It is hard to know. I thought I was when I started my first job, but after some time symptoms returned. I think there was some obvious conspiring against me occurring, but some of the symptoms did return when I was under a lot of stress and lacking sleep. I will look into the SSDI, I would much rather work however.
If I am 100% P&T (mental health), can I start working and not have the rating reduced/re-examined?
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It is hard to know. I thought I was when I started my first job, but after some time symptoms returned. I think there was some obvious conspiring against me occurring, but some of the symptoms did return when I was under a lot of stress and lacking sleep. I will look into the SSDI, I would much rather work however.
Me too. When I went through DTAP part of the process was applying for Social Security. I didn’t even fill that out. I thought to myself I will never need that. It took me six years or so to figure out I was sick. I was a late bloomer. But SSDI was nice when I went back to school and couldn’t work. I was getting the post 9/11 GI Bill too.
Good luck in whatever you decide to do.
I just switched back to the VA. They are giving me all my meds now. I was just getting partial.
They give me 3 mg of Lunesta x 30 every month. If they try to cut back my Lunesta I will go back to my civilian doc. They give me Latuda too. That’s not generic yet. Latuda changed my life and it’s expensive. I don’t see the VA for my sleep apnea though. I don’t have a rating for that. I got diagnosed with it after I got out.
Should have asked for a sleep study but I didn’t. My wife just got fed up with my snoring. I wear the mask but I don’t feel any different with it. I just don’t snore.
I have never heard of any “100 % rule”.
I straight up asked my Voc Rehab counselor if I would lose my rating going back to work and she said no. Initially they wanted to put me on an independent living plan.
That was some kind of deal where I would have gotten extra therapy and they would have helped me find a hobby or something. I said I didn’t want to do that. I don’t get much out of therapy but the meds definitely help.
My Voc Rehab counselor said if you are 100% scheduler there are no restrictions with regards to working. Only if you are IU for individual unemployability are there restrictions to working.
I would like to see this 100% rule in writing. I have looked for restrictions on mental health ratings and I haven’t found anything in writing from the VA.
Additionally I have gotten my secret clearance renewed while schizophrenic. My clearance was pulled locally when I got sick. I had a TS and I got reassigned to a job that had no clearance requirement until I got out but I never lose my clearance.
I got my secret renewed in the last 18 months. How did you get yours revoked? Schizophrenia is a pretty serious disorder and I was upfront with my investigator and I even got an interim fast so I could go to work last year on a contract job.
I am sorry that happened to you.
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Well there are no restrictions, but if you do work it may be used as evidence that your conditioned has improved, that is what I am gathering anyways. Did your Voc Rehab counselor say there were no restrictions, or that your rating would not be dropped? It looks like you started voc rehab later down the road? That may be the case, where I have a more fresh rating. I am going to try to contact the DAV tmrw, to see if I can get a more concrete answer.
As far as my clearance, when I went through the hospital from my deployment and returned they told me clearance had been suspended by the CAF, I had to sign something of the notification. I was told it would likely be unsuspended as I left the military, but that did not happen. I was told I would have to submit mitigating evidence that my condition has improved to get the suspense off. The problem is two fold for me. One, in my NARSUM, the doctor wrote a recommendation for me to not work with sensitive information, and second, my condition has gotten worse, at least on paper since I have gotten out of the military. It doesn't sound as if yours was actually suspended or revoked, but rather just went inactive. You didn't have to get a lawyer or submit medical paperwork ? No one will hire me with a suspended clearance. It felt like an agenda against me to make sure I lose my clearance. They took symptoms while I was sleep deprived and made it sound like it was a lifelong condition. Most doctors that talk to me don't think I have a serious chronic condition, but rather one that has had a few temporary flare ups. I havn't been diagnosed with schizo, but rather pyschosis-no specific. The timeline wasn't long enough for schizo, but it was enough to kick me out and have me lose my clearance.
No future exams are scheduled under P&T decisions can be worrisome. It's a debacle, and I understand where you are coming from, because what are the chances they (VA) will not follow-policy and exercise outside of their own rule books. They can and do often, and even if you catch CUE they put you in the idle machine not to admit it. The fact that you want to hold down a job. I don't think that should be a disqualified reason for a rating. I have been through the ringer with the VA. My entire case is mind-boggling. However, I do feel and have been reading there is going to be a massive wave of VA re-evaluations coming into play very soon - and especially for psychological/mental disorders. Yes, you worry about even the statutory -5 thru 10- and 20-year rules that it doesn't prevent a re-evaluation at anytime by the VA, and if you don't go and say "Hey, I am P&T", well, you failed because you were a no-show. From everything I have seen and been through - I agree, I would be just as worried as you are. However, again, your P&T WITHOUT future exams. So, you could call CUE on any of that, you will be at the Board (BVA) on the issue for years and then file to the CAVC and wait more years while your VA benefit monthly amount is reduced until you finally can prove yourself at CAVC OR OTHERS do and it sets the standard for P&T and your reinstated with all backpay - by this time, you are very old, crippled and ready to die. Yes, you fear this, I fear this, it is sad that this could potentially happen and that is the truth. For some mental ratings, it is impossible to work under the total occupation and social impairment functions/rules. Even volunteer work would be questionable. * There are no rules that say you cannot work while 100% P&T**TDIU that is another story*. Like you, I feel better about myself, if I am working, trying to achieve something, keeping me busy rather than thinking about all the bad things that happened while in service or constantly thinking about being in chronic pain. You would only need a clinical psych to reinforce that for the VA. Their rating rules are very outdated and not fair, especially for back conditions, like being prescribed bed rest which no Dr. will prescribe today or for the last few decades - while you lay around in bed in pain from your back resting on you own.
For your pilot license, this is life. You sound like you want the whole cake. For your security clearance, there are waivers I don't know your details. Most weight is on criminal record and financial trustworthiness. I also worked for the gov't. The agenda thing. It is more like an unspoken rule among employees and they will do whatever it takes to get ahead - that is how it works and there is no denying that. Unfortunately, their agenda denies legitimately ill people. The system, the laws speak volumes otherwise and you have to constantly be at veil to uncover it and go through slow and stubborn bureaucratic system where you feel like your treading in mud to finally prove yourself right.
My whole entire point is don't worry, if it does happen then it will happen. Write Congress and Senators to get this out there to introduce, or amend and pass bills that will definitely protect P&T ratings in all manners in all likelihood. The criteria for mental disorders is not easy. Your worried but do you think that under 100% mental impairment anyone could work. I am very low-balled on my VA ratings and I fought like heck to get them, at %50 for depression I am satisfied even though I feel that I should be much higher I tell myself closely at that rate I should be able to function well enough to work. Again, I should be much higher. But like you, I am on and off work from my service injuries and it sucks.
For your pilot license, this is life. You sound like you want the whole cake. For your security clearance, there are waivers I don't know your details. Most weight is on criminal record and financial trustworthiness. I also worked for the gov't. The agenda thing. It is more like an unspoken rule among employees and they will do whatever it takes to get ahead - that is how it works and there is no denying that. Unfortunately, their agenda denies legitimately ill people. The system, the laws speak volumes otherwise and you have to constantly be at veil to uncover it and go through slow and stubborn bureaucratic system where you feel like your treading in mud to finally prove yourself right.
My whole entire point is don't worry, if it does happen then it will happen. Write Congress and Senators to get this out there to introduce, or amend and pass bills that will definitely protect P&T ratings in all manners in all likelihood. The criteria for mental disorders is not easy. Your worried but do you think that under 100% mental impairment anyone could work. I am very low-balled on my VA ratings and I fought like heck to get them, at %50 for depression I am satisfied even though I feel that I should be much higher I tell myself closely at that rate I should be able to function well enough to work. Again, I should be much higher. But like you, I am on and off work from my service injuries and it sucks.
Are you permanent and total or do you still have to go through re-evaluations?
If you get re-evaluated maybe. I don’t have any scheduled so I don’t see where it would even come up for debate. If that would have been a concern I would not have put my SSDI in jeopardy and I would not be trying to work. Working is definitely hard to do I am not going to lie to you.
I didn’t need any kind of lawyer with my clearance I just emphasized to my investigator I was stable on medication. I have been pretty stable since 2015.
Now you have me curious. I talked to someone about a contract job last month and he was going to look up my clearance. I never heard back from him. I know I had an interim but I don’t know if it ever got adjudicated. I am going to ask him if it checked out okay.
Yes I am P&T, from my research and what I understand about it is that you are correct, I have no further re-examinations scheduled, BUT, if the VA discovers that there has been substantial improvement, they can at any time make any examination, regardless of being P&T. In your case, you have from what I can tell an extensive medical record, with a lot of hospital visits, over many years, you are extremely unlikely to have your rating changed. I, on the other hand, have only had this rating for 5ish months, I have a much higher probability of being re-evaluated, especially if I work successfully.
As far as clearance, did you ever have to sign anything, understanding your clearance was suspended or revoked? If not you shouldn’t have a ‘flag’ on your record, like me. Clearances take time, even for interims. If you been stable since 2015, that is plenty of mitigation time, they may ask for records at some point.
Nah, I don’t want the whole cake, I guess it is more of an either/or thing. My life has been completed ruined by the diagnosis/clearance revoked/loss of career. I could have easily made 80-160k on contracts or GS jobs if I retained my clearance and I would be doing something I enjoy and am good at. I have 10 years exp+ a master’s degree. I was offered jobs while I was in. But, not only is my primary career path ruined but also secondary and tertiary. I also have a degree in criminal justice, always wanted to do something in law enforcement, especially in investigations, but can’t do that with my medical record.
Also wanted try to be a firefighter, work in construction, such as truck driver, heavy eqp, can’t do that either. All of the jobs I actually want to do, I am blocked from. Now I’m applying for jobs I don’t even really want, but just want to do something. Oh yeah and can’t pursue the pilot path either.
So yeah my life is screwed. Of course I worry about the disability, it’s all I have. When I say either/or I mean either support me for ruining my career/life or give me a clean medical record and my clearance back. I would 1000x have the later.
I never signed anything on my clearance. I had to meet the investigator at the VA and sign an access form for them to get all my health records.
I have extensive medical records. They read pretty bad. I have been inpatient about 7 times. The VA used to give you this thing called a GAF score and I could never get one above 50 but they don’t do that anymore.
I don’t know how they judge your level of function anymore. I assume I have improved.
I feel you 100% bro I would take having my life back and working over fighting the VA and Military all the time for nothing. My life is passing by but that is all I have too. What level clearance did you have? Not sure why you don't have your condition mitigated and get a second medical opinion that may reduce your rating but likely you would qualify for the clearance. You can probably prove a misdiagnosis still this early on unless your symptoms are so severe then you better just keep it.
Generally speaking, if you had a clearance when you left the military it is good for 2 years. It’s pretty easy to get it reinstated. I know schizophrenia is a tough mental health challenge to overcome. I got mine renewed at the very end of my military career and told them about the mental health stuff. All they did is call my psychiatrist and ask “is he a risk for national security?. The psych answered no and I got approved.
The biggest issue is if you ever lie about anything including me talk health.
The biggest issue is if you ever lie about anything including me talk health.
So it was not suspended then. I had to sign the notification that mine was suspended by the CAF, which makes it way harder to get back.
In general that is true, however in my case, mine was suspended by the CAF and remained suspended after I left. It did not simply go inactive, it would require me to submit mitigating evidence to get reinstanted. The problem with that is, I need a sponser (employer) to submit that. Nobody and I mean nobody would hire me with a suspended clearance. It is basically impossible for me to get a clearance again. Problem also is that in my record one of my psychiatrists wrote I should not be allowed to access classified information.
TS. It is not mitigated because it appears to have gotten worse, on paper at least, I did detrioate after I got out, but recently feel better. Only way I could get it mitigated would be to have a sponser in the first place (employer) and no one is going to higher me with a suspended clearance. So even if I successfully got a second opinion to show mitigation, it is not going to do anything as far as getting a cleared job.
Well, don't feel bad, I had my Secret bumped to TS in combat and then it was dropped back down and when I went job hunting a while ago all the employers wanted TS and I am telling them they can get me interim and approved on my level. Nobody cared. And I mean nobody because none of the company's want to cough up the money to sponsor for the clearance TS. That was devastating to me, I was dealing with TS, had an interim - you would have thought it would not have been a problem. I didn't. I was wrong and yes, people were jumping on with good pay otherwise. Nothing you can do. What I wanted and what I got were two different things.
Yeah and that’s what I’m talking about, no one is going to hire me with a suspended clearance that only has a possibility of gettting unsuspended. I can’t submit paperwork for mitigation unless I have a need for the clearance, without a sponsor it won’t happen, I see my clearance as gone. Also, I’ve talked with a few adjudicators and they have told me it is a stretch to get any federal job with a suspended clearance, except for the lowest level investigation (T1) and there is not many jobs out there, most are T2 (public trust) and beyond. Reasoning is they look at past clearances/BI checks and it come up as a red flag with no explanation as to why it was suspended. My jobs are now very limited I’m the federal realm. I know there is more out there, but it goes to show how much my employment has been essentially blocked and yeah I would have been set in the intel world. I have former colleagues in the contracting world who could easily get me a job, already had an offer while I was in when I just asked a previous coworker to have their recruiter look at my resume for advice.
What did DAV tell you about working with your rating?
They told me there is no restrictions but recommended low stress jobs, didn’t seem to sure on the rating being possibly lowered. Seems impossible to find a concrete answer, doesn’t seem like there really is one. I’m going to try the job, it seems fairly low stress and I want to be doing something. I know it’s a risk for ratting reduction, but I can’t just sit at home the rest of my life.
Just be careful. I so didn’t want to get out of bed this morning. I have to carry three bottles of prescription medication with me to work. I have an anxiety med for PRN and sometimes I forget to take my antipsychotic and antidepressant in the morning. By 10 am I know it though and have to take them as an emergency.
A couple of times I have had to leave work because of it. I started using a pill box and that helps but I still forget sometimes. When I was working part time I used to text myself every night before I went to bed “Take your meds”.
I don’t do that anymore though. I am getting better about it.