Increase Your PTSD VA Disability Rating To 100%
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a psychological disorder stemming from exposure to a distressing, jolting, or otherwise traumatizing incident. Among veterans, this might arise from factors including natural catastrophes, accidents, terrorist assaults, wartime engagements, or any manner of aggression.
The VA designates these traumatic occurrences as "stressors." Veterans who encountered one or multiple stressors during their service and currently exhibit signs of PTSD could potentially qualify for VA disability benefits aimed at addressing PTSD.
Although PTSD is common, it doesn't always ensure a suitable VA disability rating. Ratings range from 10% to 100%, primarily considering a veteran's life and work constraints. Most veterans find it difficult to secure a higher initial rating, let alone 100%.
Sometimes, the VA may assign an insufficient rating, not fully recognizing the severity of their PTSD. In such cases, veterans can request a higher rating. If you aim to enhance your VA PTSD rating from 70% to 100%, several pivotal tactics exist to increase your likelihood of success.
Three Effective Methods To Increase Your 70% PTSD VA Rating To 100%
Veterans who believe their PTSD is severe enough to get a much higher rating than VA has assigned them can have three methods. Explore the following information to understand the alternatives to increase your PTSD VA disability rating to 100%.
Appeal The VA's Decision Or File A New Disability Claim
The simplest method involves appealing the initial decision made by the VA regarding your original claim. You are granted a window of up to a year after the initial rating has been assigned to initiate this appeal.
You can alternatively start a new claim if this one-year timeframe has elapsed. In either scenario, providing additional evidence to reinforce your claim is highly advisable, thus enhancing the likelihood of a more advantageous outcome.
Prove Your Total Disability Based On Individual Unemployability (TDIU)
TDIU allows veterans to manoeuvre around a disability rating that falls short of 100%. TDIU's scope isn't confined solely to PTSD disorder. It extends as a provision for veterans who can substantiate that their service-connected disability (or disabilities) hinders their capacity to engage in employment.
TDIU guarantees a veteran obtains monthly remuneration equivalent to a 100% rating corresponding to their specific condition.
For qualification under TDIU, a veteran should possess either a single disability rating of 60% or more or an aggregate disability rating of 70% with at least one disability rated at 40% or more.
Once more, the evidence needs to establish the severity of the veteran's PTSD to the degree that the veteran is unable to work or could potentially harm themselves or others.
File A VA Claim For Your Secondary Service Connection
Secondary service connections relate to ailments that have emerged or deteriorated due to a condition for which a veteran has been granted a VA disability rating.
When attaining a 100% rating or TDIU appears impractical, and past claims or appeals have not resulted in a modification to the VA's initial PTSD rating, it is prudent to explore whether your PTSD has contributed to the development of additional psychological or physical disorders that you can verify as being interconnected.
In these instances, you can initiate a new claim for benefits by offering proof of your diagnosis and a nexus statement establishing the connection between the two conditions.
Gather Information To Win Your VA Disability Claims and Appeals
PTSD is a prevalent condition experienced by veterans, and regardless of its intensity, it necessitates compensation from the VA. Construct the most robust case possible to initiate a claim or appeal.
To receive the rightful compensation for your PTSD, you must get complete information from VA and provide all necessary documents.