Image: Forrest Gump looking perplexed.
Caption: When I asked the VA for an autism assessment, they said I couldn’t be autistic because I was in the military…and just like that, I didn’t exist anymore.
Regarding the title, the Veterans Affairs claims their core values are I-CARE:
- Integrity: Act with high moral principle. Adhere to the highest professional standards. Maintain the trust and confidence of all with whom I engage.
- Commitment: Work diligently to serve Veterans and other beneficiaries. Be driven by an earnest belief in VA’s mission. Fulfill my individual responsibilities and organizational responsibilities.
- Advocacy: Be truly Veteran-centric by identifying, fully considering, and appropriately advancing the interests of Veterans and other beneficiaries.
- Respect: Treat all those I serve and with whom I work with dignity and respect. Show respect to earn it.
- Excellence: Strive for the highest quality and continuous improvement. Be thoughtful and decisive in leadership, accountable for my actions, willing to admit mistakes, and rigorous in correcting them.
I’m one of those Air Force computer nerds. I was an IT professional in the Air Force, specifically.
After 19 years of military service, I asked for an ADHD diagnosis. I was told that I can’t serve with ADHD, and the fact that I almost made it to retirement without issue means I didn’t have it. I was insistent though, and they finally referred me to a nearby civilian specialist.
The specialist said ADHD diagnosis and treatment was her primary specialist and she’d been doing it for 11 years. After our appointment, she said I had the worst case of ADHD she’d ever seen.
She immediately wanted to start me on treatment, because finding the right blend of meds was a lengthy process that varied from person to person. But the military told me I wasn’t authorized treatment, just a diagnosis.
I retired a year later and the VA refused to acknowledge my diagnosis for benefits. Apparently, ADHD isn’t considered a disability, so I can’t get a rating for it, even though it’s a mental condition that affects my life.
Yep!! That’s similar to my experience. I had to pay out of pocket for the assessment and then see a psychiatrist out of pocket as well. These government providers act like ASD & ADHD are only considered real if they make it so you can’t function whatsoever ever at work your entire life. I don’t know who they expect to treat if anyone that can get access to them automatically doesn’t meet criteria since they have money or insurance.
Anyway, I started on ADHD meds and that made such a difference in my quality of life. I can hold polite conversations, decide to listen intently even if it’s not my special interest of the moment, decide to work of responsibilities without needing severe anxiety or alcohol, remember most things for more than 10 seconds, not have a to do list for literally 95% of my life. Surprisingly, can read people’s social cues better because I’m able to pay attention.
ADHD doesn’t only affect school & work. It’s pervasive in all areas. Us that were able to hold a job were probably a mess everywhere else because all of our mental energy went to developing systems, strict adherence to those systems, and triple checking everything at work. I had one of those little green books with everything written down. It was a collection of checklists. Once we were done with work hours, our brains did a data dump, and if there wasn’t someone to pick up the slack, strict military control, and the military basically providing all essential needs, we’d be a complete mess.
I will forever divide my life to before and after AuDHD diagnosis and treatment because I feel like a new person.
A strictly structured environment with explicit clear rules, sounds like made for people with autism or adhd.