A military veteran can become eligible for financial benefits if they have disabling physical or mental conditions that developed in the course of their service. Veterans who develop PTSD due to their military service might apply for disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. However, when you have been diagnosed with PTSD due to traumatic events that occurred during your military service, you may wonder if you qualify for disability compensation if those events did not occur during combat.
What the VA Requires for PTSD Claims
The VA generally requires a veteran who files a claim for disability benefits due to PTSD to meet three elements to establish their eligibility for disability compensation:
- A current PTSD diagnosis from a qualified clinician: Veterans must have a formal diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder from a qualified medical or mental health provider. Ideally, the medical record will also establish the nature and severity of the disabling symptoms caused by the veteran’s PTSD.
- Credible evidence of an in-service stressor or traumatic event: A veteran must provide adequate evidence to convince the VA that they experienced a stressful or traumatic event during their service.
- A medical nexus linking a veteran’s PTSD to the in-service stressor: Veterans must present medical evidence that credibly links, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, the veteran’s PTSD to an in-service stressor or traumatic event, which establishes the required service connection for a veteran’s condition to become eligible for disability compensation.
Common Reasons the VA Denies Non-Combat-Related PTSD Claims
Even when a veteran has developed PTSD due to things they experienced during their military service, the VA may still deny disability benefits claims. Some of the top reasons for denials of non-combat-related PTSD claims include:
- Insufficient evidence to corroborate that in-service stressors or trauma occurred
- Inadequate nexus opinions from treating providers and medical experts to connect a veteran’s PTSD to their military service
- Claims examiners who mistakenly consider the lack of a combat nexus as disqualifying
Non-Combat Stressors for Service-Connected PTSD
Military service members can still develop PTSD due to traumatic events that occur during service but outside of combat. Common examples of non-combat-related trauma that service members can endure include:
- Military sexual trauma
- Training accidents
- Motor vehicle or aviation accidents
- Witnessing serious injury or death during on-base or training accidents
- Serving in areas that put a service member at risk of hostile or terrorist activity
- Harassment, hazing, or assaults inflicted by fellow service members
Evidence That Can Strengthen a PTSD Claim
Veterans who have non-combat-related PTSD can bolster their claim for VA disability benefits through various forms of evidence, such as:
- Buddy statements, especially from fellow service members who can corroborate traumatic in-service events
- Service records to document occupational specialties, duty stations, unit history, or specific in-service events
- In-service and post-service medical and mental health treatment records
- Compensation and pension exams to corroborate PTSD diagnoses and severity of symptoms
- Medical opinions from treating providers
For PTSD based on military sexual trauma, the VA often applies a more liberal evidentiary standard as veterans often lack direct evidence of their trauma, especially if they did not file a contemporaneous report of assaults or abuse. Veterans may rely on other evidence like sudden changes in behavior (documented by buddy statements), requests for transfers, or personal diaries/journals that disclose assaults or abuse.
Contact Our VA Disability Benefits Law Firm Today
Military personnel can experience various kinds of emotional and mental trauma during their service, even outside of combat/Contact Kinman Law Office today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a VA disability benefits lawyer to learn more about your eligibility for compensation if you developed PTSD due to your military service, even if you never experienced combat.
