PTSD Exams Updates

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.

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

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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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Mar 29, 2021

Mental Disorders, chapter 14 in Physician's Guide for Disability Evaluation Examinations (1985)

I added a new document to VIP Extras for Everyone - "Mental Disorders", chapter 14 in Physician's Guide for Disability Evaluation Examinations (1985).

This document is mainly of historical interest - you can see how psychiatrists were advised to conduct a C&P exam for mental disorders back in the 1980s.

But for Veterans Service Officers, VA-accredited Claims Agents, and Veterans Law Attorneys, this document might prove helpful when appealing older claims filed before the C&P Clinician's Guide, published in 2002 (which is also available to VIP Members of PTSDexams.net).

Click the link below ("Continue reading ...") to learn how to access this document:

Mental Disorders, chap. 14 in Physician's Guide for Disability Evaluation Examinations, ed. Paul M. Selfon (Washington, D.C.: Veterans Administration, 1985), 75–80.

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Mar 29, 2021

You Can No Longer FAX Records to VBA

The Veterans Benefits Administration changed its policy on 30 December 2020 such that veterans may no longer fax records to the Claims Intake Center.

For the details, including how to upload or mail your records to VBA, click the link below ("Continue reading ...)

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Mar 24, 2021

Policy Change: VBA Allows Independent Examiner Tele-C&P Exams

The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) now allows private examiner Tele-C&P Exams.

In other words, independent psychologists and psychiatrists can now conduct exams via teleconferencing technology, and—all other things being equal—VBA will accept the report, including a DBQ, as valid evidence in support of the veteran's claim.

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