Getting a veteran disability rating of gross impairment can get you the compensation you need to support yourself and your veteran.
Any time a loved one is hurt or scared, it’s terrible to watch. But what do you do if someone you love is locked in their own head, too anxious or disconnected from reality to function? How do you care for them if you relied on them for financial support?
We work with families of veterans that suffer from gross impairment and other mental health struggles caused by their time in the service. We help veterans and their dependents get the disability compensation they deserve.
In this article about veterans with gross impairment:
- What Is Gross Impairment?
- What It Looks Like
- VA Disability Rating Schedules
- How the VA Rates Mental Illness
- What a Gross Impairment Rating Will Mean
- Common Gross Impairment Conditions
- Symptoms of Severe Depression
- Symptoms of Severe Anxiety
- Symptoms of Severe PTSD
- Getting Help
- VA Disability Requirements
- Getting Diagnosed
- Preparing for the Appointment
- Gathering Additional Evidence
- What to Do If Your Claim Is Denied
- Learn More About Your Veteran Disability Rating
What Is Gross Impairment?
Gross impairment is a VA umbrella term used to describe someone who is completely unable to lead a normal life because a mental illness is so severe. They may not be able to keep a job, maintain healthy relationships, or maintain a home. In this context, “gross” refers to an overall impairment impacting every area of the veteran’s life.
Gross impairment differs from a normal 100 percent disability rating because it is tied to mental illness. A veteran can be in perfect physical health, but they may still not be able to function normally in their lives. A person with this kind of disability requires every bit as much care and compensation as a veteran who lost both legs.
What It Looks Like
A person with gross impairment cannot behave normally enough to hold a regular job. They may have caretakers, but they will not be able to have a meaningful relationship with those people.
They may drool, mumble, or shout inappropriately. And they will have to be institutionalized with constant one-on-one care.
The VA Rating formula for mental health conditions like PTSD, depression, and others mental health disorders is explained by one of our veterans disability lawyers in this video:
VA Disability Rating Schedules
Before we dive in on how the VA rates mental illness, let’s talk about how the VA manages disability ratings. When you are approved for disability compensation, the VA will take a look at how severely your disability impacts your life. They will use pre-set criteria to generate a percentage rating that represents the amount your life is disrupted.
Less severe disabilities that only impact a person’s life a little may get a 10 percent rating. More severe disabilities may get rated at 50, 70, or even 100 percent. And if a veteran has multiple disabilities, they may combine ratings to get one overall disability rating.
Use our VA disability calculator to estimate your
combined VA rating and monthly payment
How the VA Rates Mental Illness
The VA rates mental illness a little differently than physical disabilities. With physical disabilities, you can have any rating between 10 and 100 percent. However, your rating will be rounded to the nearest 10 percent to determine your compensation amount.
These ratings are often based on things like what part of your body is affected, how severe your limitation is, and whether the disease is progressive.
It’s not nearly as easy to quantify the impact of a mental illness, however. The VA tends to consider things like social and occupational impairment, anxiety, delusions, hallucinations, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, and so on.
There are only five rating levels for mental illness: 10 percent, 30 percent, 50 percent, 70 percent, and 100 percent. If you have a diagnosed mental illness but no severe symptoms, you may also receive a disability rating of 0 percent.
How to get TDIU for PTSD from the VA according to a veterans disability lawyer:
What a Gross Impairment Rating Will Mean
Gross impairment is a 100 percent mental disability rating and will come with all associated benefits. The veteran will receive a baseline payment of $3,332.06 tax-free from the VA each month.
In these situations, the veteran will be declared mentally incompetent. A fiduciary will be assigned to manage those funds in their stead.
The VA may increase the veteran’s monthly payment if they have family members who are financially dependent on them. For instance, if a veteran has a spouse and a child who depend on them, they will receive $3,406 per month. If the veteran does not have a fiduciary but is mentally incompetent, the VA may apportion some or all of these benefits to the spouse and/or their child.
Common Gross Impairment Conditions
Gross impairment can be caused by a number of mental illnesses. Schizophrenia can cause gross impairment, though its rating system works a little differently. Conditions like delusional disorder, OCD, and eating disorders can also cause gross impairment, though this is rare.
Depression and anxiety in their severest forms are more common cases of gross impairment. But the most common condition behind a gross impairment rating is post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD is also one of the most common disabilities for which the VA provides compensation.
Symptoms of Severe Depression
Depression is more than just feeling a little bummed – it is a major mood disorder that can cause you to lose interest in everything in your life. The feelings of hopelessness and misery it produces can make a person wish they were dead. Often, getting on antidepressants carries a higher risk of suicide because, while the person is still suicidal, they now have the energy to carry out their suicide plan.
Severe depression can cause a person to have trouble remembering things and can cause physical pain. The veteran may resist going out to do new activities, lose interest in sex, and feel fatigued all the time. Severe cases can cause slowed thinking and movements, trouble concentrating, and frequent suicide attempts.
Symptoms of Severe Anxiety
Anxiety disorders can take a wide variety of forms. Many people think of anxiety as causing panic attacks and feelings of stress, and that is one form of the condition. But OCD, agoraphobia, and even eating disorders can all fall under the umbrella of anxiety.
Veterans with severe anxiety may find themselves unable to leave their house, attend social functions, or even go to work.
They may have trouble speaking. They may begin to display obsessive-compulsive tendencies to the point that they cannot lead a normal life. And they may have multiple panic attacks a day or find themselves unable to focus on anything except their feelings of panic and worry.
Symptoms of Severe PTSD
PTSD is the most common condition behind a gross impairment rating. Post-traumatic stress disorder is an ongoing difficulty coping with a traumatic event. PTSD can cause mild feelings of anxiety or sleep disturbances, but the worst forms are devastating, to put it mildly.
PTSD patients may relive the traumatic experience again and again in terrifying flashbacks. Small triggers in day to day life, such as a helicopter landing on the roof of the VA hospital, can send patients into a feral fight or flight state of panic. They may also experience many of the symptoms associated with severe anxiety and depression.
How to get TDIU for PTSD from the VA according to a veterans disability lawyer:
Getting Help
If a loved one is suffering from any of the symptoms we’ve discussed here, the first and most important thing is for you to get them help. Small triggers can rapidly escalate to extremely dangerous situations. Before you begin to address the question of gross impairment, you need to make sure your loved one is somewhere safe for both of you.
If you ever feel your loved one is a danger to themselves or someone around them, call 911 immediately. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has a twenty-four-hour hotline that can provide you with free referrals and advice.
Never be afraid to lock yourself in a room or leave the house if you feel your safety is threatened. Make sure you also call 911 as soon as you get somewhere safe.
VA Disability Requirements
In order to qualify for VA disability compensation, for gross impairment or otherwise, you or your veteran must be able to prove three things. First, they must have an official diagnosis of his or her condition. Then they must be able to indicate an event in their service record that caused their condition and provide a medical nexus between the two.
A medical nexus shows that a veteran’s disability is at least as likely as not caused by their time in the service. So, for instance, you can’t get a concussion in a car accident five years after you leave the military and then claim VA disability compensation for TBI. A veteran’s condition must be the result of a specific incident in their service in order to qualify for compensation.
Here are some tips on your C&P exam from one of our VA disability lawyers.
Getting Diagnosed
In order to get VA compensation and aid for a person who is grossly impaired, you must first get them a diagnosis. A doctor will need to determine their level of impairment and evaluate whether they can work at all. This diagnosis will need to come from a VA-approved doctor, so you may want to do this as part of a Compensation and Pension exam.
At the exam, the doctor will test the veteran’s memory capacity and their ability to perform basic activities. They may ask about their relationships and ability to cope with normal stresses. They may also ask about things like hallucinations or test whether the veteran knows where they are and what the date is.
Preparing for the Appointment
Preparing for a doctor’s appointment is always a good idea, but it’s a little extra important in the case of a grossly impaired veteran. You may need to arrange for ambulance transport for the veteran if they are too volatile or impaired to move on your own. Talk to your doctor or the care facility they’re in about arranging this transport ahead of time.
It’s a good idea to gather any information you have about your loved one’s medical history. Make notes about panic attacks, flashbacks, insomnia, and similar episodes, including what they involve and how frequently they happen. Also try to make notes of disturbances in their sleep or eating schedules and of any physical symptoms they’re complaining of.
Gathering Additional Evidence
Even once you have a diagnosis of a mental illness and related gross impairment, it’s a good idea to gather additional evidence about your veteran’s condition. For one thing, the more evidence of their impairment that you can provide, the more likely you will be to get the compensation your veteran needs. But also don’t forget that you still have to prove a service connection to the veteran’s impairment.
Before you take your loved one for their appointment, take a look at their service record. Try to find any incident or circumstance that could have caused their condition, and ask the doctor at the appointment to confirm a medical nexus between the event and their condition. Also send the VA your notes about hallucinations or panic attacks and other such episodes, along with the veteran’s work history after they left the service.
What to Do If Your Claim Is Denied
If your gross impairment compensation claim is denied, don’t worry. You can appeal the decision with the VA, including going all the way up to the BVA in Washington. You will need to file the appeal quickly after you get the notice of rejection, however, so be sure you don’t delay.
It may be a good idea to hire a lawyer specializing in veteran law to help you with the appeals process. We know all the deadlines, requirements, and loopholes. We’ll be able to guide you through the process and help your loved one get the compensation they deserve.
Learn More About Your Veteran Disability Rating
Having a loved one who is grossly impaired is a challenging experience. Getting the appropriate veteran disability rating and compensation can help ease some of that burden. Get your loved one the support they need and apply for VA disability compensation today.
If you’d like help with your VA disability claim or appeal, get in touch with us at Woods and Woods. We fight for veterans every day, and you don’t pay unless we win. Contact us today to start getting the compensation your family deserves.