claims process. There is a ton of them (link to .gov site that has a .pdf of VSOs): http://www.va.gov/vso/ VSOs can act as your power of attorney before, while and after your claim is being processed.

If you are still in the military, make sure you keep copies of your medical records, and please get seen at sick call anytime you have any sort of medical issue. Get it documented. There is a program for service members who are separating where your claim begins before you leave AD. http://www.benefits.va.gov/PREDISCHARGE/index.asp

If you file a claim within one year of separation, your claim immediately qualifies you for certain medical exams to help adjudicate your claim. Your claim might not be processed as quickly as you like, but the key is to get your claim in, even an informal one written on a napkin, before the year is up. The "date of claim" is the date the VA receives it, even if it's informal. VONAPP is helpful in quickly establishing a claim.

Filling out the PTSD narrative is usually a huge trigger. Take your time and do it with the help of a VSO. Military sexual trauma (MST) is extremely difficult to discuss for male and female vets. If you're in therapy for any reason, it might help to have your provider assist you in filling out the narrative portion of the form. "The Invisible War" is a good film about MST. http://invisiblewarmovie.com/ It can also be a trigger, and IIRC, it doesn't address male victims. However, the VA *knows* that men are MST victims as well. Both men and women hardly ever report MST.

Also check out Vet Centers for medical, educational and other benefits: http://www.vetcenter.va.gov/index.asp You should have a local VA rep in your county.

Whatever you do, don't give up.

ETA: You do not have to have been in combat or personally assaulted in a physical manner (not only MST) to be diagnosed with PTSD. In addition, PTSD can come up at any time during a person's life. It can be like a ticking time bomb, so don't let time affect your decision whether or not to pursue a claim.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/2013 04:18PM by Beth.

You should become a VSO, Beth :-) Really!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/2013 09:46PM by robertb.

Great Info - thanks for posting!

I am a vet who had a diagnosis while still on active duty. Always seek help when you need it.

However, it is also smart to go into any situation with eyes wide open.

First- Know that it has been mine and other veterans' experience that they treat you like a malingerer.(faker) Let this role off your back. I can't get anyone to admit it but I think this is policy. *Read the paperwork submitted to the VA by VSO. You could think that you and your VSO are understanding each other and that they are on your side, but then you read the paperwork that they submitted on your behalf and it is nothing like what the 2 of you discussed. Know that it might be a struggle. Don't let them deter you.

Second- You can't undo this. All of this process will be in a database for ever. We apparently do not have a right to privacy anymore, even medical records, and the agencies that will have your information have been commanded to share that information when it is requested for any reason.

If you are ok financially and can get help somewhere other than the VA I think you should do that.

THAT being said, after my claim was accepted and a disability awardedthe care I get at the VA is pretty good. The doctors all seem to care and the customer service on the phone is top notch.

The claims process is hellishly stressful, inconsistent, and slow. With the Veterans Service Reps mileage may vary considerably. It pays to ask around. I have seen good and not so good.

The backlog is terrible. The VBA is hiring like crazy because Sec. Shinseki has a goal of processing each claim in 125 days with 85% accuracy by 2015.

Yeah, it's what happens when our government starts stupid-ass wars or fights them in a stupid-ass way.

Sec. Shinseki is a good man and a vet himself. He went toe-to-toe with Rumsfeld. I hope he can get everything done he wants to.

Beth Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
The VBA is hiring like
> crazy

Good to know. Where would you apply for that job?

Start with usajobs.gov.

"Claims Assistant" and "Rating Veterans Service Representative."

robertb is right -- USAJOBS.gov is the place to start.

Also know they hire in fits and starts, so I'd put a search alert on for keywords. Also consider moving. The big places are Philadelphia, Houston, Seattle...I'm sure there are more.

There are offices (they're called ROs - regional offices) in Honolulu, St. Petersburg, Portland. The bigger ROs are usually where the most bases are. I can't remember who handles the San Diego area. There's an RO in Sacramento, and I thiiink SLC. There's one in NM, AZ (I forgot the cities) and I think another in Waco, TX.

The fits and starts hiring thing is because some ROs get special missions (yes, the VBA talks like military). Nehmer was a Seattle RO mission. I think it took three years. Lincoln, NE works with most radiation cases.

Also, Oakland, CA. The VA does talk military. You don't have a daily work schedule or shift. It's a "tour of duty." *chuckle*

Thanks for the info.

And you can always fire your VSO and get a new one or do it on your own.

As far as records -- when we joined the military, we lost all privacy. Unless a vet's records were destroyed in the 1973 fire, records are housed in the RMC (St. Louis, Missouri) or at the Surgeon General's in some cases.

Applying for VA disability benefits means you can get your due if you are willing to apply, respond to letters you'll receive asking for information and be patient.

You served your country. You were injured while doing so. You are at least owed recognition if not a tax free monthly disability check. If your claim is denied, there is an appeal process that can be taken to a congressional level, and if the law changes, the VBA *must* reopen your claim and start your benefits from the time you first applied. <-- That's what happened with Nehmer.

Vietnam Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange were treated abysmally by the government for over 30 years. They were told that none of their medical conditions were caused by herbicide exposure and that their ailments were all in their head or plain old bad luck.

The VBA just paid out $3B to those vets and their families thanks to the Nehmer class-action suit. It's a shame it had to go that far for people to be told that yes, we dropped horrific things on you and you were irreparably injured. Many of the vets have died. The money won't reverse the harm, but it could make the future easier.

VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) are getting much better. It's a shame it took the Walter Reed scandal and two wars to have more money invested in medical care.

A benefits check could help keep a veteran and his or her family housed, fed and clothed, especially if the condition is service-connected and worsens over time. That's why the process is starting pre-discharge (I'm not talking about medical boards). If a veteran receiving disability checks from the VA has dependents, they are considered in the rating decision and subsequent reward. Should the veteran become house bound or unemployable due to his/her disability, Aid and Attendance and Individual Unemployability benefits are available.

Beth Wrote:
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Ditto

>
> VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) are getting much
> better. It's a shame it took the Walter Reed
> scandal and two wars to have more money invested
> in medical care.

Walter Reed is an *Army* hospital, dammit, not VHA :p

Ditto

So there! ;-P

LOL. I'm not going to win because you're a woman and you're Beth :p Really, though, I hope you become a rep. *hug*

I highly recommend the documentary, Poster Girl http://www.postergirlthemovie.com/trailer.php

Opened my eyes up to what is going on with vets today--especially the younger ones.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2013 12:30AM by liminal state.

One has a stand alone PTSD clinic. There is a women's health center separate from the main hospital (women are often triggered by being around a lot of male vets). There's a HUGE homeless vet program on the county, state and federal level, and homeless vet claims get priority. Others do, too, like vets over 70 years old.

The Salt Lake VA Hospital has been great to me. I got treated for prostate cancer, due to agent orange and last March I had to undergo a triple by-pass. I spent two weeks in the hospital as it was touch and go for a while. Without the VA I would have been six foot under by now.
I can't praise the VA in Salt Lake enough. They treated me like a human being not a source with insurance.

ST

Damn, ST. Glad you're still with us. My uncle served (and died) in Vietnam. Air Cav D 1/5. I have a huge soft spot for Vietnam vets. Glad you got such great treatment. The great majority of VA people I know are dedicated.