14 Feb 2023

Eligibility for PTSD-Related DIC Benefits

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, PTSD Disability, VA Benefits, VA Disability Attorney, veteran suicide
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a specific kind of brain injury that affects about 15% of veterans who served in the Middle East— specifically, operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan in the Global War on Terror suffer greatly from the effects of loneliness, isolation, combat, explosions, and various other symptoms of PTSD.  Like other brain injuries, PTSD is a severe condition that requires extensive treatment and care.  A study in the New York Times found that suicide rates among post-9/11 veterans were four times as high as the number of deaths in combat.…
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31 Jan 2023

VA Disability Rating for PTSD

Military Sexual Trauma (MST), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, PTSD Disability
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a specific kind of brain injury. The nature of brain injuries with emotional or mental symptoms can make them difficult to detect. Therefore, many brain injury victims, including people with PTSD, downplay or fail to report their symptoms to doctors performing examinations as part of a disability claim (compensation & pension, or C&P exams). This is especially true among veterans. Many of these individuals are very independent-minded and tend to refuse to let an illness or injury get the better of them. To obtain maximum PTSD ratings for VA disabilities, a VA disability appeals lawyer…
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29 Dec 2022

The Five and Five of VA Disability PTSD

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, PTSD Disability, Traumatic Brain Injury, VA Benefits, VA Disability Compensation, Veterans Disability Attorney
The Five and Five of VA Disability PTSD Despite the research being done to understand post-traumatic stress disorder better, many people may still be surprised to learn that PTSD is a physical brain injury in addition to a psychological disorder. Compensation and pension examiners may not be specialists or well-versed in new PTSD research. That’s especially true if they do not focus on these injuries in their everyday practices.  Many times, examination results and corresponding medical opinions don’t reflect the severity of the injury veterans with PTSD experience. So, in many cases, a VA disability attorney must overcome a subtle…
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20 Oct 2022

PTSD and Substance Abuse

PTSD, PTSD Disability, veteran suicide, Veterans' Appeals
PTSD and Substance Abuse Can Lead to Early Death Researchers at Boston University have completed a study looking at the interplay between PTSD and substance abuse. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and external psychological markers like substance abuse predict early death in veterans. The study authors, who focused on veterans with PTSD, found a high risk of premature death beginning at the cellular level.  “Our study found that PTSD and comorbid conditions like substance misuse are associated with a cellular marker of early death found in DNA methylation patterns and referred to as ‘GrimAge.’” These are the words of the corresponding…
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05 Jul 2022

Psychedelics Gain Momentum as PTSD Treatments

PTSD, PTSD Disability, VA appeals Attorney, VA Benefits, VA Disability Compensation, Veterans Disability Attorney
Psychedelics Gain Momentum as PTSD Treatments   It's a new era for PTSD treatments. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was first identified in patients who survived concentration camps during World War II. It has also been called “shell-shock” pertaining to service members returning from combat operations. Doctors understand this condition a lot better today than they did 20 years ago. However, regulators have not approved any new PTSD treatment drugs since 1991. To this day only two drugs are registered to treat PTSD. Increasingly, it appears that existing psychedelic drugs may fill in the gap.   In the early 1960s, a…
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10 May 2022

Determine If A Veteran Has PTSD

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, PTSD Disability, Veterans Disability Lawyer, Veterans' Appeals
How to Determine If A Veteran Has PTSD Learning how to determine if a Veteran has PTSD can be an intimidating task. Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is one of the most complex disorders treated by the VA, and one of the hardest to diagnose. It is a mental disorder that develops when the individual experiences or witnesses a traumatic event. PTSD is a separate condition from the more general feeling of “post-traumatic stress.” For example, Person A and Person B can both witness the same plane crash, but respond to it differently. Person A may experience “post-traumatic stress” for…
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26 Apr 2022

PTSD Support

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, PTSD Disability
PTSD Support From finding a PTSD support group to being evaluated by a mental health professional, or finding self-help strategies that work for you, in fact, there are many different things that can help with the symptoms of PTSD. -What is PTSD? -How can you get help for PTSD? -How do you know if you have PTSD? -What are the symptoms of PTSD? If you're reading this, then you might be wondering if you or someone you know has PTSD. PTSD is a mental health condition that's triggered by a frightening event. It can cause flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety. It…
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15 Feb 2022

VA Rates PTSD

PTSD, PTSD Disability, VA appeals Attorney, VA Benefits, VA Disability Attorney, VA Disability Claims, VA Disability Compensation
How The VA Rates PTSD What is PTSD and how the VA rates PTSD.  Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a common, though not always visible, disability that can be related to military service. Almost everyone who experiences a highly stressful event will have responses to it such as nervousness, trouble sleeping, fear, and many other possible symptoms. If those responses do not go away in a reasonable amount of time, the victim may have PTSD. Exposure to extreme stress alters the balance between the parts of the brain that control emotional responses and logical responses. Thus, PTSD victims can lose…
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21 Sep 2021

PTSD Disability Claims

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, PTSD Disability
Evidence in PTSD Disability Claims Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, disaster, or war. The symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, such as nightmares, depression, and flashbacks, often make it difficult or impossible to function at work, home, or anywhere else. The nature and extent of these symptoms, as well as current diagnosis, often determine the degree of disability. But there is a preliminary question, namely the service-related connection for PTSD. That is where VA Form 21-0781 comes in, as a statement supporting…
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08 Jun 2021

Five Surprising Facts About Veteran Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, PTSD Disability, VA Benefits, VA Disability Attorney, VA Disability Claims
PTSD is one of the most common disabilities among veterans. When they go through traumatic events, many people have symptoms like depression, nightmares, and hypervigilance. If these symptoms persist for more than a few weeks, or they get worse instead of better, the person probably has PTSD.   Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is also one of the most misunderstood disabilities. The science in this area is still developing, and myths about PTSD persist. In order to obtain maximum compensation for PTSD disabilities, a VA disability attorney must not only know all the facts. An attorney must know how to present…
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