Hello everyone,I got my narsum 10 days ago and was diagnosed with panic disorder,it said I have 1)Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress or symptoms controlled by medication 2)depressed mood 3) Anxiety 4)pannic attacks more than once a week 5)chronic sleep impairment6)Difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances,including work or work like setting . Should i be waiting 30% va or 50% va what are the chances,thank you.
Panic Disorder
- Thread starter Max123
- Start date
Your percentage in not based on the NARSUM. You will be rated off your C&P exams.
The claim is sitting at the raters desk.
The “occupational and social impairment” statement with “mild and transient symptoms” is a 10% rating. But go ahead and submit a VARR when it’s time as you have symptoms higher than 10%.
Also see if you can get the psych doctor that is treating you to fill out a MH DBQ on your behalf. VA initially rated me 50% MH and my treating psych filled out a DBQ at 70%.... I submitted a VARR and was rerated MH 70%.
Also see if you can get the psych doctor that is treating you to fill out a MH DBQ on your behalf. VA initially rated me 50% MH and my treating psych filled out a DBQ at 70%.... I submitted a VARR and was rerated MH 70%.
The VA raters generally go straight off the occupational and social impairment statement. So don’t be surprised to see a rating of 10%.
Below is the VA criteria with occupational and social impairment statements as the first sentence in each paragraph:
General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders:
Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as:
gross impairment in thought processes or communication;
persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate
behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent
inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance
of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memo
loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name 100%
Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas,
such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood,
due to such symptoms as: suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals
which interfere with routine activities; speech intermittently illogical,
obscure, or irrelevant; near-continuous panic or depression affecting
the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively;
impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods
of violence); spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and
hygiene; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including
work or a worklike setting); inability to establish and maintain
effective relationships 70%
Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and
productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial,
circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once
a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment
of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned
material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired
abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in
establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships 50%
Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work
efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational
tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine
behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms
as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or
less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as
forgetting names, directions, recent events) 30%
Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms
which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational
tasks only during periods of significant stress, or; symptoms controlled
by continuous medication 10%
A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not
severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social
functioning or to require continuous medication0%
I’m not trying to be negative and tell you you’re getting a low rating. But I’ve seen literally dozens of posts like yours over the years and each and every time the occupational and social impairment statement is always used to make a determination for ratings.
Also count up each symptom notes in your DBQ and what rating each fits so that you can argue for an increase at the VARR. If you want an example of a VARR that worked for me do a search on this forum for “VARR example that worked”.
Below is the VA criteria with occupational and social impairment statements as the first sentence in each paragraph:
General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders:
Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as:
gross impairment in thought processes or communication;
persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate
behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent
inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance
of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memo
loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name 100%
Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas,
such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood,
due to such symptoms as: suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals
which interfere with routine activities; speech intermittently illogical,
obscure, or irrelevant; near-continuous panic or depression affecting
the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively;
impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods
of violence); spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and
hygiene; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including
work or a worklike setting); inability to establish and maintain
effective relationships 70%
Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and
productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial,
circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once
a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment
of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned
material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired
abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in
establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships 50%
Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work
efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational
tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine
behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms
as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or
less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as
forgetting names, directions, recent events) 30%
Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms
which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational
tasks only during periods of significant stress, or; symptoms controlled
by continuous medication 10%
A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not
severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social
functioning or to require continuous medication0%
I’m not trying to be negative and tell you you’re getting a low rating. But I’ve seen literally dozens of posts like yours over the years and each and every time the occupational and social impairment statement is always used to make a determination for ratings.
Also count up each symptom notes in your DBQ and what rating each fits so that you can argue for an increase at the VARR. If you want an example of a VARR that worked for me do a search on this forum for “VARR example that worked”.
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The DBQ section 3a is what the rater will use to compare to the criteria In my previous post.
And if the PTSD DBQ is used, it’s section
4a
https://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-21-0960P-3-ARE.pdf
And if the PTSD DBQ is used, it’s section
4a
https://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-21-0960P-3-ARE.pdf
There must have been a miscommunication between you and your MEB counsel, as a VARR is only intended for the condition for which you have been found Unfit. If you wish to file a VARR for conditions for which you have been found Fit, then you need to go to a formal hearing to have those conditions found to be unfitting. If your only unfitting condition was your lower back (and any other related conditions like radiculopathy), a VARR will not be accepted for your mental health issues unless those issues are added as unfitting conditions.
My commander mentioned that I have to go to appointments because of my lower back issue and mental health and that affects readiness,but he did not mention that it is the reason I can not perform my duties. I have a question so I claimed 7 things but my general CP exam doctor only wrote that I have a problem with my lower back but I also have a chronic pain in my left leg that has been documented but he wrote it is not bothering me since I can not walk for long distances because of a lower back.I wanted to correct the narsum but my peblo team was like it is not going to change and you will have to wait another 1-2 month so I signed the narsum. Is there a chance that va will rate that condition or no?