PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits are available to veterans who can’t work from severe PTSD. This page explains how veterans with PTSD obtain Individual Unemployability benefits. We’ll cover some tips and tricks we have learned over the years.
Introduction to VA PTSD Individual Unemployability Benefits
PTSD is one of the most common disabilities that vets contact our veterans unemployability lawyers about daily. The VA will pay veterans with severe PTSD monthly compensation benefits if they cannot work from their service-connected disabilities.
We want to warn you, getting Total Disability Individual Unemployability benefits just for PTSD alone can be hard. You are going to have to prove to the VA that your PTSD is very severe. PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits claims often require medical reports from doctors, psychologists, and vocational experts to win. Veterans who obtain Individual Unemployability for PTSD alone often have:
- suicidal ideation
- obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities
- speech intermittently illogical, obscure, or irrelevant
- near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively
- impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence)
- spatial disorientation
- neglect of personal appearance and hygiene
- difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or a work-like setting)
- inability to establish and maintain effective relationships
Veterans with both mental and physical conditions are more likely to obtain PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits. It is often easier to prove a veteran cannot keep or obtain gainful employment if the veteran has both mental and physical factors. With that said, it is not impossible for veterans with severe PTSD to obtain Individual Unemployability benefits. Later in this article, we will tell you how your other conditions may be related to your PTSD.
Check out our video about Individual Unemployability benefits:
PTSD Individual Unemployability Benefits Requirements
- Evidence of at least one service-connected disability AND
- That the service-connected disability or disabilities are sufficient, without regard to other factors,
to prevent performing the mental and/or physical tasks required to get or keep substantially gainful employment AND - That one disability is ratable at 60% or more, OR
- If more than one disability exists, one disability is ratable at 40% or more with a combined rating of 70% or more.
Evidence You Can Use to Win VA PTSD Individual Unemployability Claims
Old Medical Records
Many veterans keep all their medical records because they do not trust the VA to do so for them. If you have old medical records, you can use them for your PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits claim. If you treated with doctors and mental health professionals outside the VA system, you can request those documents and use them to win your PTSD VA disability benefits claim. Your medical records do not necessarily need to come from the VA. There is a misconception that all medical records must come from VA doctors – that is not true.
Doctors Reports
Veterans can submit doctors reports to detail how severe their PTSD is and how it is service-connected. Veterans can also use these reports to show how secondary service-connected disabilities are related to the direct service-connected conditions. For example, extreme stress and anxiety from PTSD could be the reason for heart problems in a veteran. If a doctors report details how the heart condition is from stress, anxiety, or other service-related issues, the veteran could have the secondary condition approved by the VA for compensation.
Buddy Statements
If your service records are missing your combat or non-combat PTSD stressor you may be denied VA Disability compensation benefits. As you probably already know, there must be a stressor from your active-duty service to obtain PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits. Buddy statements are simply written statements from service members who can prove the stressor event happened. For example, if you were hit by an IED in Iraq and it is missing from your service records, you can reach out to fellow service members for help proving the event happened.
Family and Friend Statements
Your friends and family members can also submit statements about your PTSD. These statements need to detail how you changed from military service. For example, have a family member write how you were very social and outgoing before military service. Then have them explain how you were withdrawn and agitated when you returned. Essentially statements from friends and family are used to show how your mental or physical health was altered by active-duty military service.
Psychologists Reports
Our VA disability compensation lawyers cannot stress how important reports from psychologists outside the VA are to your PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits claim. We use psychologists who are trained in VA law to write these reports. Our lawyers create psychological reports for almost every PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits appeal we submit to the VA. The VA is going to have their own experts and you should have your own VA Disability experts as well.
Vocational Expert Reports
Vocational experts should be used in many PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits claims. Vocational experts can write reports that show the VA how your service-connected mental and physical disabilities prevent you from working. These reports are powerful evidence that can be used to show how your severe PTSD restrains your ability of obtaining or keeping gainful employment.
Check out our video on using experts for your VA claim:
FAQ: PTSD Individual Unemployability Benefits
How much do PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits pay monthly?
Veterans with PTSD who are eligible for Individual Unemployability benefits can receive over $3,400 monthly. The amount you will receive depends upon your VA disability PTSD rating. Veterans that have dependent children and parents might receive monthly compensation for those dependents.
Where do I apply to get PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits?
The easiest way to apply for your PTSD and Individual Unemployability benefits is to call Woods & Woods. We never charge for help with the application. Our law firm can tell you how to apply and what to put on your application. You can ask us all the questions you like and we’ll answer them at no cost.
What if I was denied PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits?
Many veterans with PTSD are denied Individual Unemployability benefits. The Veterans Administration makes lots of mistakes and denies legitimate claims all the time. If you were denied PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits, you can file a PTSD VA disability benefits appeal. Having your PTSD claim denied is not the end of the road for your claim.
Should I hire a lawyer for my PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits appeal?
We highly suggest you hire an experienced Individual Unemployability lawyer. Woods & Woods has helped thousands of veterans appeal bad decisions from the Veterans Administration. The VA Disability benefits appeals process is complicated and many veterans don’t even know where to start. VA law is complex and it even takes lawyers years to fully understand VA law. We highly recommend you do not try to appeal on your own. The best way to win your PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits appeal claim is to do it right the first time.
How long does it take to get PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits?
The entire VA Disability process is slow. According to the LA Times, there are currently 425,000 VA appeals backlogged. You have to be patient through the entire process. If someone tells you they “have a way to speed up your claim,” they are probably not being honest with you. The fastest way to get Individual Unemployability benefits is to do it right the first time. You must submit all your paperwork on time, gather and submit all relevant evidence, and present your case with previous case law backing it up. You can’t expect the VA to correctly comb through your medical records for you and find evidence of your mental and physical impairments. Some veterans will be able to expedite their VA claims due to hardship, homelessness, terminal illness, or advanced age. But even expedited VA claims can take years.
Does it matter that I haven’t been in the service for decades?
No. There is no time limit from your date of discharge to apply for PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits. Many veterans obtain VA TDIU ratings for PTSD years after they were discharged. Mental and physical conditions often worsen over time. Therefore, the VA allows veterans to obtain PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits at any point after their active-duty military service.
Are TDIU benefits the same as 100% Permanent and Total PTSD benefits?
No. TDIU benefits are for veterans that cannot work and cannot obtain a 100% VA disability rating. Both benefits pay the same. But a 100% Permanent and Total PTSD rating is awarded only if the veteran’s conditions meet the 100% rating criteria and are not expected to improve. You can only receive one benefit or the other.
About PTSD’s Connection to Other Conditions
Veterans with PTSD may be eligible for veterans disability benefits from the Veterans Administration. These benefits are for veterans who suffer from PTSD because of their military service. More veterans receive PTSD veterans disability benefits than you would think; PTSD is common among the brave men and women who served our country.
What many veterans don’t realize is how their PTSD may be causing other conditions. If your PTSD is linked to other medical conditions, they may be considered secondary service-connected impairments. A VA study found that veterans with PTSD are likely to have more physical conditions than veterans that do not have PTSD.
The Journal of the American Heart Association reported that veterans with PTSD are more likely than the average person to have bad endothelial vascular function. That means that the body has problems controlling the flow of nutrients and toxins in the blood stream. Than can play a key role in blood vessel dilation, blood pressure, clotting and inflammation.
The National Institutes of Health found that PTSD increased chances of physical morbidity in the form of chronic musculoskeletal pain, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, obesity and cardiovascular disease. A Mayo Clinic study links PTSD to drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and eating disorders. These three problems can lead to many different physical impairments. The National Alliance on Mental Illness backs up these researchers claims with the same findings.
Talk to Woods & Woods PTSD Individual Unemployability Benefits Lawyers
Since 1985, Woods & Woods has been fighting for injured and disabled people. Our PTSD veterans disability benefits lawyers know what it takes to win your PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits claim. Every year, thousands of veterans reach out to Woods & Woods veterans disability lawyers for help because they are disabled but the VA won’t listen. We are here to help.
The dedicated PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits lawyers at Woods & Woods have successfully represented thousands of veterans against the VA. Our law firm has entire teams of lawyers, case managers, case analysts, doctors, and medical experts who focus on nothing but Individual Unemployability benefits appeals. Our PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits attorneys know exactly what evidence the VA is looking for to win your claim.
You only pay if your appeal is successful.
Woods & Woods VA benefits appeal lawyers only charge if you obtain VA Disability benefits on your appeal. There is never a charge to call and see if you have a case. We never ask clients for money upfront and we never bill by the hour. Our Individual Unemployability lawyers never charge for phone calls. Our fee is a percentage of back pay and case expenses only if you win your appeal. If you do not win your appeal, you pay Woods & Woods nothing – not even a penny.
There is no fee for help with applications.
Woods & Woods PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits lawyers never charge for help with the application. Our veterans disability benefits lawyers have helped thousands of veterans obtain benefits through their applications at no cost. This is a completely free service from Woods & Woods TDIU benefits lawyers for veterans who are not able to work from service-connected conditions.
We offer free legal consultations to anyone.
There is never a cost to call Woods & Woods VA-certified disability attorneys and discuss your PTSD Individual Unemployability benefits claim. Our experienced PTSD Individual Unemployability lawyers can help you figure out what is the best course of action for you at this time. We’ll give you an honest opinion of your PTSD claim and help you understand what options are available.
