Category: Vocational Expert

Veterans Disability

Don’t Let the VA Employees be the only one to decide a Veterans Disability & Employability.  There are some claims, a veteran establishes that he is unable to return to his former employment because of his service-connected disability.  However that is not the only issue involved in individual unemployability (TDIU), the question then becomes whether the veteran has the education, work experience, transferrable skills and adequate physical or mental ability to secure and maintain Other Work. The VA often relies on their VA physicians or Social Workers’ to answer this question. But, in fact, vocational experts are the only ones who are qualified to provide an opinion on this issue.

Vocational experts can evaluate the opportunities in the contemporary labor market against the veteran’s peculiar circumstances, offering an opinion as to the veteran’s potential for obtaining another job.

When the VA obtains there opinion its often in a report known as Social & Industrial Survey , to support a veteran’s claim of unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. However, the person the VA has completing this form rarely has training, education, or experience in vocational issues, vocational limitations, nor medical and psychological aspects of disability. This is a true Veterans Disability Assessment.

The United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) is a government run military benefit system that is responsible for administering programs for veterans’ benefits, their families, and survivors. Veterans Disability- VA regulations state that “all veterans who are unable to secure and follow a “substantial gainful occupation” by reason of a service-connected disability shall be rated totally disabled.” (38 C.F. R. Sect 4.16).

you can get 100% Veterans Disability through “Individual Unemployability” or IU is a way for the VA to compensate veterans at the 100 percent rate who are unable to work because of their service connected disability. This is the fasted-growing part of the disability compensation program.

Entitlement to 100% Veterans Disability due to TDIU requires evidence of unemployment due to the disability in question and medical evidence that a veteran’s service-connected disability renders him or her totally disabled and unemployable. A Vocational Expert report can assist in documenting Total Disability.

The recent US Court of Appeals case of Smith v. Shinski (No 2010-7145) using Social Security case law indicates the Veteran’s Administration does not have to use Vocational Experts in TDIU (Total Disability, Individual Unemployability) cases but that the VA adjudicator must consider a report documenting the Veteran’s unemployability. It is clear from this decision that the ultimate question is the employability of the Veteran, not the availability of jobs they can perform.

Specifically, 38 C.F.R. § 4.16 states in part, that if a veteran is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as a result of service-connected disabilities, he or she may be assigned a TDIU rating.  Of course there are other requirements for IU benefits, but even if those requirements are met, if a veteran is still able to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, then IU will be denied.

A quality Veterans Disability Assessment needs to be done by a vocational expert to document the vocational aspects of the veterans disability issues that a doctor cannot do.

Vocational Expert Resource Links

Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification

http://www.crccertification.com/

 

 

International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals

http://www.rehabpro.org/

 

 

The American Counseling Association

http://www.counseling.org/

 

 


The American Rehabilitation Counseling Association

http://www.arcaweb.org/

 

 


The Society for Human Resource Management

http://www.shrm.org/Pages/default.aspx

 

 

Other useful links:

The Dictionary of Occupational Titles http://www.oalj.dol.gov/libdot.htm

 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov/

 

O-net Online http://www.onetonline.org/

 

The Social Security Administration http://www.ssa.gov/

 

The Job Accommodation Network http://askjan.org/

Job Search and Labor Market Information

Government Agencies

School Information

Professional Organizations and Certifying Bodies

 

Why Us for TDIU – Veterans Disability

 

When a Veterans Representatives & Attorneys need an objective Vocational Assessment of a claimant’s Past Relevant Work, & Current Vocational Capabilities, they turn to us for Answers.

We have been providing Forensic Vocational Expert Services and Occupational assessments for over 17 years. We have also served as an unbiased expert for the U.S. Federal Government in more than 500  cases. We have performed over 3,000 assessments and have a specializations in brain injury (TBI), and Mental Health issues.

We are one of the few Vocational Experts to have in-depth Vocational & Psychological testing experience as well as to have worked as a on contract for the Social Security Administration ODAR courts, as well as for claimants.

We choose our evaluation tests based on the individuals’ needs and do not use a cookie cutter approach. We use standardized diagnostic vocational interview, but can also test the claimant using the most modern techniques, including a computerized measurement of aptitudes and abilities. We are one of the few vocational rehabilitation companies experienced with testing the aptitudes and abilities of Spanish and non-English speaking persons.

The interview and test battery can be administered via the internet allowing claimant’s throughout the United States to obtain this valuable expert service.

We have sat in and provided Vocational Expert Witness Testimony  in over 500 Social Security Disability hearings; we know what the Administrative law Judge needs to know to make a decision.

We can provide a Vocational Evaluation (Social & Industrial Surveys) in Veteran’s Disability cases to prove Total Disability Individual Un-employability in (TDIU) Cases.

Our Specialization is  Forensic Vocational Evaluations & Vocational Analysis.  
  • We have performed thousands of Vocational Transferable Skills Analysis through the VDARE process.
  • We also can provide Intense Brief Therapy.
  • Our mission is to provide reliable, valid, and effective vocational evaluation and expert witness services.
  • We have been providing Vocational Evaluations for over 17 years and worked with a variety of clients and disabilities.
  • We invite you to consult with us on any issue relating to employment, including earning capacity, employability, job search effectiveness, wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
  • Earning capacity consulting includes the analysis of complex earning situations including entrepreneurial income and multiple source income from part-time, project and full-time employment.
  • We also offer Vocational Rehabilitation plans, Educational Plans, &Job Placement Services.
  • A vocational expert is able to determine the individual´s skills and abilities to engage in work.

TDIU Vocational Expert and Veteran TDIU Employability Myths

 

TDIU Vocational Expert and Veteran TDIU Employability Myths

Getting a Evaluation from a Vocational Expert can expedite and dispell many issues in Veteran Disabilty issues.Section 4.16 of title 38, Code of Federal Regulations, authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to assign a total rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU rating) based upon a veteran’s temporary (i.e., non-permanent) inability to follow a substantially gainful occupation…Many Veterans believe that :

  1. Postive Rehabiltation efforts or post-rehabilitation  with  the prospect future employment, disqualifies veterans seeking individual umemployability TDIU.
  2. A Technical or college degree means veteran is employable
  3. Attending college is the same, or about the same, as having a job
  4. Working or the Ability to have a job prevents TDIU benefits
  5. If a veteran isn’t close to being commited to a psych ward, the veteran could find some employment

First.  While having an eduction does open more doors to jobs and sedentary jobs and  intelligence will allow any person a chance to do  well in a technical school or college. But scholastic  performance does not equal  employablities or high earing capacity abilities or to put in another way will have an ability to get a job offer after an interview.

The VA  Evaluator’s conclusion must be based on practical facts than on “mere theoretical ability to engage in substantial gainful employment…” Timmerman v. Weinberger, 510 F.2d 439, 442 (8th  Cir. 1975). This means the Evaluator’s “theory” of being employable in the future does not pass the legal precedent requiring VA to draw a “practical conclusion.”

Second.  Having acheived a Technical school  cerfiticat or a college degree does mean disabled veterans can in substantial gainful employement or  work in sedentary type jobs unless a service-connected disability, such as a mental condition, precludes this option. If a combination of disabilties can be shown to interfere with maintaining employment at a gainful level they can be granted disability. A Vocational Evaluation done by a Vocational Expert can document this evidence..  Citation Nr: 1009771.

Third. Attending technical school or  college is not the same as working. Many students are not going to school full time or even part time. You can study at any hour or time or in any location that is best for you. A job has a strict schedule and a strict environment. Also, schools are paid money in order for a student to receive an education or training, therefore they will do more accomidations and have more lax rules than an employer. A vocational expert can opine on this.

Fourth. Veterans can maintain employment and still be eligible for TDIU. In South Dakota, the Board of Appeals agreed. They found a veteran to be eligible for IU despite working 30 hours per week as an automotive parts salesman for 4 years. Citation Nr: 1027075. Here, the veteran had long been employed in this field, with two years of college and experience in automotive maintenance.

Even if a veteran could find work, the work must be substantial gainful employment without special accomidations and ongoing to disqualify the veteran from IU. Further, the term “unemployability” “is synonymous with an inability to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.” VAOPGCPREC 75-91. In this decision, the veteran had worked in the specific position for 4 years. If 4 years in that job was not considered a “substantially gainful occupation,” employment for a lesser period would fall within this classification.

Fifth. Mental Health issues can affect employability in many ways. A vocational evaluation that has psychological testing can include this in citing worker traits and vocational limitations. This would be 5 Star evidence of disability proof that is directly related to Employability.  To get better understanding of Mental Health level see Citation Nr: 1023321.

In summary, VAOPGCPREC 5-2005 . Veterans can be eligible for TDIU on a temporary basis, while in rehabilitation efforts.

 

Having a quality vocational evaluation done by a vocational expert can take medical and psychological limitations and show how they are directly affecting a Veteran’s employability or Individual Unemployment.

We would be happy to discuss with you our TDIU Vocational Evaluation.

Vocational Expert in Veterans Disability & TDIU Assessment

Vocational Expert

Categories : TDIU Vocational Evaluation, Veteran Benefits, Veteran Disability, Veteran Unemployment
 

Neurological Disorders Veterans TDIU

Total Disability & Individual Unemployability (TDIU) – Veteran

A veteran is entitled to a 100% disability rating if he can establish that his service-connected disability[ies] preclude him from substantial gainful employment, Individual Unemployment

VA adjudicator must consider a report documenting the Veteran’s un-employability from a Vocational Expert.

TDIU Vocational Evaluation

A Social & industrial survey (Vocational Evaluation) done by a Vocational Expert can be used as valuable evidence to support a veteran’s TDIU Claim, and help get Faster Decisions.

Many times the VA uses a Social Worker to fill a basic form out, but a Social Worker isn’t an Expert in Medical & Psychological issues in disability nor are they an Expert in Vocational Issues.  This is why you need this performed by a Vocational Expert.

Forensic Vocational Experts have the clinical knowledge and expertise to bridge the gap between a person’s medical & psychological limitations and how they will affect the persons employability, so that the VA Adjudicator will be informed as to how the medical and psychological limitations affect a person’s employability.

TDIU Total Disability Individual Unemployability TDIU

Often the VA doesn’t understand how medical and psychological limitations affect a Veterans Employability or Individual Unemployability.

The VA’s ALJ’s are often making TDIU decisions based on limited information because the Veterans limitations are not addressed in Vocational Terms and so the Judges are trying to figure out how X relates to Unemployability. In order to meet TDIU Requirements, you really need a Vocational Expert to do a TDIU Evaluation.

Forensic Vocational Expert has the clinical knowledge and expertise to bridge the gap between a person’s medical & psychological limitations and how they will affect the persons employability, so that the VA Adjudicator will be informed as to how the medical and psychological limitations affect a person’s employability. This is how a person can get 100% disability due to TDIU.

Total Disability Individual Unemployability(TDIU)

A veteran is entitled to a 100% TDIU disability rating if he can establish that his service-connected disabilities preclude him from obtaining/maintaining- substantial gainful employment, Individual Unemployment

VA adjudicator must consider a report documenting the Veteran’s un-employability from a Vocational Expert.

Vocationl Expert TDIU Evaluation

SouthEast Vocational Experts: Leaders in TDIU Veterans Disability, Forensic Mental Health & Vocational Evaluations. We provide a Comprehensive Evaluation that will give the veteran Objective Medical Signs and Symptoms as required by the Code of Federal Regulations.

TDIU Vocational Evaluation

A Social & industrial survey (Special Vocational Evaluation) done by a Vocational Expert can be used as valuable evidence to support a veteran’s TDIU Claim, and help get Faster Decisions.

Many times the VA uses a Social Worker to fill a basic form out, but a Social Worker isn’t an Expert in Medical & Psychological issues in disability nor are they an Expert in Vocational Issues.  This is why you need this performed by a Vocational Expert to fully document your TDIU issues.

Vocationl Expert TDIU Evaluation

    Your Name (required)

    Your Email (required)

    Phone Number

    Must have 70% service Connection for TDIU

    Services Seeking-TDIU-Evaluations are Private pay and range from $800 to $1,500

    Issues

    Total Disability Individual Unemployability(TDIU) serviced in South east as well as TDIU Evaluations nationwide.

    TDIU Requirements

    VA Disability – Evaluation – TDIU

    Forensic Vocational Expert has the clinical knowledge and expertise to bridge the gap between a person’s medical & psychological limitations and how they will affect the persons employability, so that the VA Adjudicator will be informed as to how the medical and psychological limitations affect a person’s employability.

    A veteran is entitled to a 100% TDIU disability rating if he can establish that his service-connected disabilities preclude him from obtaining/maintaining- substantial gainful employment, Individual Unemployment

    VA adjudicator must consider a report documenting the Veteran’s un-employability from a Vocational Expert.

    Vocationl Expert TDIU Evaluation

    SouthEast Vocational Experts: Leaders in TDIU Veterans Disability, Forensic Mental Health & Vocational Evaluations. We provide a Comprehensive Evaluation that will give the veteran Objective Medical Signs and Symptoms as required by the Code of Federal Regulations.

    TDIU Vocational Evaluation

    A Social & industrial survey (Special Vocational Evaluation) done by a Vocational Expert can be used as valuable evidence to support a veteran’s TDIU Claim, and help get Faster Decisions.

    Many times the VA uses a Social Worker to fill a basic form out, but a Social Worker isn’t an Expert in Medical & Psychological issues in disability nor are they an Expert in Vocational Issues.  This is why you need this performed by a Vocational Expert to fully document your TDIU issues.

    Vocationl Expert TDIU Evaluation

      Your Name (required)

      Your Email (required)

      Phone Number

      Must have 70% service Connection for TDIU

      Services Seeking-TDIU-Evaluations are Private pay and range from $800 to $1,500

      Issues

      Total Disability Individual Unemployability(TDIU) serviced in South east as well as nationwide.

      Vocational expert testimony can be challenged effectively in damage cases

      — Iowa Lawyer, March 2003

      Vocational rehabilitation consultants specialize in assessing disabled individuals’ limitations, and assisting those individuals in finding vocational alternatives. Given their unique training and experience, vocational rehabilitation consultants often play a critical role as expert witnesses. A vocational expert (VE) provides testimony regarding the scope and severity of vocational disabilities, including those caused by accidents that may be subject to claims for monetary damages.

      The opinion provided by a VE is essential to forming an economic damages claim. Economic loss experts rely on the conclusions provided by the VE to calculate total lost earnings since the accident, as well as anticipated lost earnings for the remaining post-accident work-life expectancy.

      Given the valuable support a VE lends to claims for damages, it is important for attorneys to understand the vocational evaluation process, and how they can apply that understanding to challenge a vocational prognosis.

      Key points in challenging a VE

      • Understand all opinions the expert is prepared to offer at trial
      • Identify and analyze the foundation for each opinion
      • Determine if the expert has the qualifications to offer such an opinion
      • Explore the expert’s vocational evaluation
      • Examine information regarding pre- and post-accident life

      By consulting with their retained VE, counsel will be better prepared to assess the opposing expert’s report.

      Qualifications

      A VE typically holds a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling or psychology, with a growing emphasis on the doctoral degree for personal injury cases. Training may include work in psychological counseling, job development and placement, vocational testing, labor market analysis, and working with individuals who have disabilities. The most respected professional certifications include:

      • Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (C.R.C.)
      • Certified Vocational Evaluator (C.V.E.)
      • Certified Case Manager (C.C.M.)
      • Certified Insurance Rehabilitation Specialist (C.I.R.S.)

      The expert’s curriculum vitae (CV) and publication list will enable counsel to identify the expert’s qualifications. Counsel will want to obtain information relating to the expert’s education, licenses, certifications, training, teaching and writing experience, employment history, professional association membership, and litigation experience. Counsel may wish to consult with their retained VE on these matters.

      Vocational Evaluation

      To assess physical and mental capabilities a VE conducts an evaluation. Typical evaluations involve an oral interview and, if appropriate, written tests or tests of manual dexterity. During an interview the VE gathers information regarding employment and medical history, social and family background, education, military service, financial status, and recreational interests. The VE will also review records related to these matters, and possibly contact employers and/or medical professionals.

      Following an evaluation the VE forms an opinion regarding the vocational disability. Salient issues involve whether the individual is:

      • Capable of returning to the same career, performing the same duties, and the same pre-injury salary
      • Capable of returning to the same career, performing the same duties, and the same pre-injury salary — provided the work environment is modified to accommodate the individual’s disabilities
      • Capable of returning to the same career, but with different duties and lower salary
      • Only capable of returning to a different career, with different duties and lower salary
      • Not capable of returning to gainful employment ever again

      The issues are similar in cases involving individuals who were in school, or who had not yet entered the workforce, at the time of their accident. The VE will determine pre-accident career goals, whether the individual was reasonably likely to achieve those goals, and whether the individual would have likely earned more compared to available post-injury jobs.

      Counsel will want to explore the expert’s experience in administering vocational evaluations, with attention to the expert’s methodology. Was the evaluation thorough, and did the VE comply with their stated methodology? What records did the VE review? Which tests were administered? Did the VE identify the individual’s transferable skills? Counsel may also inquire whether the VE identified vocational alternatives or if they simply provided litigation support.

      Pertinent facts regarding vocational disability include: age at the time of the accident; occupation at the time of the accident — including job title, duties, responsibilities and salary; occupations prior to the accident; educational history since the accident; medical conditions prior to the accident; medical conditions at the time of the vocational evaluation; and current medical conditions.

      This information generally can be obtained from the expert’s report. Counsel would then be able to inquire about which facts the VE considered, or failed to consider. Counsel’s retained VE can provide valuable assistance in this regard.

      Employment Information

      Interviews with the individual’s co-workers and supervisors may provide information regarding performance, salary, and advancement potential. Employment information can also be obtained from Social Security and employment records. Job placement agencies provide an objective information source regarding general job requirements. For cases involving white-collar positions, “headhunters” are likely more helpful.

      Records regarding scholastic performance and aptitude may prove valuable in cases involving the ability to re-educate, i.e., return to school to learn a new trade. Such records also prove useful in cases in which the individual had been in school at the time of the accident but is claiming an inability to fulfill educational and professional goals as a result of the accident.

      Medical records are essential in a vocational evaluation. It may be worthwhile to request an independent medical examination (IME) and/or functional capacity evaluation (FCE).

      Employment, education, medical, and military records may elicit transferable skills not identified, or perhaps downplayed, by the opposing VE. This information will enable counsel to challenge the foundation and reliability of the vocational assessment.

      Earning Capacity

      Once vocational disability is assessed, the VE will render a decision regarding reduced earning capacity resulting from the accident. Counsel may challenge the conclusion as well as the sources utilized to form the conclusion. In addition, counsel’s retained VE may be able to identify higher-paying vocational options than those identified by the opposing expert.

      Work-Life Expectancy

      In addition to challenging the opposing expert’s calculations, vulnerable points include assumptions regarding the individual’s ability to work into their later years. Work-life expectancy is contingent on the type of work performed, e.g., physically demanding versus sedentary. It is also influenced by pre-existing medical conditions. Post-accident changes may reduce earnings, e.g., relocating to a region where wages are lower.

      Attempts to quantify post-accident work-life expectancy from work-life expectancy tables may be challenged on their reliability given that they characterize disabilities into broad categories, e.g., mildly disabled, severely disabled.

      Conclusion

      Vocational experts may prove vulnerable on several points: qualifications, education, methodology used to evaluate the disabled individual, resources utilized in forming opinions, and calculations determining future earnings loss. Counsel may benefit from the expertise provided by their retained vocational expert in identifying and analyzing weaknesses in opposing vocational expert’s testimony.

      Bill Asenjo, Ph.D., C.R.C., is a vocational consultant in Iowa City. A certified rehabilitation counselor and vocational consultant since 1994, Bill completed his Ph.D. in the University of Iowa’s Rehabilitation Counseling program. A free list of specific questions for challenging vocational experts is available upon request. To contact Bill, visit

      Resources

      Vocational experts provide valuable support to claims for damages. Therefore, it behooves attorneys to understand the vocational evaluation process, and how they can apply that understanding to challenge a vocational prognosis. The following list — although not exhaustive, offers many of the most important, and commonly referred to, resources utilized by vocational experts.

      Vocational Expert Resources

      Dictionary of Occupational Titles (1991)
      The official U.S. Department of Labor publication listing 12,741 discreet job titles.

      The Occupational Information Network (O*NET)
      http://online.onetcenter.org/
      O*NETTM database is replacing the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) as the nation’s primary source of occupational information. O*NET is administered and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.

      U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics
      http://www.bls.gov/

      Occupational Outlook Handbook 2002-2003
      The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a nationally recognized source of career information. Revised every two years, the Handbook describes what workers do on the job, working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings, and expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations. It is also available online at http://www.bls.gov/oco/.

      America’s Job Bank
      http://www.ajb.org/
      One of the most comprehensive websites for occupational exploration and job searches.

      U.S. Census Bureau
      http://www.census.gov/

      Iowa Workforce Development
      http://www.iowaworkforce.org/

      Social Security Administration
      http://www.ssa.gov/

      FedStats
      http://www.fedstats.gov/

      TDIU – Veterans Disability

      TDIU -EMPLOYABILITY  VOCATIONAL EVALUATION  PROCESS

      This is more in-depth than the Social & Industrial Survey that the VA’s social worker will fill out, and again, the SW is not an Employability/Placeability Expert- This is why you need a Vocational Expert.

      Our Vocational Experts will perform a Vocational Analysis of the Veteran

      1) Document Review – General list:

      Hospital, Physician, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, & Counselor records, Veteran’s Disability Forms.

      2)  We Use Both a Structured and Unstructured Diagnostic  Vocational Interview

      This will be a review of the Veteran’s history and will also outline the Veteran’s age, education, current work status, past work experience, skills, current medical & psychological impairment(s), treatments, and physical & psychological limitations.

      (This can be in-person or through SKYPE)

      3)  Assessment of Current Information and determining if more documentation is needed.

      – If needed we will create Medical and/or Psychological Source forms and/or Mental Residual Functional Capacity (MRFC), Physical Residual Functional Capacity (RFC).  This will be the Veteran’s or their Representative responsibility to get completed and returned to us.

      4)  Vocational Psychometric Assessment (most cases will require vocational assessments)

      Based on the case we will determine what assessments need to be completed. We will assess not only aptitudes but also may measure Attention, Concentration, Memory, Cognitive Abilities, Mental Health Measures (Depression, Anxiety, GAD, PTSD, etc.)

      5)  Perform a Vocational Diagnostic Assessment of Residual Employability.

      6)   Labor Market Research (if needed)

      Private, local, state, and federal government labor market studies to determine if any significant number of jobs exist that the claimant can perform in the local and national labor market.

      The results of the vocational evaluation enable the Vocational Expert to render an opinion as to the employability of the permanently injured veteran’s and their ability to perform substantial gainful work activity based on quantifiable, accurate, and current information using Veteran’s Disability standards.

      TDIU for PTSD

      Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

      Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD

      If you are here because you have been denied veterans’ benefits for PTSD, you are not alone. In 2012, the VA claimed its own claims error rate was 14%. However, the VA’s own inspector general found a claims error rate of 38%.That means by even the VA’s own estimates they make mistakes in almost 4 out of 10 benefits claims cases! Additionally, appeals represent a third of the VA’s pending disability claims which means 1 in 3 cases the VA is processing are veterans appealing a denial.

      A TDIU Vocational Evaluation can assist you greatly in gaining Objective Evidence of your Psychiatric Limitations/Mental Health Issues, to get an Objective Diagnosis, severity of issues and how they affect your employability and in Vocational Terms

      How Do I Get Veterans’ Benefits for PTSD?

      To get veterans’ benefits for PTSD, you need to establish a service connection between your PTSD disability and your time in service. PTSD is unique among veteran disability types because of the importance placed on stressors in diagnosing PTSD.  So, in order to get VA disability benefits for PTSD you will need to get a service connection by establishing a stressor or stressors that qualify you for a diagnosis of PTSD.

      There are essentially 3 different approaches to proving stressors.

      1. The first type of stressor involves a situation where a combat veteran describes a stressor that is consistent with his or her combat exposure.
      2. The second type of stressor involves a situation where the veteran describes a stressor that is not associated with his verified combat exposure.
      3. The third type off stressor involves cases where the veteran’s PTSD stressor is related to fear of hostile military or terrorist activity while stationed in a combat theater of operations.

      Credible supporting evidence is important in getting approved for PTSD VA benefits. But in practice, the “credible supporting evidence” requirement has been a major impediment to many Veterans receiving compensation for their PTSD diagnosis. Frankly, many things that happen in the service are never properly documented or recorded. As a result, it can be very difficult to prove that the stressor took place. Fortunately, in July 2010 the VA issued a new rule making it somewhat easier to prove that a stressor event happened during service. Under the new regulation, if a Veteran’s claimed stressors are related to the Veteran’s fear of hostile or military or terrorist activity then he could qualify for PTSD based on this as a stressor.

      Additionally, in order to get VA benefits for PTSD, you might also need to get a private VOCATIONAL EXPERT OPININON to establish a connection between your service and your diagnosis and Vocational Limitations.

      What Are PTSD Veterans Benefits?

      Veterans benefits for PTSD are granted based on graduated disability ratings of 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70% or 100%.  Veterans who receive a disability rating of 0% do not receive disability benefits because there is little or no impairment. Disability benefit payments begin at 10% and increase at each rating level.

      Veterans have a wide range of benefits available to them. They range from VA pension benefits (non-service connected) and VA compensation benefits – to vocational rehabilitation and grants for adapted vehicles, housing and equipment.

      Why Did the VA Deny My Veteran’s Benefit Claim for PTSD that a Vocational Expert and Help with?

      The most common reasons why the VA denies benefits for PTSD are:

      1. The VA also likes to deny PTSD claims on the grounds that you don’t have a diagnosis of PTSD.  In many cases, however, if you are not diagnosed with PTSD you may be diagnosed with depression or generalized anxiety.  You would benefit from a TDIU Vocational Evaluation that tests for psychiatric/Mental Health issues and lists their severity and relationship to vocational limitations.
      2. Another reason why the VA denies PTSD benefits claims is because many veterans make the mistake of re-filing PTSD benefits claims without any new evidence or they submit evidence that is not really material to their PTSD, South East VE can provide you with New Objective Evidence.

      In order to ensure the greatest degree of success in re-opened disability claims, we recommend that you look very carefully at the reason why the VA denied your claim the last time.  For instance, if the reason they denied you before was because there was no evidence of a present disability, then submitting a new medical record showing a diagnosed condition could potentially aid in getting your claim reopened.  The new evidence you submit should address one of the reasons why VA denied your benefits before.

      SouthEast Vocational Experts can provide Objective Evidence of your PTSD and level of severity through our objective Testing.