July 13, 2010

VA Change to PTSD Claim Requirements Opens Doors for Wisconsin Veterans

(MADISON) – On Monday, July 12, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced new, simplified access to health care and benefits for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

PTSD is a medically recognized anxiety disorder that can develop from seeing or experiencing an event that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury to which a person responds with intense fear, helplessness or horror, and is not uncommon among war veterans.

“On behalf of over 427,000 veterans in Wisconsin, I applaud this change,” says Kenneth B. Black, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. “Veterans Affairs has updated eligibility requirements to better reflect the reality of the conflicts our service members face and the nature of the challenges they encounter once they return home.”

Under the new rule, VA no longer requires corroboration of a stressor related to fear of hostile military or terrorist activity. The VA will grant compensation to a veteran with PTSD if the veteran can show that they served in a war and performed a job during which events could have caused the disorder. The new rule simply requires that a VA doctor confirm that the stressful experience recalled by a veteran adequately supports a diagnosis of PTSD and the veteran's symptoms are related to the claimed stressor.

Under the old regulation, some claims were denied or delayed because of the challenge of providing evidence tied to specific “stressor” incidents such as bomb blasts or firefights. The new regulation is expected to open the door for service members — especially women veterans — who did not serve in traditional combat roles but still suffered traumatic experiences.

“Like men, women veterans served in intensely dangerous, stressful situations,” says Jane Babcock, Manitowoc County Veterans Service Officer and Army Sergeant First Class (retired). “They may have seen unit members killed, come under fire or been wounded. Their reactions, behavior patterns, and PTSD symptoms are often very different from their fellow servicemen.”

The new rule is expected to result in faster and more accurate claims decisions that expedite access to medical care and other benefits for veterans.

“It is important that we get the word out about this,” says Nate Nez, Tribal and Regional Coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. “This rule change applies to veterans of all ages and eras, and we’re ready to answer questions the public may have.”

There are concerns that the change could invite an increase in fraudulent claims.

Jim Young, Vernon County Veterans Service Officer and President of the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers, helps put the rule change into perspective: “Fraudulent PTSD claims are not a new concern. We’ll continue to be proactive at the local, state and federal level. We’ll ask the right questions and guard against fraud.”

Nationwide, more than 400,000 veterans currently receiving compensation benefits are service connected for PTSD. Disability compensation is a tax-free benefit paid to a veteran for disabilities that are a result of — or made worse by — injuries or diseases associated with active service.

For more information about the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs see www.WisVets.com, or call WDVA toll-free at 1-800-WIS-VETS (947-8387).