Individuals with PTSD are also often diagnosed with other mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression. It is very important that you have your condition diagnosed by a qualified medical practitioner and that the symptoms are severe enough to keep you from working in order for you to have a good chance of receiving benefits. Due to the lack of medical tests to confirm the existence of mental illnesses, it is vital that you see a psychologist or psychiatrist who can confirm your diagnosis and support your application for benefits.
If you live with or frequently see family members or friends, ask them to document your behavior over time as well. Since severity is the key to determining whether or not your PTSD disorder qualifies you for benefits, tracking the frequency and nature of your symptoms can help your case.
There are specific PTSD criteria listed in the manual that must be met and stated in your claim. If any one component is missed, ignored, or otherwise not included, your VA rater will likely deny your claim. This may be combat related, or non-combat related. An example of a hard-to-prove combat-related stressor might be as follows: while serving in Afghanistan you witnessed a deadly IED blast during combat. However, as you were not injured or directly involved, the exact stressor incident was never added to your file.
Proving non-combat stressors can be even more difficult. You must have more corroborating evidence than just your own testimony. Suppose you witnessed a violent and deadly car accident while on leave. Often we can locate other military records, such as medical files or performance assessments that provide clarifying documentation.
Circumstantial evidence showing behavioral changes and other irregularities may be the paper trail we need to help you connect the dots and develop your claim. Veterans may apply for review of discharge status based on PTSD. If you need a discharge upgrade in order to qualify for VA benefits, please contact our veterans attorneys for a prompt consultation. Like the VA, the SSA is a federal agency with its own purpose, eligibility requirements, definition of disability, and payment amounts.
Post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD is a mental health condition that develops when a person has been exposed to a traumatic experience. When a person has been harmed physically or has been threatened, PTSD can develop as a result. People who witness another person being harmed or threatened may also develop the condition.
Examples of incidents that can trigger PTSD include rape, kidnapping, car accidents and natural disasters. Veterans may also suffer from PTSD in relation to experiences they have had while serving in the military. PTSD is a unique mental health concern because it changes the brain and body chemistry permanently. The frontal lobe of the brain actually shrinks, and levels of the hormone catecholamine are high when a person has PTSD.
People who suffer from this condition are usually treated by a mental health professional. Cognitive therapy is beneficial for many sufferers, and some people who have PTSD do well in group therapy sessions with other people who have experienced a traumatic event.
In other words, their condition is marginal. In these cases, there must be documentation that the applicant's PTSD has been serious and persistent over a period of at least two years and that the applicant has minimal capacity to adapt to changes or the demands of work.
Most cases of PTSD are not severe enough for a sufficiently long period of time to qualify under the listing, but some can qualify for a medical-vocational allowance. To be considered for a medical-vocational allowance, a mental consultant for Social Security must determine that an applicant's symptoms are severe enough to prevent work even though the applicant's condition doesn't meet the listing for PTSD. For instance, individuals with PTSD often have trouble concentrating, memory problems, and fatigue from poor sleep patterns, all of which can interfere with the individual's ability to work and maintain a job.
Applicants whose PTSD occurs alongside other mental disorders or physical problems will have a better chance of getting benefits. Multiple problems taken together can increase the chance of getting benefits, especially if an applicant is 55 or older, has little education, or no past history of skilled employment.
For more information on how Social Security decides when symptoms are severe enough to prevent work, see our article on getting a medical-vocational allowance for a mental illness.
Your medical records should contain at least one detailed description of a typical episode of PTSD, including the frequency and duration of any panic attacks and what brings on worsening symptoms. Your doctor should also include whether your description of your symptoms matches his opinion of your mental state.
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