Tag: Service Connected

TDIU – DIAGNOSING PTSD

PTSD is a result of a person experiencing a traumatic event. Any number of situations can trigger PTSD for service members, as they are routinely exposed to stressful and traumatic occurrences.

Some of the Common Symptoms of PTSD may include:

  • Panic Attacks
  • Generalized Anxiety
  • Reliving the event, or flashbacks
  • Feelings of detachment, emotional numbness or depression
  • Avoiding situations that are reminiscent of the traumatic event
  • Not talking about the traumatic event
  • Living in a constant state of alertness or readiness for danger
  • Loss of interest in normal daily activities

Veterans experiencing these symptoms should contact a health care professional to determine whether they are suffering from PTSD.

There are many combat Veterans who have developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of military service are eligible to receive disability compensation for their condition. PTSD is a serious disorder that requires ongoing treatment which may not be possible if the veteran is not awarded an adequate amount from the VA.

 

The VA, Veterans Disability and what is needed to get a PTSD Disability Rating:

In the past, the VA has maintained strict requirements for claiming PTSD disability but in recent years these have become less stringent. Since 2010, veterans are no longer required to prove that the PTSD-triggering event actually occurred. This applies to combat veterans and any veteran who experienced fear of hostile terrorist activity.

The way to create  A DIRECT SERVICE CONNECTION FOR PTSD, VETERANS MUST HAVE:

  • A current PTSD diagnosis
  • A statement about the event that caused their trauma
  • Consistency between the veteran’s statement and the conditions of their service
  • A medical opinion that the stressor had a sufficient enough impact on them to cause PTSD

Veterans Benefits – Eligiblity

You must have a disability that is service-connected and are having a hard time finding and maintaining employment you may be eligible for TDIU Benefits.

We provide Veteran Disability assessments.

Service connection generally means that a chronic disability arose coincidental with military service. It is important to establish that your injury or illness is service-connected to qualify for disability compensation. The following categories identify service-connected disability:

  1. Direct – The onset of disability is directly related to military service. Example: Complications from a gunshot wound to the left thigh.
  2. Secondary – A current disability caused by or aggravated by another service-connected disability. Example: Right knee problems from compensating for an altered gait because of the left-thigh gunshot wound.
  3. Aggravated – A chronic disability diagnosed prior to military service is aggravated beyond normal progression during military service. Example: A right-knee disability from high school football was aggravated by a parachute jump.
  4. Presumptive – A chronic disability that is related to some exposure during military service. Example: Diabetes mellitus type II related to exposure to the Agent Orange herbicide used during the Vietnam War.
  5. Paired Organ – A veteran has loss of use of one extremity or organ (i.e. kidney) due to service- connected disability and later develops loss of use of the other extremity organ.
  6. VA Medical Negligence – A disability that occurred while a veteran was undergoing VA health care.
  7. Injury Resulting from VA Vocational Training – Injury that occurred while pursuing a vocational training plan with the VA.

Wartime Service-Connected Disabilities

There are service-connected disabilities that relate to specific war periods.
World War II:  Exposure to radiation was common due to the extensive experimentation and nuclear testing of the Atomic Bomb. Diseases such as Leukemia, Lymphomas, Multiple Myeloma and Cancers could later manifest in veterans who were exposed to radiation at that time.

Korean War:  Veterans who fought in the Korean War may have experienced cold-weather injuries and, later on, residual effects of frostbite.

Vietnam:  Exposure to Agent Orange, the herbicide used to kill off dense plant life caused multiple conditions in veterans of that war. Twelve specific illnesses have been identified as service-connected disabilities.

Persian Gulf War and OEF/OIF:  Veterans have experienced chronic disabilities resulting from undiagnosed or unexplained chronic multi-symptom illnesses such as joint pain, fatigue, mental problems and headaches of unknown etiology.

Compensation is Based on Degree of Disability

Your compensation is based on a rating system that determines the extent, or degree, of disability.

  • The range of disability starts at 0 percent up to 100 percent disabled.
  • Each disability found to be service-connected is assigned a percentage rating based on its specific level of impairment.
  • If there is more than one disability, the percentages are combined to determine the total rating.

The amount of compensation is based on this combined rating percentage and is adjusted annually.

Here is an example of the monthly benefits a veteran with no dependents may receive based on level of disability (source: 2009 VA Compensation Pay Chart):

10% = $123          60% =$974

20% = $243          70% = $1,228

30% = $376          80% = $1,427

40% =$541           90% = $1,604

50% = $770          100% = $2,673

 

You can get 100% Veterans Disability under TDIU even if your service connected disabilities do not add up to 100%. You have to Apply for a TDIU Benefits and would benefit from a TDIU Evaluation.