Ask An Expert: Preparing for Your C&P Exam

Ask An Expert: Preparing for Your C&P Exam

About Our Expert Jeffrey Garbelman is a licensed psychologist and co-operator of Watertown Psychological Assessment, LLC, which assists veterans in all matters of mental health and veteran benefits. As a former VA C&P Psychologist and consultant for the Milwaukee Regional Center, he has offered medical opinions on over 250 veteran mental health Disability Indemnity Compensation […]

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VA Disability Rating for PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a specific kind of brain injury. The nature of brain injuries with emotional or mental symptoms can make them difficult to detect. Therefore, many brain injury victims, including people with PTSD, downplay or fail to report their symptoms to doctors performing examinations as part of a disability claim (compensation & […]

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The Five and Five of VA Disability PTSD

Despite the research being done to understand post-traumatic stress disorder better, many people may still be surprised to learn that PTSD is a physical brain injury in addition to a psychological disorder. Compensation and pension examiners may not be specialists or well-versed in new PTSD research. That’s especially true if they do not focus on […]

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PTSD and Substance Abuse Can Lead to Early Death

Researchers at Boston University have completed a study looking at the interplay between PTSD and substance abuse. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and external psychological markers like substance abuse predict early death in veterans. The study authors, who focused on veterans with PTSD, found a high risk of premature death beginning at the cellular level.  “Our […]

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Psychedelics Gain Momentum as PTSD Treatments

It’s a new era for PTSD treatments. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was first identified in patients who survived concentration camps during World War II. It has also been called “shell-shock” pertaining to service members returning from combat operations. Doctors understand this condition a lot better today than they did 20 years ago. However, regulators have […]

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How to Determine If A Veteran Has PTSD

Learning how to determine if a Veteran has PTSD can be an intimidating task. Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is one of the most complex disorders treated by the VA, and one of the hardest to diagnose. It is a mental disorder that develops when the individual experiences or witnesses a traumatic event. PTSD is […]

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Understanding PTSD and Finding a Path Forward

If you are a veteran living with the echoes of a traumatic event, it’s important to know that you are not alone. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. It can cause symptoms like flashbacks, severe anxiety, and nightmares, making you feel “stuck” […]

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How The VA Rates PTSD

What is PTSD and how the VA rates PTSD.  Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a common, though not always visible, disability that can be related to military service. Almost everyone who experiences a highly stressful event will have responses to it such as nervousness, trouble sleeping, fear, and many other possible symptoms. If those responses […]

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Evidence in PTSD Disability Claims

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, disaster, or war. The symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, such as nightmares, depression, and flashbacks, often make it difficult or impossible to function at work, home, or anywhere else. The nature […]

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Five Surprising Facts About Veteran Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD is one of the most common disabilities among veterans. When they go through traumatic events, many people have symptoms like depression, nightmares, and hypervigilance. If these symptoms persist for more than a few weeks, or they get worse instead of better, the person probably has PTSD.   Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is also one […]

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