Our military veterans are one of the largest groups of individuals who are diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder every year. With two on-going conflicts in the Middle East and soldiers serving multiple deployments into war zones, the number of veterans being diagnosed with the disorder continues to rise. The military, however, has been under intense scrutiny because of its failure to provide veterans with a fitting disability rating when they are diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. A class action lawsuit was even filed in United States Federal Court in order to help get the veterans the benefits that they deserve. In the past two weeks the military finally recognized the gap between the disability ratings and the severity of the disorder.
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Filed under Jurisprudence involving PTSD, VA benefits by on Feb 1st, 2010. Comment. 
In its May 16, 2008 edition, the Washington Post reports that a Texas VA psychologist named Norma Perez distributed an email to staff members under her supervision directing them to avoid making PTSD diagnoses:
“Given that we are having more and more compensation seeking veterans, I’d like to suggest that you refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out,” Norma Perez wrote in a March 20 e-mail to mental-health specialists and social workers at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Olin E. Teague Veterans’ Center in Temple, Tex. Instead, she recommended that they “consider a diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder.” VA staff members “really don’t . . . have time to do the extensive testing that should be done to determine PTSD.”
Why would the VA wish to discourage PTSD diagnoses? The Post reports that:
Adjustment disorder is a less severe reaction to stress than PTSD and has a shorter duration, usually no longer than six months, said Anthony T. Ng, a psychiatrist and member of Mental Health America, a nonprofit professional association.
Veterans diagnosed with PTSD can be eligible for disability compensation of up to $2,527 a month, depending on the severity of the condition, said Alison Aikele, a VA spokeswoman. Those found to have adjustment disorder generally are not offered such payments, though veterans can receive medical treatment for either condition.
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Filed under VA benefits, Veterans Administration by on Nov 23rd, 2009. Comment.
