In our experience, mental health disabilities tend to be some the most disabling conditions an individual can suffer from, which often prevent them from even being able to do sedentary work.
Mental disabilities including depression, Anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are complex cases that can be further complicated because they often co-exist with PTSD or TBI.
Many Veterans suffer from Psychiatric/Mental Health issues. If they are service connected you may wish to have them Objectively Assessed by a Vocational Expert for your Veterans Disability or TDIU Claim.
In general, in order to get VA benefits for a psychiatric disabilities such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, you need to establish the main elements of service-connection between your psychiatric disability and your time in the military.
First, you need to get a current OBJECTIV diagnosis of a mental disability. You must be diagnosed with a mental illness other than a personality disorder. The VA will not grant disability benefits for a personality disorder because they are considered to be a condition you are born with and thus not caused by your time in the military. Second, you need evidence of an in-service occurrence or aggravation of a disease, injury or precipitating event. Third, you must establish a link between the in-service event and the current mental disability.
A mental disability does not have to be your primary disability type in order to get VA benefits. For instance, if you are service-connected for a knee condition and a low back condition that produces such severe chronic pain as to cause depression, then you can get service-connection for the depression secondary
Many Doctors and Psychologist will give you a mental health diagnosis in their notes but do no OBJECTIVE tests or Measures, and therefore your left with Subjective information that the VA and Judge can give little to no weight too.
YOU NEED OBJECTIVE Evidence and we at SouthEast Vocational Experts provide Objective Testing and Assessments.