PTSD Exams Updates

Jun 06, 2021

Senator Wicker Asks Important Questions About PTSD C&P Exam Quality - VA Responds with Eloquent Obscurantism

Senator Wicker asked the VA to:

"Describe how the VA conducts quality control of PTSD C&P exam results, and C&P examiner performances."

This article critiques the VA's answer to Senator Wicker's questions and covers the following topics:

VA's Response to Senator Wicker

Analysis of VA's Response

Problem: Misleading

Problem: Limited Relevance

Problem: The Audit Review Tool does not measure the quality of a C&P examination.

FY2020 Audit Review Criteria (screenshot; you can also download the actual criteria in PDF format)

Analysis of Audit Review Criteria

What is obscurantism?

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May 21, 2021

Normal Cognitive Test Scores Cannot Be Interpreted as Accurate with Failed PVT

While use of performance validity tests (PVTs) has become a standard of practice in neuropsychology, there are differing opinions regarding whether to interpret cognitive test data when standard scores fall within normal limits despite PVTs being failed.

This study is the first to empirically determine whether normal cognitive test scores underrepresent functioning when PVTs are failed.

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May 19, 2021

Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation, June 23-24 Meeting

The next meeting of the VA Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation is June 22-23, 2021 from 0900 to 1200 EDT. This post contains:

* Meeting Agenda

* NEW Call-in Number to listen to the meeting

* How to send the Committee a public comment

* Time Zone chart to find the meeting start time in your location

Click the link below to read this post.

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May 13, 2021

SIMS - Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology

SIMS cut score: What is the best cut score for the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS)?

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May 12, 2021

Service Members Seeking Disability Compensation Did Not Progress in Intensive Outpatient Treatment for PTSD

These results provide preliminary data indicating that participation in disability separation may attenuate the effect of PTSD treatment ...

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May 12, 2021

PTSD: Comorbid Mental Disorders, Chronic Pain, and Medical Conditions

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an often disabling mental disorder whose management typically focuses on reducing PTSD symptoms. Chronic pain and other comorbidities that commonly accompany PTSD symptoms may also be independently associated with disability.

...

Common comorbidities thus significantly influence disability associated with PTSD, often more strongly than PTSD symptoms.

...

If you conduct a Review PTSD exam, and you determine that one or more comorbid psychiatric, medical, or chronic pain disorders are secondary to PTSD, but the veteran did not file a secondary condition claim, consider either

(i) writing an Opinion and Rationale about the secondary conditions anyway; or

(ii) include a sentence or two indicating the possibility of PTSD-related secondary conditions.

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May 12, 2021

MST Associated with Poor Sexual Functioning & Decreased Satisfaction Among Female Veterans

Sexual dysfunction and decreased sexual satisfaction would seem to constitute empirically-grounded "behavioral markers" for MST-related C&P exams.

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May 12, 2021

MMPI-2: Detecting Feigned PTSD

This study found that many of the MMPI-2 validity scales are similar in their utility in differentiating genuine from nongenuine responders. However, the FB scale, the O-S scale, and the F-K index had the largest effect sizes in detecting the difference between genuine or nonclinical control samples and those feigning PTSD.

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May 12, 2021

Long-term PTSD Course Among OEF & OIF Veterans

Implications for C&P Examiners: When veterans file a claim for an increased disability rating, keep in mind that, in general, PTSD symptoms very gradually subside, but remain above the threshold for a PTSD diagnosis. Thus, increasingly worse symptoms over time goes against the general trend. [But read the entire article for important details.]

Effect of disability compensation? ==> VA service-connected disability for PTSD at T1 [was] significantly associated with greater PTSD symptom severity at each time point. [But read the entire article for important details.]

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May 08, 2021

Military Sexual Assault Worse Than Civilian Sexual Assault for Women

Implications for C&P Examiners: Even if a female service member or veteran suffered pre-military sexual trauma, this research suggests that military sexual assault likely ... For male survivors of military sexual assault, examiners should be familiar with the literature on ...

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Apr 25, 2021

Newsletter Archives

Newsletter archives - PTSD Exams Newsletter previous issues

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Apr 19, 2021

New Handout for VIP Members: "MoCA Update"

VIP Extra #12 is titled, "Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Update".

There's been some important new research and updates to the MoCA that C&P examiners (psychologists and psychiatrists) should know about if they administer the test.

This handout is available to VIP Members only. If you are a member, go to the VIP Downloads page. You will need to enter the password.

If you are not a VIP Member, click the "Continue reading ..." link below to learn more.

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Apr 18, 2021

Psychological Injury and Law 13, No. 4 (Dec 2020) → Packed with Superb Articles!

I don't think I've ever recommended an entire issue of a journal before. But this publication contains so many excellent articles that I must recommend the entire December 2020 issue of Psychological Injury and Law.

I posted the citations and abstracts for the articles.

Leading scholars in forensic psychology—such as William E. Foote, Jane Goodman-Delahunty, Eileen A. Kohutis, and Gerald Young, to name just a few—penned many of the articles.

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Apr 18, 2021

Tips for a Winning VA Disability Claim

Excellent advice for veterans from a VA-accredited claims agent.

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Apr 13, 2021

Argument Recap - Lynch v. McDonough

In Lynch v. McDonough, veteran Joe A. Lynch is asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to overrule Ortiz v. Principi, 274 F.3d 1361 (Fed. Cir. 2001), a case setting forth the burden of proof by which veterans must prove their claims. The link below takes you to the Fed Circuit Blog's recap of oral arguments held on 8 Apr 2021.

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