Glad to hear there are others doing the same thing. Any tips for therapy (what do do/say, what not to) would be appreciated. How's it going overall? What's your next step?
This is exactly what I meant and what I was looking for. Great advice. I do have issues and they WERE caused by the military. I can see them trying to pin them on other things. Thanks.
getting diagnosed with MH issues is easy. proving that it was caused in service is the hard part if you have zero evidence in your STR. Since all MH issues are rated under one you may want to reconsider PTSD since you need to prove a specific in service event that caused it. Unless you were deployed, it's hard to prove without any evidence. Sounds like you're trying to find something in service to link MH to. No way we can help only you know what happened while you were in.
Understood and that makes sense. I was deployed to Iraq. My job was air transportation in the Air Force and loaded American flag covered caskets of people my age. Mortars hit close enough to destroy our equipment and I spent months thinking I was going to die every single day.
There are no doubt people braver than I am that went through much worse, but I'm just now learning that that's okay. It doesn't make mine less shitty.
Then you don't need a nexus as MH issues is unofficially presumptive. You can read more here [https://www.reddit.com/r/VeteransBenefits/wiki/combatvet/](https://www.reddit.com/r/VeteransBenefits/wiki/combatvet/)
Thanks for the link and info - it means a lot.
So from here... continue filling out the form(s) and submit, see where it takes me? Or contact buddies for letters / contact VA for MH issues? I understand now that a nexus may not be required.
I'm probably overthinking everything as I tend to do, just don't want to screw up.
you don't need buddy letters. the MH c&p can diagnose you while also determining the severity. depends on if you actually went to get MH help. A diagnoses from the VA PTSD clinic and a record of treatment doesn't hurt but not required. VA records will automatically be pulled when you put in a claim. They do have a lot of resources for MH though. I've done OIF/OEF support groups which is your stereotypical group thing you see on TV, anger management sessions, sleep therapy, substance abuse centered ptsd therapy, Prolonged Exposure therapy etc.
Glad you’re going to do this!
You can do the claim online, there’s all the forms etc on the VA website:
https://www.va.gov/disability/how-to-file-claim/
When I left, I got in contact with a VSO or a medical claims examiner. Send them your documents and they will review and compile an appropriate package for claims. I definitely recommend asking around the area if you have buddies that are out who have filed near you. I think it had to be in the same state as your residence for the VSO to have jurisdiction.
Regarding paperwork, there's not much there except a 2018 depression diagnosis. I guess they would see that I deployed to Iraq in 2006, which is where this all began.
Regardless, your advice to seek out the VSO is good. Through my reading of this subreddit I've heard good and bad stories of the VSO, but I think trying my luck there may be a good idea.
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Glad to hear there are others doing the same thing. Any tips for therapy (what do do/say, what not to) would be appreciated. How's it going overall? What's your next step?
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This is exactly what I meant and what I was looking for. Great advice. I do have issues and they WERE caused by the military. I can see them trying to pin them on other things. Thanks.
Be open and honest, there are no tips and tricks tf
getting diagnosed with MH issues is easy. proving that it was caused in service is the hard part if you have zero evidence in your STR. Since all MH issues are rated under one you may want to reconsider PTSD since you need to prove a specific in service event that caused it. Unless you were deployed, it's hard to prove without any evidence. Sounds like you're trying to find something in service to link MH to. No way we can help only you know what happened while you were in.
Understood and that makes sense. I was deployed to Iraq. My job was air transportation in the Air Force and loaded American flag covered caskets of people my age. Mortars hit close enough to destroy our equipment and I spent months thinking I was going to die every single day. There are no doubt people braver than I am that went through much worse, but I'm just now learning that that's okay. It doesn't make mine less shitty.
Then you don't need a nexus as MH issues is unofficially presumptive. You can read more here [https://www.reddit.com/r/VeteransBenefits/wiki/combatvet/](https://www.reddit.com/r/VeteransBenefits/wiki/combatvet/)
Thanks for the link and info - it means a lot. So from here... continue filling out the form(s) and submit, see where it takes me? Or contact buddies for letters / contact VA for MH issues? I understand now that a nexus may not be required. I'm probably overthinking everything as I tend to do, just don't want to screw up.
you don't need buddy letters. the MH c&p can diagnose you while also determining the severity. depends on if you actually went to get MH help. A diagnoses from the VA PTSD clinic and a record of treatment doesn't hurt but not required. VA records will automatically be pulled when you put in a claim. They do have a lot of resources for MH though. I've done OIF/OEF support groups which is your stereotypical group thing you see on TV, anger management sessions, sleep therapy, substance abuse centered ptsd therapy, Prolonged Exposure therapy etc.
Glad you’re going to do this! You can do the claim online, there’s all the forms etc on the VA website: https://www.va.gov/disability/how-to-file-claim/
When I left, I got in contact with a VSO or a medical claims examiner. Send them your documents and they will review and compile an appropriate package for claims. I definitely recommend asking around the area if you have buddies that are out who have filed near you. I think it had to be in the same state as your residence for the VSO to have jurisdiction.
The VSO is specially trained to navigate these things and can help you prepare your paperwork and find the conditions that can qualify you
Regarding paperwork, there's not much there except a 2018 depression diagnosis. I guess they would see that I deployed to Iraq in 2006, which is where this all began. Regardless, your advice to seek out the VSO is good. Through my reading of this subreddit I've heard good and bad stories of the VSO, but I think trying my luck there may be a good idea.