Prior Service Army Reenlisted As Coast Guard PTSD Issues

Hello all. I am prior service Army National Guard. I was deployed to Afghanistan 2012-2013 and got out of the Army 2016. I reenlisted into the Military in 2018 as Coast Guard. Went to boot camp, and came to my unit. Ever since I got here I feel like I have been struggling, but I believe that my struggles started much sooner. My Adopt a Soldier mom from when I was deployed in 2012 has been telling me for YEARS to go see someone, but I know best so I thought. I talked to her recently and she demanded that I went and saw someone after opening up a little about some things that happened overseas. I went to a medical appointment and was referred to another larger base for "PTSD like symptoms" I was then referred to VA center about an hour from my unit for "PTSD Symptoms" again. So nobody has officially given me a PTSD diagnosis but I know I have at least some degree of PTSD. It has taken me literally 5 years to talk to anyone about what I went thru and what not and I have been struggling for years with issues related to my deployment and it is affecting my work on a day to day basis. The guys at medical that referred me to the VA center told me that they will sit down with me and talk with me about my deployment and posibly help with a claim. I talked to someone else in the Coast Guard that I know that was diagnosed with PTSD from sexual assult trama and she said she was given the option to stay in. Will I be discharged if they find that I do have PTSD? Or will they give me the option to get out?

Also one I get a diagnosis do they start the MEB process, or do I have to request it? Will the counselor I am assigned to give me a diagnosis? Can they try to boot me under general mental conditions and not give me a proper PTSD diagnosis? Im confused on how the process works.

Thanks. Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[oddpedestrian]

Many directions it can go first is to get treatment you do not know what you have you have to be upfront with the doctors and let them make a diagnosis they are the experts. It seems like claims with guard members are notorious for stating it is related to events in your civilian life and since you willingly re-entered service many years after a deployment I believe the presumption of good health MAY be established hard to say conclusively. Keep getting treatment a long solid treatment file is critical at this point you try to jump the gun too quick without established clinical notes and you may face many denials for years.

 

[Nachomachoman]

I had my first real appointment today at a VA Center. At the end of our session, the person evaluating me asked has anyone ever told you that you have PTSD? I said no, and he said well I'm telling you that you do. I'm still a little confused about what exactly the Vets Center is and how it is different than the VA and how they relate to each other. I will continue to go for additional treatment, and I have another appointment scheduled for next week.

 

[gsfowler]

I would like to applaud to seek out some guidance, it is not always easy to do.

My suggestion to you is to take a little bit of time to educate yourself on what you are exactly going through. It will go a long way in helping you get treatment.

Vet Center is a service that is contracted by and works hand in hand with the VA to provide readjustment counseling, outreach and referral services to combat Veterans and their families.

Even though the initial trauma may have happened many years ago, it can affect each and every one of us in different ways. Yes, it is possible to stay in the service, even with a diagnosed condition. It really comes down to how the condition and symptoms related to it affect your ability to perform your duty.

Typically you are not given the option to just get out, you may have to go through a fit for duty evaluation and possibly a medical evaluation board. Regardless of that, continue to seek treatment.

 

[Nachomachoman]

Thanks, honestly it wasn't easy. It literally took 5 years and someone from the adopt a soldier in my home town to make me promise to them that I would go and seek some help after nagging me to get it for 5 years haha.

Thanks for the information. I am worried that my condition does effect my ability to perform my duty. I have only been in the CG at my unit for 4 months and already I have gotten the equivalent of 3 negative consoleing statements 2 of which have been performance related. The last one I got was basically saying if things don't improve in x amount of time I will be recommended for discharge. So I'm not entirely sure about what's going to happen to me. I just don't want to get out with a less than honorable or a general discharge and lose my GI bill and VA home loan and other benefits.

 

[gsfowler]

Even f you get bad paper, you will not lose the previously earned benefits. Like I had mentioned, continue to seek treatment and good things will happen.

 

[Nachomachoman]

Even f you get bad paper, you will not lose the previously earned benefits. Like I had mentioned, continue to seek treatment and good things will happen.

Thanks. I'm going to continue to seek treatment at the Vets Center and hopefully some good will come from it. I just don't know if I should talk to my chain of command about it. They know that I went and got help related to PTSD and know I was referred to a vets center but the first 2 appointments I had they danced around the diagnosis of PTSD with "PTSD like symptoms" where as the guy at the vets center in Plain English said I had PTSD. But I'm glad that the vets center exists. I just feel like it's a no bullshit place unlike the VA or the Medical Centers. In fact they tried to refer me to a private person close to hoke, but I read that at the Mental Health Center that they send you to or try to refer you to a private prsctionor to dance around a real diagnosis so I called back and told them I wanted to go to the vets center.