The scars of war take many forms: the limb lost, the illness brought on by a battlefield exposure, and, for some, the psychological toll of encountering an extremely traumatic event. PTSD Compensation and Military Service presents a thorough assessment of how the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs evaluates veterans with possible posttraumatic stress disorder and determines the level of disability support to which they are entitled. The book presents a history of mental health disability compensation of military personnel and reviews the current compensation and pension examination procedure and disability determination methodology. It offers a number of recommendations for changes that would improve the fairness, consistency, and scientific foundation of this vital program. This book will be of interest and importance to policy makers, veterans affairs groups, the armed forces, health care organizations, and veterans themselves.


Table of Contents


Front Matter
Summary
1 Introduction
2 Background - Disability Compensation
3 Background - PTSD and Impairment
4 The PTSD Compensation and Pension Examination
5 The Evaluation of PTSD Disability Claims
6 Other PTSD Compensation Issues
7 General Observations
Appendix A Committee on Veterans' Compensation for Posttraumatic
Stress Disorder Public Meeting Agendas
Appendix B Federal Regulations Related to VA Compensation of PTSD
and Other Mental Disorders
Appendix C Automated Medical Information Exchange (AMIE) Worksheets
for Initial and Review Examinations for PTSD
Appendix D Acronyms and Abbreviations
Appendix E Biographical Sketches of Committee Members, Consultants,
and Staff