MCB HAWAII -- To claim benefits, noncombat veterans should no longer need extensive records supporting their incidents causing post-traumatic stress disorder, according to new rules by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“This nation has a solemn obligation to the men and women who have honorably served this country and suffer from the often devastating emotional wounds of war,” stated Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki in a July 12 press release. “This final regulation goes a long way to ensure that veterans receive the benefits and services they need.”
The change applies to all new claims or any pending appeals since the policy officially started July 13. More than 400,000 veterans are currently receiving compensation benefits for the disorder, according to figures released by the VA earlier this month.
Applicants must have a confirmed diagnosis of PTSD from a VA psychiatrist or psychologist and submit testimony about their condition. Previously, noncombat veterans went through a longer process with the VA’s Adjudication Division to confirm what they’ve experienced. Now the division only needs to decide whether those incidents or stressors match general information from a veteran’s service record.
The new regulations would save time for veterans trying to find former leaders who could verify what’s happened, said Lt. Col. Greg Price, officer-in-charge, Wounded Warrior Battalion West Detachment Hawaii.
“A lot of times it’s pretty hard to track those people down,” he said. “I think it will alleviate a lot of stress on [the veteran’s] end.”
Although Price noted most Marines since 2005 now have documentation of their experiences, including those with the Wounded Warriors, the new rules could help veterans who served previously in combat.
However, gaining benefits is not a requirement to treat PTSD, said Dr. Ken Hirsch, PTSD Residential Recovery Program director, Tripler Army Medical Center.
“This policy change in the VA doesn’t really change the treatment at all,” he said. “We’ve always treated whatever the patient appeared to have, whether or not they could prove they were in a particular firefight.”
Working daily with active-duty personnel and veterans, Hirsch said walk-in patients at Tripler can be registered with the VA within minutes. Then patients have an initial examination by Psychiatric Triage team on the same day. A more comprehensive consult is scheduled within one to two weeks, Hirsch said.
Anyone who has served since 9/11 has approximately five years benefits of treatment through the VA irrelevant of your disability status, the director noted.
“One of our biggest problems is convincing people to come in for treatment because of issues of stigma,” he said. “Anything that makes it easier for people to come into treatment, I’m strongly in favor of. This policy change I’m strongly in favor of. It’s doing the right thing for our veterans.”
Both Hirsch and Price said the new policy could encourage others into seeking needed treatment. If anybody believes they have post-traumatic stress disorder they can contact multiple sources for help, including the Wounded Warriors, a primary care doctor or their serving unit.
“Unfortunately, we’re still seeing folks who don’t believe in PTSD or combat stress and that is unacceptable,” Price said. “We need to continue to educate. … It’s a real issue, and it’s not something that inflicts only certain people. If someone is suffering from it, they need professional help.”
For more information about the changes, see the Department of Veterans Affairs fact sheet: http://www.va.gov/PTSD_QA.pdf