By Tiffini Theisen
Veterans who experienced certain traumatic events during their service may be able to receive disability compensation in the form of non-taxed monthly payments, as well as free health care, including specific PTSD treatment.
For a veteran to receive these disability benefits, he or she must demonstrate that the PTSD was caused, or made worse, by events that occurred during active military service. The adverse events could also have happened during military training, whether active or inactive duty.
Additionally, the Department of Veterans Affairs also reviews post-service disability claims, meaning that if the PTSD didn’t appear until after active-duty service, it may still be covered as long as veterans can show the service caused the condition.
For any disability claim, the condition can be one that affects the mind, body or both, and this also applies to PTSD.
PTSD is the fourth-most prevalent type of benefits claim the VA receives. Of the roughly 5 million veterans who receive compensation benefits, more than 1.1 million get PTSD benefits.
Eligibility begins with veterans demonstrating and documenting the effects of the trauma and submitting a claim to the government.
What Is PTSD?
PTSD, which stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a reaction to trauma that lasts beyond the first month after the adverse experience and negatively impacts mental and physical health, social connections, daily tasks and/or work performance.
After any trauma, it’s normal to feel sad, angry, stressed or disoriented. It’s also common to have problems focusing, sleeping or getting along with others. Most people who are exposed to a traumatic, stressful event experience some of the symptoms of PTSD in the days and weeks after exposure.
A PTSD diagnosis may be made if these difficulties persist and worsen beyond the first few weeks. Data suggest that about 8% of men and 20% of women go on to develop PTSD, and roughly 30% of these individuals develop a chronic form that persists throughout their lifetimes.
PTSD risk increases “when the traumatic event is more severe, violent, occurs over a longer period of time or involves harm to oneself or loss of a loved one,” according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
An estimated 7.8% of Americans will experience PTSD during their lives, with women (10.4%) twice as likely as men (5%) to develop PTSD. About 3.6% of U.S. adults ages 18 to 54 (5.2 million people) have PTSD during the course of a given year.
About 30% of the men and women who have spent time in war zones experience PTSD.
PTSD is treatable.
PTSD Symptoms
PTSD can take a major toll on mental health. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms may include:
- Flashbacks: Reliving the traumatic event as if it were happening again
- Uncontrollable thoughts or intrusive memories about the event
- Nightmares
- Severe anxiety
- Severe emotional distress
- Unpleasant physical reactions when reminded of the traumatic event
Left untreated, PTSD can lead to hopelessness, memory problems, relationship conflicts, feelings of numbness and detachment, and lack of interest in hobbies.
PTSD can cause symptoms in the body as well as the mind. Physical symptoms can include high blood pressure, increased heart rate, fatigue, muscle tension, nausea, joint pain, headaches and other physical pain, including back pain, according to the APA.
Some who suffer from PTSD also experience depression and may be more likely to misuse alcohol and prescription drugs.
PTSD rarely goes away on its own, so it’s important to seek help.
How Is PTSD Rated by the VA?
The VA will rate your PTSD based on the severity of your disability. The higher your rating, expressed as a percentage, the higher the amount of disability compensation you’ll receive.
Many factors are taken into account as the VA evaluates your PTSD disability claim. These factors include reports from your mental-health caregivers and results from your compensation and pension (C&P) exam, if relevant.
VA Rating Factors for PTSD
Under the current VA rating system for PTSD, the government considers stressful events to be contributing factors if the events are a result of combat, personal trauma or other life-threatening situations.
The veteran is evaluated partly based on the symptoms he or she is suffering as a result of the traumatic event or events These symptoms include the following categories:
- Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violation. This includes witnessing traumatic events or learning of them happening to someone close to the service member.
- Intrusive symptoms such as distressing memories, nightmares and flashbacks.
- Avoidance of people, places and situations that remind the sufferer of the traumatic events.
- Negative mental states such as detachment, memory loss, distrust, hopelessness, self-blame, fear, anger, guilt, shame, loss of interest in activities, etc.
- Hyperarousal states, including irritability, angry outbursts, hypervigilance, problems concentrating, easy to startle, trouble sleeping and more.
View more details about these categories of PTSD symptoms here.
