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Confirming Your Stressor for PTSD

Confirming Your Stressor for PTSD

Unlike a lot of other mental health disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (or PTSD), can manifest months or even years after a veteran leaves service. Sometimes, those signs can be subtle and become more disabling as time goes by. In order to be service-connected for PTSD, you will need to show that there was an in-service stressor and that you have a current diagnosis of PTSD. To obtain a current diagnosis of PTSD, you can either file a claim with the VA and seek a mental health evaluation, or you can contact a mental health provider in your area.

But how do you show an in-service stressor? Here are some tips from our PTSD lawyers:

  1. Remember that for purposes of diagnosing PTSD, you need to have been exposed to death, threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury, or actual or threatened sexual violence. You must have been directly exposed, have been a witness to the event, indirectly exposed by learning a close friend or family member was involved, or have repeated or extreme indirect exposure to aversive details, usually in the course of professional duties, such as being a first responder or picking up body parts, or being a medical professional dealing with trauma.
  2. Don’t assume that the VA will review your service records. Even if you are a combat veteran, which lowers the bar to prove an in-service stressor, the VA may not acknowledge that fact immediately. When filing your claim, include any combat awards or medals you may have received.
  3. Do include a detailed stressor statement. The more you can tell the VA, the easier it will be for the VA to confirm your stressor. Include the location where you were stationed when the event occurred, the names of anyone you know who may have been involved, and a general time frame of when it occurred.
  4. If your stressor is that of a personal assault, and you did not report that assault, there are other ways to confirm the stressor. If you told a friend or family member about it, a sexual assault counselor, or a chaplain or other trusted person, they can write a statement in support of your claim. Journals and letters can also help confirm your stressor. And if you had any behavioral changes or decrease in performance evaluations, that can also help.

Get Help with your PTSD Stressor Statement

Remember, while the VA does have a duty to assist you in obtaining confirmation of your stressors, it is in your best interests to provide as much information as possible. If you need any assistance with your PTSD claim, please contact our toll free number at (888) 883-2483.

Berry Law

The attorneys at Berry Law are dedicated to helping injured Veterans. With extensive experience working with VA disability claims, Berry Law can help you with your disability appeals.

This material is for informational purposes only. It does not create an attorney-client relationship between the Firm and the reader, and does not constitute legal advice. Legal advice must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case, and the contents of this blog are not a substitute for legal counsel.

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