Every one of us tends to go through situations that may have a profound negative impact on our behavior, personality, and our ability to react to certain stimuli.
Post Traumatic Stress Disability (PTSD) is a psychological condition that enfeebles the emotional capacity of handling things rationally. It is a psychological disorder tends to affect the relationship and lives of those who suffer from it.
The question is: is PTSD a permanent disability?
People who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder are particularly called ‘primary victims’. For their continuous suffering and the extreme trauma – they handle throughout with the danger of life-threatening injuries – the law accepts that the primary victims should be compensated.
What triggers PTSD?
One can suffer from PTSD on account of the death of a loved one in a car accident. People have also reported that when the anxiety intensifies then the trauma gets worse. They often experience nightmares, panic attacks, and flashbacks – making life miserable.
People who have faced such ordeals like sexual assault, child abuse, natural disaster, or were involved military combat – are the ones who tend to suffer from PTSD. They find themselves emotionally numb when all they want is to avoid thinking about the current or past trauma.
People who experience the following conditions, may likely suffer from PTSD:
- Trouble sleeping
- Irritation and anger for no reason
- Guilt, shame, or hopeless
- Struggling in concentration and in remembering things
- Fear or anxiety
PTSD benefits
As mentioned earlier, people suffering from PTSD are eligible to be compensated. They are entitled to get the benefits from any of the following programs.
- VA disability benefits for veterans
- Social security disability insurance
- Employer-sponsored or private disability insurance
VA disability benefits for veterans
The veterans are eligible for VA disability benefits, if they have experienced trauma during their military career. The veterans are categorized by different levels of disability – in accordance with the disability rating they get after the diagnosis.
Social security disability insurance
Social security disability insurance offers a monthly stipend for the primary victim who meets the eligibility requirements. These requirements include:
- A person can perform a task under normal circumstances
- A person can perform other tasks under pressure situations
The amount of the stipend would be determined by the level of disability.
Employer-sponsored or private disability insurance
Depending on the policy of the employer-sponsored insurance for the PTSD disability, stipends can be long-term and short-term. The requirements for qualifying for the disability claim differ and can be determined according to the insurance plan available, and the level of disability. You may contact your company to know the details of the policy and coverage criteria.
Requirements for claiming the PTSD benefits
According to the PTSD evaluation 2019, the five conditions that make you eligible to avail the social security disability insurance are:
- You are unable to make $1220 or above, despite making investments, or during a regular job
- You are unable to perform tasks on account of the PTSD-related disability
- You are unable to continue your work
- You are unable to carry out simple tasks, or make simple decisions
- The PTSD trauma has left you severely injured that you can’t work properly, or can’t concentrate on your job
These five conditions would make you eligible for insurance benefits from social security. To claim benefits from the VA disability insurance, you have to file the claim with VA. But before that, you need to check out the requirements for the highest level of a disability claim. You must ensure that you have the documentation required to claim to get the highest level of the monthly benefit amount.
The procedure for claiming the benefits through employer-sponsored or private insurance policy can vary according to the policy your company has designed, or the policy you are claiming for privately. As you go for filing the claim, ask for a copy of the policy from your company to review and prepare the documentation that you would need to provide to claim the benefit.
What evidence you should need for supporting your claim
You would have to provide the following evidence to support your claim:
- Hospital records that show that your disability is getting worse
- If taking treatment privately, then private hospital records and test reports – are required – that show the illness has gotten worse
- Supporting statements provided by friends and family, colleagues, law enforcement personnel, who is a witness to your condition
It is recommended to take time to gather all the evidence needed for the claim before your claim for the benefits. Because the application of your claim can take up to one year to be viewed.