Apr 02, 2020

How Much Time Should VA Allocate for C&P Exams?

Questions for VA administrators to ask themselves regarding how much time to allocate for PTSD C&P exams.

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Mar 23, 2020

Supreme Court denies certiorari in Francway v. Wilkie

The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit created a "presumption of competency" wherein the Board of Veterans Appeals presumes that VA medical examiners are competent unless the veteran articulates a specific reason to believe otherwise. Plaintiff essentially asked the Supreme Court to eliminate the presumption of competence. The Supreme Court's denial of certiorari does not mean ...

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Mar 19, 2020

Legislative Priorities to Improve Veterans Law

Legislative priorities to properly assist United States military veterans suffering from service-related psychiatric disorders

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Mar 11, 2020

Telemental Disability Exams by Private Practitioners Prohibited

Telemental exams by private psychologists and psychiatrists are prohibited according to the VA Office of Inspector General

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Feb 27, 2020

Francway v. Wilkie

Francway v. Wilkie (2019) is an important veterans law case decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

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Feb 06, 2020

Recommended Reading List for Psychologist & Psychiatrist C&P Examiners

This is a recommended reading list for psychologist and psychiatrist C&P examiners - those who conduct VA claim exams with United States military veterans for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental disorders. (continued ...)

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Feb 06, 2020

Correct VA Medical Records

How to correct VA medical records - if the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) makes a mistake in your medical records, here is how to fix it.

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Feb 05, 2020

Senator Wicker Asks an Important Question - VA Responds with Eloquent Obscurantism

Senator Roger F. Wicker (R – Mississippi) asked the VA to:

"Describe how the VA conducts quality control of PTSD C&P Exam Results, and C&P Examiner Performances."

This article reviews the VA's answer to the Senator's questions and offers an analysis of those VA responses.

I break down VA's response into four parts.

Problems with VA's response include:

* Ill-defined terminology

* Misleading responses

* The VA claims that the Audit Review Tool measures the quality of VA disability exams, but it actually does not measure exam quality at all.

(continued ...)

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Feb 04, 2020

Unique Legal Parameters for VA C&P PTSD Exams

The chart on this page delineates differences between the legal parameters governing typical forensic mental health evaluations versus United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) compensation and pension examinations (C&P exams) for PTSD and other mental disorders. (continued ...)

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Feb 03, 2020

When Should C&P Psychologists Endorse Suicidal Ideation on the DBQ?

An important section of every psychological DBQ is the mental disorder symptoms list (for Initial and Review Mental Disorder C&P exams, the symptoms list is in SECTION III: SYMPTOMS of the DBQ.)

One of the listed symptoms is "suicidal ideation", which is the subject of this article.

When should the examiner endorse "suicidal ideation"?

That might (understandably) seem like an easy question, but it is not because psychologist and psychiatrist examiners do not receive any guidance to know when to check off a particular symptom. (continued ...)

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Feb 03, 2020

Federal Government Steals Veterans' Second Amendment Rights with Zero Due Process

In contrast to veterans’ lifelong promise to uphold the Constitution (“support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic”), the federal government systematically strips some veterans of their Second Amendment rights.

This deprivation of a fundamental constitutional right occurs if the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) declares a veteran incapable of managing their financial affairs, particularly their disability compensation payments.

Why are veterans singled out for reporting their allegedly "mentally defective" status to the FBI, their subsequent inclusion on the NCIS, and the dispossession of their Second Amendment rights? (continued ...)

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Feb 01, 2020

Reading List for Psychologist and Psychiatrist C&P Examiners

Reading List for psychologist and psychiatrist C&P Examiners - those who conduct compensation and pension examinations with United States veterans.

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Feb 01, 2020

Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS)

What is the best cut score (cutoff) for the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS)? This article answers that question.

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Feb 01, 2020

Ohio Board: Disability Exams Require Forensic Psychology Competence

The Ohio Board of Psychology published an Alert emphasizing that disability exams require forensic psychology competence

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Feb 01, 2020

Mental Disorder Secondary to Service-Connected Medical Conditions

Mental disorder secondary to a veteran's service-connected medical condition - How should psychologists make this determination during compensation and pension exams?

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