ArmyVet,

The NeuroPsych Assessment is the only way to determine what your true symptoms/dysfunctions are. If the proper battery of tests is done and interpreted by an NeuroPsych Ph.D. who does not have a bias against Post Concussion Syndrome, you will get some valuable information.

If the NP Assessment is done using the wrong or an incomplete battery of tests, the report can be used against you in your Work Comp claim. If the NP Ph.D. has a bias against PCS as a cause of your problems, it will be very difficult to ever get the bad report discounted.

This is why you need to talk to a Work Comp attorney.

I am curious where you read that some of the tests are bogus. They are researched extensively. The problem is the interpretation, not the tests. The Halsted-Reitan battery is the most commonly used battery of tests. It includes the WAIS, WMS, Trail Making, Finger Tapping, and some others. Each has a focused objective.

For example, the Trail Making test tests memory, visual perception with distractions and the ability to switch tasks while retaining memory. The PASAT (Paced Serial Addition Test) tests cognitive skills and multi-step processing. A good battery will include a test or two to check for validity and malingering.

If you decide to have a NP Assessment done, consult a WC attorney first. You need to be sure the proper battery is done by a reputable NeuroPsych.

I wish I could sit down with you, your wife and your daughter and explain what happened to me and the mistakes I made with my Workers Comp claim. I was hesitant to push hard with the Work Comp claim and now have to try to survive on about 15% of my previous pay. My wife had to find a job. She had not worked since before we got married 24 years earlier. Her meager pay and my SSDI disability check still have us in the poor house. A proper Work Comp settlement would have made a huge difference.

Please, have you wife read these posts. She will be the one to care for you as your condition gets worse. Post Concussion Syndrome hits hard as the subject ages into the 50's.

My best to you and your family.