MMPI-2 Validity and Award of Service Connection for PTSD During the VA Compensation and Pension Evaluation

From an initial pool of 699 Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2s (MMPI-2s) obtained as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Compensation and Pension (C & P) examinations for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the authors selected individuals with raw scores above 7 on the Frequency Psychpathology (F[p]) scale. The high F(p) group was matched to individuals with scores of 2 or less on the F(p) scale, and MMPI-2 interpretations, rates of disability awards for PTSD, and subsequent health care utilization were compared. The majority of psychological reports in the high F(p) group failed to indicate that the claimant's MMPI-2 appeared invalid. Moreover, there was no significant difference in rates of disability awards for PTSD or health care utilization across groups.