VA Simplifies Access to Health Care and Benefits for Veterans with PTSD

ALBANY, NY (07/14/2010)(readMedia)-- On Monday, the US Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C., announced a critical step in simplifying the process for Veterans seeking health care and/or disability compensation for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

By undertaking these changes, the VA is seeking to reduce the difficulty currently experienced by Veterans who apply for VA benefits based on PTSD. The new VA regulation is based on current clinical evidence that an individual's deployment to a war zone is linked to an increased risk of PTSD.

PTSD is a recognized anxiety disorder that can develop from seeing or experiencing an event that involves an actual or threatened death or serious injury to which a person responds with intense fear, helplessness or horror, and is not uncommon among war Veterans.

Under the new rule, the VA will not require corroboration of a PTSD "stressor" if a VA doctor confirms that the stressful experience recalled by a Veteran adequately supports a diagnosis of PTSD and the Veteran's symptoms are related to the claimed stressor.

"Secretary Shinseki's announcement this week to provide a "client friendly" process for Veterans seeking health care and disability compensation for PTSD will streamline the application process for New York's Veterans who are suffering from the effects of PTSD. I fully expect that the Secretary's actions will serve to expedite the delivery of benefits to many of New York's Veterans who suffer from this disorder' said Bill Kraus, Acting Director, New York State Division of Veterans'Affairs.

Veterans who served in a war zone are urged to contact the Division for assistance in determining their eligibility for all benefits including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The New York State Division of Veterans' Affairs stands ready to assist New York Veterans with this and all Veterans benefits. Veterans can find a local State Veterans Counselor by calling 1-888-838-7697 or online at www.veterans.ny.gov .