C&P Exams: TBI

Welcome to our informative and comprehensive KZbin video on obtaining service connection for TBI as a veteran. In this video, we will guide you through the process, regulations, and the essential Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) you can expect during your Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam.
Traumatic Brain Injury DBQ:
www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/...
Our Website: vadisabilitygroup.com/
vadisabilitygroup.com/c-and-p...
Video Content:
0:00 Intro
0:33 Regulations
1:00 Rating Code
5:08 DBQ Walk-Through
8:10 Outro

[@jammaho4762]

Good video, thank you.

[@levitorres92]

Thanks info helped me... do you have anything on dbq ear conditions (including vestibular and infectious conditions)? Thx

[@VADisabilityGroup]

Thanks for the comment. No, at the moment we don't have a specific video on ear conditions to include conditions such as meniere's disease and vertigo. However, we are in the process of producing an ENT video, so stay tuned! We anticipate that to be published within the next 3-5 weeks.

[@yeniar71]

Hello I have a TBI rating of 10, which was given years ago. I recently read about you can be reevaluated under a new code “Where VA rated the veteran’s TBI residuals under the old version the veteran may request review under the new code.” How can I go about doing that? Thank you for sharing this!

[@VADisabilityGroup]

Hello and thank you for the question. All that is needed to request review is to submit a 526EZ with a claim for an increase. In the notes I would comment on this reevaluation program. You can submit this claim to the evidence intake center (www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/mailingaddresses.asp); alternatively, you can submit a claim on Ebenefits. Be aware, if you have a service connection mental health condition that condition will also be reevaluated. For example, if you have a 10% awarded for TBI and 70% awarded for PTSD, you might not want to stir the pot as the 70% is a great evaluation for mental health and all TBI claims necessarily bring scrutiny to your mental health claim as TBI examiners must also assess mental health conditions because of the overlap. All the best!

[@MichaelOliver-ry7fj]

The VA in whole is incapable of making an honest appraisal of any condition, especially a TBI

[@troyshetron3928]

Should I be concerned when I went to comp and pension for this they only wanted to know about the incident that I believe led to it and that was all there was for the exam.

[@VADisabilityGroup]

Hello. Thanks for your comment. This is hard to answer without more information. TBIs often occur in combat settings, so they are rarely documented properly. With this in mind, it's quite important to communicate the specific combat event that caused your TBI. If you lost consciousness, you will definitely want to communicate that. You will also want to communicate how long people told you that you were unconscious (if known). You will also want to communicate any other common symptoms such as headaches, irritability, depression, vision changes, audiological changes such as ringing in the ears, etc.. Best of luck!

[@danf5120]

I had this same experience at my comp and pen exam. The examiner only seemed interested in the precipitating event and none of the subsequent symptoms. I had to interject with a brief summary of the neurobehaviorial effects, but the examiner seemed uninterested and dismissive even though it was the whole point for starting my claim. I had received functional brain scans and psychiatric assessments to back up the claim, but he didn't seem familiar with any of the evidence I submitted. I included a lay statement after the appt to add my side of the story because I wasn't confident that the examiner was taking me seriously at all.

[@atticusjun1598]

So I have 70% PTSD and I have a C&P for a TBI coming up, if they can’t differentiate the symptoms, I should expect to an increase in the PTSD rating and should I just expect no increase or no separate rating for the TBI?

[@VADisabilityGroup]

In theory, the VA is supposed to consider the higher evaluation. However, in practice, the examiner tends to say they can't differentiate the mental health vs. TBI symptoms and the VA adjudicator keeps the PTSD evaluation at the same rate. We aren't saying that'll happen in your case, but it's the typical outcome. Good luck!