VA Assigning Disability Ratings For Service-Connected PTSD
Veterans who have participated in prolonged and intense combat or suffered from another extremely stressful incident are at higher risk of diagnosing with PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder.
This mental health problem, also known as battle fatigue and shell shock, has probably existed since soldiers engaged in combat. However, only in the past few decades has post-traumatic stress disorder been considered a debilitating and serious condition.
Symptoms Of Service-Connected PTSD
Individuals engaged in combat or an incident resulting in helplessness or intense fear can have PTSD. It includes veterans involved in battles and survivors of serious accidents, terrorist attacks, sexual assault, and physical abuse.
Powerful and intense emotions resulting from the event create alterations in your brain. Usually, the symptoms of PTSD begin soon after a life-threatening incident or event.
However, they may appear after months and continue for years, making it challenging for veterans to perform daily activities.
According to VA, signs that veterans could be experiencing PTSD include the following:
- Getting flashbacks of a traumatic event
- Ignoring the situation that reminds you of a traumatic event
- Feeling withdrawn or numb
- Feeling jittery, on edge, or constantly on guard
- Drug problems
- Alcohol abuse
- Physical symptoms
- Relationship issues
- The problem with holding a job
- Feelings of shame, hopelessness, or despair
While the VA provides disability compensation ratings to former military service members who have experienced service-connected PTSD, it's unwise for veterans to take on the VA bureaucracy alone. It may take months or often years before you receive the VA disability compensation you are entitled to without the help of an expert who knows the VA disability claims system.
Qualifying For Your PTSD Claim
To become eligible for your PTSD-connected disability compensation, veterans must provide the following:
- A current medical diagnosis of their PTSD;
- Clear evidence of any stressor incident that happened during service; and
- Proof that the stressor incident is a result of their PTSD.
Once veterans establish to the VA's satisfaction that their PTSD is service-related, the VA will evaluate their degree of disability to assign VA disability ratings.
How Does VA Rate Service-Related PTSD?
For service-related PTSD, the VA decides the amount of compensation on the level of disability or impairment. There's a scale of disability that starts at 0% and goes up to 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100%.
A 0% rating indicates that you've service-related PTSD, but you're not disabled by it.
To determine the disability percentage(s), the VA uses the diagnostic test known as GAF (Global Assessment of Functioning Scale).
This test looks at how better a veteran functions in carrying out routine activities and social interactions. This rating scale ranges between 0% to 100%. A lower GAF score means that a veteran is more impaired.
VA Disability Ratings And Compensation For Service-Connected PTSD
The VA disability rating veterans receive for their PTSD is dependent on their degree of disability and will directly affect the amount of compensation they will be getting.
While a 0% VA rating will not lead to compensation, other ratings assigned in 10% intervals will result in monthly monetary payments.
The higher the VA rating, the more compensation a veteran is entitled to receive every month. The maximum amount of VA disability compensation for PTSD differs from year to year and is decided by the VA.
However, other factors could affect the value of a former military veteran's monthly benefits.
Particularly, the number of people dependent on the veteran will affect the benefits they obtain for their service-related PTSD.
Qualifying dependents include parents, spouses, and children. The higher the number of dependents, the more compensation a veteran will get every month.
