I am working with a veteran on a PTSD claim. In his decision that state that they condede his stressor however, the C&P doctor states that he was uncooperative at his exam and made no diaognosis. He does have a one from a civilian doctor. Any advise. BTW claim denied.

Sharon,
What are the credentials of the civilian doctor - hopefully a Psychiatrist or Psychologist.
Does the diagnosis (evidence) from the civilian doctor, relate the conceded stressor to his PTSD ?
Was it submitted and listed in the Evidence Section.
Did the Rating Decision address this Evidence that is favorable to the claim and state in the Reasons and Bases Section why they aren't applying the BOD?

carlie

Sharon, I'd suggest requesting another C&P exam, as the first one was inadequate because the examiner gave no diagnosis. I'm thinking maybe the claimant didn't want to review his stressor(s) as that is usually quite painful.

pr

Carlie: To the best of my knowledge he needs to have a VA C&P exam. I can't see how they could award it otherwise. Venturing a guess, I suspect the person who made the diagnosis didn't have the c-file present. jmo

pr

I agree with Philip Sharon-

to ask for another C & P-

this has happened before- these C & Ps are very stressful for PTSD vets.

I am surprised that the C & P doctor didnt consider his lack of co-operation to indicate it was symptomatic of his PTSD.

Then again was the C & P doctor even qualified to opine on a PTSD claim?

The BVA ordered a Cardiologist to opine on my claim.
Their endocrinologist's opinion had already been knocked
down.
I called the C & P people here at Bath VAMC where the opinion was to be done -only to find that a PA was going to do it.

I raised this point aggressively in my rebuttal to the C & P as well as medical errors etc the C & P examiner made ending his report that the evidence was inconclusive and he would have to resort to speculation to support the claim.

Long story but I also attacked the C & P doctors credentials as being totally inappropriate to opine on diabetic cardiomyopathy.BVA briefly mentioned all that in the award.

In your vet's case the C & P doc might not even have been a 'doc' but a PA or nurse with no psychiatric background.

Another Vietnam vet riled up my husband once while he waited for a PTSD C & P. By time he got in the doctor's office he refused to even talk about Vietnam.Then I heard the staff looking everywhere for his C file-while I waited for him.
When I knocked down this C & P exam (it was for higher rating) I raised these two points.
I was eye witness to the other vet working him up-as well as the fact that they had not found his files at all by the time we left the hospital.

Do you have the actual C & P results?
Something in the results could have been the reason the vet didnt co-operate.

The civilian doctor- are they a psychologist or psyvchiatrist?
Do they have treatment records on him?

Is VA fully aware of these records?

The vet has to understand that our lives are controlled by these C & Ps.He needs to realise that this is one very important situation in which he has to try to co operate with the VA.

His stressor has been conceded so he is over that hump but the C & P is what will determine if the VA compensates him.

I saw this at the vet center I worked at-
the stress and anxiety that would come with these C & Ps.
It was so different from that fact that these vets could reveal their stressors within the PTSD Combat Rap group
and talk of things that even their significant others never knew but when they get in front of a stranger at a C & P ,it can be very different.

If the private doctor is willing to prepare an IMO for him-maybe that could help resolve this problem.

Thanks you guys,

I am requesting another C&P exam along with another IMO from his Psychiatrist. He has a GAF of 30. What do they expect from a veteran that is effective 100%. He witnessed another veteran committ suicide. At least the stressor has been conceded.

Sharon,
As I know you are well aware of, the stressor being conceded by VA is 3/4 of the battle.
carlie