Great video post .Giving out free information not many people is doing that on TH-cam.Most everyone is making money off helping veterans win there claim.Glad you are doing this for free.
I’m glad you liked it. I’m happy to help my brother and sister veterans with relevant information. If you want to help build a better VA, don’t forget to check out my book: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPTNRMD8. I sent a copy of the book to every member of the US House and Senate veteran affairs committees, the VA Secretary, the president, and vice president. Of course, I doubt any of them will read it.
Another excellent video. Thanks for the solid information. I just want to chime in on my recent experience with mental health C&P exams. I have had two of them this year, one by Optimum Serv and one by VES. I know this is a small sample size but, both of my exams and examiners were excellent. I am currently rated 70% for PTSD. I have read the DBQ’s they submitted and I feel they made accurate assessments. BTW: Greg Rada is a great addition to your channel whenever you have him on. I believe he is the best VA Attorney out there.
I’m glad you liked it. As I noted in the video, mental health examiners seem to do a pretty good job with their assessments. Your experience gives me faith that fair assessments will continue in the future. If you want to help build a better VA, don’t forget to check out my book: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPTNRMD8.
Excellent video. I had a good C&P examiner in 2020 who took the time to explore issues I have then he submitted evidence in my favor and got me a 70%. I will say I think if you work you most likely wont get a 100% under the old schedule. I’m optimistic about the new schedule I truly believe I should be 100% but I work still. Thank you for the discussion of the new schedule of rating criteria excellent points made. Keep up the good work.
I’m glad you like my channel. Thank you for taking the time to tell me so. My only interest in making videos is helping veterans get their earned benefits.
I’ve also been asked about hallucination, which makes sense since it’s one of the symptoms listed on the schedule. I’ve also had exams where I was not asked about hallucinations. Each examiner is different on the questions they choose to ask.
Headed to my MH C&P in a few days. Even if they use the old schedule, it was useful for me to see the new one and think about how I would respond. Now I have a lot of experiences in my toolbox I am prepared to share with the examiner.
I've dated over 20 women in 20 yrs. Now that I have my husky I have a reason to live.I was always depressed before I got my husky.They said I have a generic anxiety not PTSD even though I saw 2 of our officers die in a jet crash and death threats from 2 aholes in my unit
2 หลายเดือนก่อน +3
Who reads these statements? I keep hearing the C&P examiner usually rushes through the exam, so who reads statements from colleagues, family, and such? Is that for when an appeal comes? Does the rater actually go through them or do they not just rush through in order to get their productivity points by looking at what the examiner (who I keep hearing often DOESN'T look at statements) writes. When is the statement productive? I have three or four in my file now
As noted in the video, writing the statement helps put a person’s thoughts in order so a person is prepared to answer questions at the C&P exam. The answers to questions at the exam are determinative, so a veteran better be well prepared. Examiners and adjudicators are required to read statements so they are fully informed about a veteran’s situation. Do examiners and adjudicators actually read the statement? I suspect most don’t; thus, claims are denied or underrated unjustly. When that happens, a properly written statement will win the day on review/appeal. Sadly, of thousands of statements I’ve reviewed, only about 10% are helpful in the claim process. A statement with a lot of useless words is worthless. This is why I pointed to relevant issues in this video. If you want to help build a better VA, don’t forget to check out my book: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPTNRMD8.
2 หลายเดือนก่อน
@@VAMADNESS oh, don't get me wrong. I soaked up every word you said. I apologize if my question made I didn't. Maybe I was just thinking out loud
I found your comment reasonable, so no worries. My responses to comments are not just a response to the commenter. I respond keeping in mind that others will read my response. My response to you was more a response to everyone. Statements are extremely important within the claim process. I used to have statement examples at my website that were freely downloadable. They were downloaded over 20,000 times in 2023. Sadly, I was forced to stop giving any assistance to veterans in 2024. Now I can only make videos while ensuring my words cannot be interpreted as legal advice.
Sadly, there is no substitute for actual evidence. Evidence is the cornerstone for both service connection and getting properly rated. You can try having a trusted relative/friend help you write the statement or get treatment to mitigate your symptoms. Witness statements would be helpful. If all efforts fail, all you can do is file the claim and hope for the best.
As noted in the video, it’s very important to report all issues related to each domain on a statement. As you point out, careful thought must be given to exactly how each veteran is impacted. If you want to help build a better VA, don’t forget to check out my book: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPTNRMD8.
Mental health medication will be a factor at level four as positive evidence that attempts were made or are ongoing to “manage or remediate” the condition.
I have the same question and the verbiage from the new change (CFR) says this: "The second note would explain that evaluations under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders would consider any ameliorating effects of medications prescribed for a mental disorder. In other words, if a veteran were receiving medication for a mental disability, VA would rate only the disabling symptomatology that exists after the ameliorative effects of medication are taken into account. We are adding this note because in Jones v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 56, 63 (2012), the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims held that, “[a]bsent a clear statement [in the rating criteria] setting out whether or how the Board [of Veterans' Appeals (Board)] should address the effects of medication,” the Board should not take those effects into account when evaluating a claimant's disability. However, consideration of ameliorating effects of medications is consistent with 38 CFR 4.2, which states that VA adjudicators should consider a disability “from the point of view of the veteran working or seeking work” and provide a current rating that “accurately reflect[s] the elements of disability present.” VA adjudicators should not be basing ratings on speculation of how severe a veteran's disability might be if he or she were not taking medication; the rating should be based on the actual elements of disability present. See generally McCarroll v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 267, 276-78 (2016) (Kasold, J., concurring in part)." This is concerning because medication could play a big role in a potential downgrade.
This response is not intended to be legal or medical advice. I am not a lawyer, medical professional, or claims agent. Per my personal knowledge and direct experience, the real question here is “are your mental health issues negatively impacting your life;” if so, seek treatment. A mental health professional can determine exactly what mental health issue you are dealing with and plan a positive path forward. In any event, it’s best to get a diagnosis before you file a claim. As for your question, whether your brig experience can lead to PTSD or not is dependent on exactly what you experienced while interned. Recounting your brig experience to a mental health professional is the only way that you can get a reasonable answer to your question. If you want to help build a better VA, don’t forget to check out my book: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPTNRMD8.
great information: question - I am 100 P&T. recently submit presumptive claim for prostate cancer. once approved, Can I submit secondary claim ( ED secondary to prostate cancer & ptsd) this should not effect my 100&?? I will not get any more money? residuals will be only 0% - 20%? please advise?
This response is not intended to be legal advice. I am not a lawyer or claims agent. Per my personal knowledge and direct experience, there is no need to wait to file for ED as many veterans are SC for ED due to mental health alone. If ED was an issue before the prostate cancer, the cancer isn’t relevant anyway; however, if ED only happened after the cancer, then it’s likely related to the cancer. In either case there is no need to wait to file. ED is SMC-K and is paid at $132.74 added on top of your current payment. It will not risk your current rating. Ensure you watch SMC video to understand SMC possibilities. If you want to help build a better VA, don’t forget to check out my book: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPTNRMD8.
@@brianharrington-ws2kj That will not happen. Filing for a benefit does not open up all of your service-connected conditions for re-adjudication. Don’t believe the rumor mill.
I just got rated for 50% for MH. I have another upcoming video exam with a va psychiatrist. First exam I didn’t feel comfortable to open up. Now my next exam, I think I can open up more. I feel I’m between 70-100. How long should I wait to submit for a rating increase? Should I wait after a couple more psychiatrist exams? Thanks.
The VA RO customer service desk or 800 number personnel can answer general questions; however, they can’t give any claim specific advice. Other than that, only VSOs, claims agents, and lawyers can legally help develop claims. Claims agents and lawyers are unlikely to answer claim related questions without a representative agreement; thus, VSOs are really the only option for asking claim specific questions. If your current representative isn’t helpful, you can switch to different one. I do not know of any veterans giving advice to other veterans in reference to claims. If you a general question, I’d be happy to answer it per my personal knowledge.
@VAMADNESS Criteria for higher MH rating exists in STRs filed 10+ years ago. Appealed after decision, Notified me appeal would be decided at a later date, yes, a later date. Appeal was "set aside" for a year plus nothing from VA. VA then placed a SOC in C-file after I contacted them which consists of a copy/paste of previous decision. 2023 filed and granted much higher rating, but states no evidence for an earlier effective date. (Know this to be inaccurate) Had the appropriate rating been awarded the overall rating would've been substantially higher. (90-100%) In the day, Veterans never even heard of 38 CFR which is in part how I was able to win the latest rating. How to approach/advice??
@@Veteran0987 This response is not intended to be legal or medical advice. I am not a lawyer, medical professional, or claims agent. Per my personal knowledge and direct experience, once the SOC was issued you had only one option if you wanted to keep the effective date from when the VA first received the claim: you would have needed to file a notice of disagreement (NOD); if you did not do that, you lost all rights to that effective date. The fact that VA copy and pasted their previous decision reasoning, as they often did in those days, is irrelevant. The only chance to get that date back is if the VA committed a clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in the course of the claim. The only way to know if a CUE exists is to have a knowledgeable person evaluate the evidence. Typically, only a lawyer that handles VA claims has such knowledge. Most lawyers will not do a CUE assessment. I’d contact VA type lawyers to see if one would do such an assessment.
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
Great video post .Giving out free information not many people is doing that on TH-cam.Most everyone is making money off helping veterans win there claim.Glad you are doing this for free.
I’m glad you liked it. I’m happy to help my brother and sister veterans with relevant information. If you want to help build a better VA, don’t forget to check out my book: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPTNRMD8. I sent a copy of the book to every member of the US House and Senate veteran affairs committees, the VA Secretary, the president, and vice president. Of course, I doubt any of them will read it.
This is the best video I’ve seen on this topic
Another excellent video. Thanks for the solid information. I just want to chime in on my recent experience with mental health C&P exams. I have had two of them this year, one by Optimum Serv and one by VES. I know this is a small sample size but, both of my exams and examiners were excellent. I am currently rated 70% for PTSD. I have read the DBQ’s they submitted and I feel they made accurate assessments. BTW: Greg Rada is a great addition to your channel whenever you have him on. I believe he is the best VA Attorney out there.
I’m glad you liked it. As I noted in the video, mental health examiners seem to do a pretty good job with their assessments. Your experience gives me faith that fair assessments will continue in the future. If you want to help build a better VA, don’t forget to check out my book: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPTNRMD8.
Glad to see you back!
This is absolute gold. Thanks.
Excellent video. I had a good C&P examiner in 2020 who took the time to explore issues I have then he submitted evidence in my favor and got me a 70%. I will say I think if you work you most likely wont get a 100% under the old schedule. I’m optimistic about the new schedule I truly believe I should be 100% but I work still. Thank you for the discussion of the new schedule of rating criteria excellent points made. Keep up the good work.
I’m glad you liked it. If you want to help build a better VA, don’t forget to check out my book: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPTNRMD8.
Excellent video I'm 100%P/T , I WENT STRAIGHT TO 100 CAUSE I HAD 3 SITUATIONS WHILE ACTIVE DUTY , AND IT REFLECTS MY CURRENT SITUATION ,
Thank you for this video, very helpful!
You're very welcome!
Thanks!
Love this channel not like the other cliq bait channels
I’m glad you like my channel. Thank you for taking the time to tell me so. My only interest in making videos is helping veterans get their earned benefits.
@ I FIGHTING THEM RIGHT NOW I APPRECIATE YOU. SEMPER FI🙏🏻🫡
One question they ask is do you see things others don't, for me driving down roads I see trash and stuff and see possible hazards to beware of
I’ve also been asked about hallucination, which makes sense since it’s one of the symptoms listed on the schedule. I’ve also had exams where I was not asked about hallucinations. Each examiner is different on the questions they choose to ask.
thanks vamadness 🙏🙏
Headed to my MH C&P in a few days. Even if they use the old schedule, it was useful for me to see the new one and think about how I would respond. Now I have a lot of experiences in my toolbox I am prepared to share with the examiner.
I hope this video helped and good luck at the exam.
I've dated over 20 women in 20 yrs. Now that I have my husky I have a reason to live.I was always depressed before I got my husky.They said I have a generic anxiety not PTSD even though I saw 2 of our officers die in a jet crash and death threats from 2 aholes in my unit
Who reads these statements? I keep hearing the C&P examiner usually rushes through the exam, so who reads statements from colleagues, family, and such? Is that for when an appeal comes? Does the rater actually go through them or do they not just rush through in order to get their productivity points by looking at what the examiner (who I keep hearing often DOESN'T look at statements) writes.
When is the statement productive? I have three or four in my file now
As noted in the video, writing the statement helps put a person’s thoughts in order so a person is prepared to answer questions at the C&P exam. The answers to questions at the exam are determinative, so a veteran better be well prepared. Examiners and adjudicators are required to read statements so they are fully informed about a veteran’s situation. Do examiners and adjudicators actually read the statement? I suspect most don’t; thus, claims are denied or underrated unjustly. When that happens, a properly written statement will win the day on review/appeal. Sadly, of thousands of statements I’ve reviewed, only about 10% are helpful in the claim process. A statement with a lot of useless words is worthless. This is why I pointed to relevant issues in this video. If you want to help build a better VA, don’t forget to check out my book: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPTNRMD8.
@@VAMADNESS oh, don't get me wrong. I soaked up every word you said. I apologize if my question made I didn't. Maybe I was just thinking out loud
I found your comment reasonable, so no worries. My responses to comments are not just a response to the commenter. I respond keeping in mind that others will read my response. My response to you was more a response to everyone. Statements are extremely important within the claim process. I used to have statement examples at my website that were freely downloadable. They were downloaded over 20,000 times in 2023. Sadly, I was forced to stop giving any assistance to veterans in 2024. Now I can only make videos while ensuring my words cannot be interpreted as legal advice.
What do I do if I can't concentrate, and motivate enough to generate a mental health personal statement? I have anxiety just thinking about it.
Sadly, there is no substitute for actual evidence. Evidence is the cornerstone for both service connection and getting properly rated. You can try having a trusted relative/friend help you write the statement or get treatment to mitigate your symptoms. Witness statements would be helpful. If all efforts fail, all you can do is file the claim and hope for the best.
Self care make leftovers otherwise won't want to prepare meals and won't eat regular, wearing same clothes or not taking showers every several days
As noted in the video, it’s very important to report all issues related to each domain on a statement. As you point out, careful thought must be given to exactly how each veteran is impacted. If you want to help build a better VA, don’t forget to check out my book: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPTNRMD8.
Do you think medication will come in play for mh ratings with new changes like sleep apnea change mentioned in mh
Mental health medication will be a factor at level four as positive evidence that attempts were made or are ongoing to “manage or remediate” the condition.
I have the same question and the verbiage from the new change (CFR) says this: "The second note would explain that evaluations under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders would consider any ameliorating effects of medications prescribed for a mental disorder. In other words, if a veteran were receiving medication for a mental disability, VA would rate only the disabling symptomatology that exists after the ameliorative effects of medication are taken into account. We are adding this note because in Jones v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 56, 63 (2012), the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims held that, “[a]bsent a clear statement [in the rating criteria] setting out whether or how the Board [of Veterans' Appeals (Board)] should address the effects of medication,” the Board should not take those effects into account when evaluating a claimant's disability. However, consideration of ameliorating effects of medications is consistent with 38 CFR 4.2, which states that VA adjudicators should consider a disability “from the point of view of the veteran working or seeking work” and provide a current rating that “accurately reflect[s] the elements of disability present.” VA adjudicators should not be basing ratings on speculation of how severe a veteran's disability might be if he or she were not taking medication; the rating should be based on the actual elements of disability present. See generally McCarroll v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 267, 276-78 (2016) (Kasold, J., concurring in part)."
This is concerning because medication could play a big role in a potential downgrade.
can being put in the brig and being punished to bread and water and hard labor give you PTSD
This response is not intended to be legal or medical advice. I am not a lawyer, medical professional, or claims agent. Per my personal knowledge and direct experience, the real question here is “are your mental health issues negatively impacting your life;” if so, seek treatment. A mental health professional can determine exactly what mental health issue you are dealing with and plan a positive path forward. In any event, it’s best to get a diagnosis before you file a claim. As for your question, whether your brig experience can lead to PTSD or not is dependent on exactly what you experienced while interned. Recounting your brig experience to a mental health professional is the only way that you can get a reasonable answer to your question. If you want to help build a better VA, don’t forget to check out my book: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPTNRMD8.
great information: question - I am 100 P&T. recently submit presumptive claim for prostate cancer. once approved, Can I submit secondary claim ( ED secondary to prostate cancer & ptsd) this should not effect my 100&?? I will not get any more money? residuals will be only 0% - 20%? please advise?
This response is not intended to be legal advice. I am not a lawyer or claims agent. Per my personal knowledge and direct experience, there is no need to wait to file for ED as many veterans are SC for ED due to mental health alone. If ED was an issue before the prostate cancer, the cancer isn’t relevant anyway; however, if ED only happened after the cancer, then it’s likely related to the cancer. In either case there is no need to wait to file. ED is SMC-K and is paid at $132.74 added on top of your current payment. It will not risk your current rating. Ensure you watch SMC video to understand SMC possibilities. If you want to help build a better VA, don’t forget to check out my book: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPTNRMD8.
stand by to have all your claims to be ropened
@@brianharrington-ws2kj That will not happen. Filing for a benefit does not open up all of your service-connected conditions for re-adjudication. Don’t believe the rumor mill.
I just got rated for 50% for MH. I have another upcoming video exam with a va psychiatrist. First exam I didn’t feel comfortable to open up. Now my next exam, I think I can open up more. I feel I’m between 70-100. How long should I wait to submit for a rating increase? Should I wait after a couple more psychiatrist exams? Thanks.
Like hearing aids, if medication manages symptoms then zero rating
Who is a Veteran to reach out to for answers when the VSO and Intake Center aren't the best?
The VA RO customer service desk or 800 number personnel can answer general questions; however, they can’t give any claim specific advice. Other than that, only VSOs, claims agents, and lawyers can legally help develop claims. Claims agents and lawyers are unlikely to answer claim related questions without a representative agreement; thus, VSOs are really the only option for asking claim specific questions. If your current representative isn’t helpful, you can switch to different one. I do not know of any veterans giving advice to other veterans in reference to claims. If you a general question, I’d be happy to answer it per my personal knowledge.
@VAMADNESS Criteria for higher MH rating exists in STRs filed 10+ years ago. Appealed after decision, Notified me appeal would be decided at a later date, yes, a later date. Appeal was "set aside" for a year plus nothing from VA. VA then placed a SOC in C-file after I contacted them which consists of a copy/paste of previous decision. 2023 filed and granted much higher rating, but states no evidence for an earlier effective date. (Know this to be inaccurate) Had the appropriate rating been awarded the overall rating would've been substantially higher. (90-100%) In the day, Veterans never even heard of 38 CFR which is in part how I was able to win the latest rating. How to approach/advice??
@@Veteran0987 This response is not intended to be legal or medical advice. I am not a lawyer, medical professional, or claims agent. Per my personal knowledge and direct experience, once the SOC was issued you had only one option if you wanted to keep the effective date from when the VA first received the claim: you would have needed to file a notice of disagreement (NOD); if you did not do that, you lost all rights to that effective date. The fact that VA copy and pasted their previous decision reasoning, as they often did in those days, is irrelevant. The only chance to get that date back is if the VA committed a clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in the course of the claim. The only way to know if a CUE exists is to have a knowledgeable person evaluate the evidence. Typically, only a lawyer that handles VA claims has such knowledge. Most lawyers will not do a CUE assessment. I’d contact VA type lawyers to see if one would do such an assessment.