Hey all,

Looking for some advice and insight from anyone who’s been in a similar boat. I recently got my 100% P&T rating for PTSD, which is a huge relief, but now I’m stressing about the next steps, especially when it comes to switching my treatment from private care to the VA.

Quick background: I’m a combat vet and spent about a year in Afghanistan. For the last 10 years, I’ve been dealing with symptoms that seemed to get better at times, only to come back even worse. Initially, when I got out of the military, I was rated at 10% for anxiety. I thought I could just tough it out, and that things would eventually improve. But a couple of years ago, I hit rock bottom. Suicidal thoughts started creeping in, and I knew I needed serious help.

I ended up finding a private psychologist who has a lot of experience with veterans. We really got into the weeds with my symptoms, and it turned out things were way worse than what the VA initially told me. With the help of a VSO and my psychologist, I reopened my anxiety claim, filed my DBQs, and was eventually diagnosed with PTSD.

Zoloft has been helping to keep my anxiety somewhat in check, but I’ve stayed on it because the underlying issues never fully went away. Now that I have my 100% P&T rating, I’m using my benefits to cover the cost of treatment, including therapy and other treatments like TMS and Ketamine for depression. But paying out of pocket for private care is expensive, and I’m considering transitioning my treatment to the VA to make use of the benefits.

Here’s my concern. I’m really worried because the VA initially downplayed my condition as just anxiety when it was actually much more severe. I’m afraid that if I switch to getting treatment through the VA, they might see my continued therapy and treat as a reason to reduce my benefits. It took me forever to understand my symptoms because the VA downplayed them, and getting appointments was always a nightmare due to the backlog. I’m doing better now, but I know this is something I’ll need to manage for life.

So my question is: Is it safe to switch to VA treatment instead of paying out of pocket? I’m nervous that if I move my care to the VA, they might think my condition has improved and lower my rating. Has anyone made this switch before? How did it go? Is it safe to get the care I need through the VA without risking a reduction in my benefits?

I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences you can share. Thanks for reading and stay strong, everyone.