PTSD Exams Updates

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.

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

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 ...)

Continue reading "You Can No Longer FAX Records to VBA"

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.

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

Mar 24, 2021

Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation April Meeting Cancelled & Rescheduled for June

The Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation cancelled the previously scheduled meeting for April, and rescheduled the meeting for June 22–23, 2021.

Each meeting session begins at 0900 Eastern Time and lasts 3 hours.

Click the link below ("Continue reading ...") for more details, such as:

* how to submit a Public Statement to the Committee

* phone number and code to listen to the meeting live

* table of meeting start times in eight U.S. time zones

Continue reading "Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation April Meeting Cancelled & Rescheduled for June"

Mar 22, 2021

Euzebio v. McDonough

The excellent Fed Circuit Blog recently published a case summary for Euzebio v. McDonough, a veterans case that considered the standard for what materials should be deemed constructively before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.

The Federal Circuit found that the Veterans Court applied an erroneous legal standard by requiring a “direct relationship” between the evidence and the claim before the Board.

The court articulated the standard for the Board’s constructive possession as “relevance and reasonableness.”

According to the Federal Ciruit Court: "Because the Veterans Court applied an erroneous legal standard when it concluded the Board did not have constructive possession of the NAS Update 2014 [National Academy of Sciences, Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2014], we vacate and remand."

Zachary Stolz of Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick (CCK) argued for the veteran before the Federal Circuit Court.

Case citation: Euzebio v. McDonough, No. 2020-1072 (Fed. Cir. Mar. 3, 2021).

Continue reading "Euzebio v. McDonough"

Mar 18, 2021

Burn Pit Exposure Illness: Eligible for Service-Connected Disability Benefits?

It seems the answer is: "it depends".   :O|  

There's a Senate bill, approved by the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs—the Toxic Exposure in the American Military (TEAM) Act of 2020—and a companion House bill (still at the committee level) that would make certain medical conditions "presumptive" for disability benefits purposes.

But at present, some veterans receive service-connected disability compensation for claimed burn-pit-related illness and some do not. 

A 10 December 2020 Military Times article reported that "according to Beth Murphy, VA’s executive director of compensation services, about 64 percent of GWOT veterans who claim respiratory issues related to burn pits are eventually determined eligible for benefits."

However, a 3 March 2021 Military.com article indicated that as of January 2021, "the VA had approved disability claims related to burn-pit exposure for 3,442 veterans out of 13,830 [25%] ...."

Over 230,000 veterans have been added to the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry.

Feb 27, 2021

Financial Capacity Assessment

Financial capacity assessment - evaluation of a veteran's ability to manage his or her finances.

Continue reading "Financial Capacity Assessment"

Feb 27, 2021

What is a Vet Center?

A Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Vet Center provides readjustment counseling services to United States military veterans.

Continue reading "What is a Vet Center?"

Feb 27, 2021

VA PTSD Compensation and Pension Exam

Advice for veterans regarding the VA PTSD Compensation and Pension Examination (C&P Exam)

Continue reading "VA PTSD Compensation and Pension Exam"

Feb 27, 2021

The VA allows people to use the Waitlist APP to set appointments to talk to actual VBA raters

Courtesy of u/DaniChicago on the r/VeteransBenefits subreddit: "The VA allows people to use the Waitlist APP to set appointments to talk to actual VBA raters." For more details, click the link below to be taken to the thread on Reddit.

Continue reading "The VA allows people to use the Waitlist APP to set appointments to talk to actual VBA raters"

Feb 26, 2021

Dissociative Symptoms Associated with Greater Suicide Risk, Poor Functioning, & Co-Morbid Psychopathology

• 1 in 5 veterans in a broad national sample endorsed mild-to-severe dissociative symptoms.

• Vets with dissociative symptoms had greater psychiatric comorbidity and poorer functioning.

• Dissociative symptoms predicted suicide risk above other comorbidities and trauma history.

This article on PTSDexams.net, about this important new research, also includes "Implications for C&P Examiners".

Continue reading "Dissociative Symptoms Associated with Greater Suicide Risk, Poor Functioning, & Co-Morbid Psychopathology"

Feb 25, 2021

Nominations Sought for Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Center for Minority Veterans (CMV), is seeking nominations of qualified candidates to be considered for appointment as a member of the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans (“the Committee”).

Nominations for membership on the Committee must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on July 15, 2021.

The "Continue reading" link below goes directly to the announcement in the Federal Register, which contains more details.

Continue reading "Nominations Sought for Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans"

Feb 25, 2021

Cause-Specific Mortality Risks Among Veterans 25 Years After 1990–1991 Gulf War

Twenty-five years after the Persian Gulf War are deployed veterans at greater risk for disease than their non-deployed counterparts?

Recent research seeks to answer this question. The answer might surprise you.

Continue reading "Cause-Specific Mortality Risks Among Veterans 25 Years After 1990–1991 Gulf War"

Feb 25, 2021

April 2021 Meeting of the VA Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced the dates for the April 2021 Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation meeting.

This post provides the dates and times for the two meeting sessions, including a table of meeting start times in eight United States time zones; the phone number and code to listen to the meeting live; and information on how you can submit a Public Statement to the Committee.

Continue reading "April 2021 Meeting of the VA Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation"

Jan 20, 2021

Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans ... Act of 2020

Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020

Continue reading "Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans ... Act of 2020"