PSP Questions   Question #29     In 1989 my husband was hospitalized for a serious breakdown and spent a month confined in the psychiatric ward at a VA Hospital.  He was released and sent back out into his environment with prescriptions that are no longer prescribed. His hospitalization made him very cautious about being on prescribed drugs that made his condition worse than helping him to find some healthy mental and emotional outcomes and coping skills.  Since then he locks these military issues away until he went to a VA Hospital last year and had episodes that brought on mental and emotional events.  Since then his memory skills, his coping skills, etc. have diminished.  He is now part of a VA sponsored group therapy program and only able to see a VA psychiatrist once a month due to the overload of patients. Last year he did receive some compensation along with some other issues but I fear he will lose his bearings because of all the uprooting of things buried from Viet Nam service.  He appears to be losing ground in this regard.  He deserves more compensation and has not been able to work at all for many years due to these conditions.  How does a family approach the compensation rules to allow my husband more compensation and more therapy opportunities?  This area VA system is overloaded with veterans seeking therapy and therefore getting an appointment more than 1 time a month is not possible. A1:  If your husband is service connected for a mental disorder, you have these options: 1. Request an increase in treatment where current treatment takes place. 2.  If you have a Vet Center near you he can go there. 3. If you live beyond 40 miles from your VAMC he can opt through the Choice Program to be seen by a private provider in the community and the VA pays for it. 4. If you have a Community Based Outreach Clinic (CBOC) in your area, they provide counseling and psychiatrist services. 5. If your husband feels his condition is getting worse, he can file for an increase in compensation. This increase must be filed with current treatment records and opinions from his doctor if they were done. A veteran cannot present evidence that was used to grant the initial rating. It must be new and current.  (CP) 4/10/2016   A2:  CP is correct on some of the advice, but I would also apply to the VA for Individual Unemployability.  The only thing wrong with that is that you husband would have to be rated with one disability at 60% or with a combined rating of 70% or more.  I would also go to a County Veteran Service Officer and seek their assistance.  (CP)  4/11/2016   If you can help please respond to this question. Full name: Email address: Comments:   Question #30    When reappling for a disability claim is it best to file multiple claims at once or one at a time?   A1:  There's no limit to the number of conditions you can file. I instruct veterans to file the required form such as a 21-526EZ online, or sit down with a VSO and file your claim. List each contention on the form and any secondary conditions to any Primary condition. Example PTSD with secondary problem of Sleep Apnea. Or Diabetes type II with secondary condition of peripheral neuropathy and diabetic Nephropathy.   If you file each one separately, the VA will not look at any other claims until they decide the first one. It would take forever. So file all your contentions at once.  (CP)  4/10/2016    A2:  When you file for a disability compensation or re-file with new and material evidence I always suggest as CP does that you file for everything.  Also check out the secondary conditions as CP suggested.  Also it is not a multiple claim, it is one claim with multiple diagnosis or Diagnostic Codes (DC).  (CP)  4/11/2016 A3:  I always recommend that my clients file all conditions at once, so as to speed up the process.  (AP)  4/11/2016 A4:  Definitely only one at a time and then wait for it to be done. This info comes from many VSO's and others.  (AM)  6/11/2016  If you can help please respond to this question. Full name: Email address: Comments:

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