What is the PTSD with Alcohol Use Disorder VA Rating?
“While Only One Day of the Year is Dedicated Solely to Honoring Our Veterans, Americans Must Never Forget The Sacrifices that Many of Our Fellow Countrymen Have Made to Defend Our Country and Protect Our Freedoms.”
Experiencing trauma is an unfortunate side effect of being human.
Regardless of age, social standing, or background, every one of us will have to face traumas at one point or another. And as we face these traumas, we can learn to develop coping mechanisms.
In many cases, a healthy coping mechanism can help us heal and recover safely in time from the pain we have experienced. But in other cases, individuals may develop coping mechanisms that can be harmful to their health and overall well-being.
Where trauma occurs, mental health disorders and even substance abuse issues are bound to follow.
The Connection Between Mental Health Conditions and Substance Use Disorders in the United States
And although mental health problems do not occur with every traumatic instance. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, six out of every ten men and five out of every ten women will live through at least one traumatic event.
Yet, even though trauma is a regular occurrence for many people. Some of us may not have to experience such severe trauma as others.
For instance, our active-duty military service members and veterans face more than the average exposure to trauma.
Yet, our military members are one of the largest populations to deal with chronic physical pain and severe psychological trauma due to directly service-connected work.
Today, many veterans and active-duty members struggle with service-connected PTSD and other mental health issues in silence.
VA Disability Benefits are Here to Help Our Veterans with Treatments for a Service Connected-Condition
We call them heroes for the sacrifices they give to us and our country.
Yet, even though we honor them for their sacrifice, many of us are unaware of the toll service-connected anxiety and trauma can have on veterans’ lives.
Currently, according to the National Institute on Mental Health and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, nearly 2 million veterans have received mental health treatment service connected with their military careers. Although millions of Americans struggle with mental illness. PTSD claims to be one of the most common service-connected mental health conditions someone in the armed forces can suffer from.
And although the Department of Veterans Affairs claims that the occurrence of the post-traumatic mental health condition largely depends on the branch of military service connection and time frame. There is no doubt that our armed forces personnel suffer greatly for the services they provide us with.
Even so, PTSD is not the only service-connected condition military personnel must worry about.
The Scope of Substance Abuse Disorders and Mental Health Issues in Veterans and Active Duty Service Members
Now, we are talking about substance abuse. A mental disorder that is not talked about nearly enough as a service-connected condition. Today, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, over 25% of United States veterans have struggled with using illegal drugs or even abusing prescription drugs.
Additionally, over 80% of military members struggle with alcohol abuse where they cannot stop drinking.
And 7% of overall veterans struggle with all three forms of substance abuse disorder.
In the end, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimates that one in every ten to fifteen veterans struggles with an active substance use disorder. But, it is not only veterans who struggle with the allures of alcoholic beverages and drug use.
Even millions of active military members and civilians struggle with alcohol and drug abuse.
How Alcohol Abuse and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Correlate with Service Connection and Veterans Affairs
Many active military members and veterans struggle with at least one form of substance abuse. And as we stated before, nearly 2 million veterans and active military members struggle with mental health issues alongside substance abuse.
Currently, post-traumatic stress disorder is one of the most common mental health problems for veterans to wrestle with. Researchers estimate that nearly 20% of veterans have PTSD and co-occurring alcohol use disorder.
But how does alcohol abuse tie into PTSD as a service-connected disability?
Remember how we mentioned people developing coping mechanisms to deal with trauma? And how can there be healthy and unhealthy ways to cope with stressful situations?
Well, for many veterans and even active military service officers who drink alcohol, drinking is their attempt at self-medicating to cope with the trauma they have encountered due to their service.
In many instances, retired and active military personnel do not drink as an act involving conscious wrongdoing. Many drinks not to engage in willful misconduct but to try and help themselves cope with the pain, physically or mentally, they are experiencing.
Still, mixing PTSD with an alcohol use disorder is never good. In fact, alcohol abuse under any circumstances is never okay, even if it is not done in willful misconduct. Regardless substance abuse does happen. The good news is if you or a loved one have served this country and are suffering from PTSD, alcohol addiction, or even a combination of the two. There are VA benefits and addiction treatment opportunities available to you! Recovery is possible!
And you can get the help you need to succeed in rehab.
Understanding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a Mental Health Condition
But with is post-traumatic stress exactly then? And how do PTSD and disabilities related to this condition receive disability ratings and VA benefits if the Department of Veterans Affairs qualifies and offers these conditions treatment services? VA disability compensation can be a tricky legal and medical concept to navigate.
The best way to discuss a VA disability rating is through an attorney-client relationship. But, if you don’t have an attorney relationship to fall back on, there is still hope for you to submit your disability claim and receive the treatment you need.
But before we get into the dynamics of VA disability ratings, let us first understand PTSD as presented in veterans’ claims.
Defining Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Once known in the United States by the names “shell shock” and “war fatigue,” post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been wreaking havoc on the human psyche long before World War II even began.
Men, women, and children of all ages and backgrounds are at risk of developing this psychiatric disorder.
They are typically brought upon by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event or occasion such as war, serious injury, sexual violence, natural disaster, the loss of a loved one, or more. Nearly 3.5% of the American population suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. One in every eleven adults in the United States will be diagnosed with PTSD at some point in their lifetime. And sadly, due to the nature of their occupation, many more veterans have PTSD than the average United States populace.
Is One Branch of Military Service Connection More Susceptible to Drug Addiction and Alcohol Abuse Than Another?
Researchers estimate that anywhere from eleven to twenty individuals out of every 100 United States veterans from Iraqi-based missions suffer post-traumatic stress disorder. And that twelve to fifteen out of every 100 Gulf and Vietnam veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD as well.
Yet, some veteran generations may be more prone to developing PTSD than others. In the end, there is no one specific branch that turns out the most mental health disturbance cases.
Common PTSD Symptoms Can Negatively Affect Many Veterans. But, They Can Also Help Doctors Narrow Down a PTSD Diagnosis
Although post-traumatic stress disorder may sound like another name for
“stress,” PTSD is a serious mental health condition. A condition that poses severe physical and mental risks to those who struggle with the disorder.
Usually, PTSD symptoms can include:
- High reactivity (the individual scares, startles, or becomes frightened easily)
- Memory problems
- Always acting and feeling on guard or edge
- Trouble sleeping
- Concentration issues
- Often has aggressive or angry outbursts
- Struggles with unrelenting guilt or shame
- Extremely irritable
- Engages in risky behavior (drinking too much alcohol or driving recklessly)
- Feeling socially isolated or like an outcast
- Struggling with depressive symptoms, negative thoughts, suicidal ideations
- Nightmares
Many people who struggle with PTSD also claim they find it challenging to be interested in anything and suffer flashbacks to their traumatic events.
At the end of the day, PTSD symptoms can encompass many more health conditions than these, like a liver disease from drinking too much. And as a result of the issue’s prevalence in military and civilian populations. Many military branches offer veterans and active members disability compensation or treatment benefits to treat their mental illness.
How to Understand Substance Use, Drug Abuse, and Excessive Alcohol Use as Mental Disorders
Currently, due to the Affordable Care Act and substance abuse disorder’s close connection with other mental health issues, a substance use disorder can receive service-connected disability benefits for addiction treatment.
It may be strange to think of drug abuse, alcohol addiction, and withdrawal symptoms in the scope of a mental health problem.
But by definition, a substance use disorder is a mental illness. However, there is a catch. In the eyes of the VA disability ratings, substance use disorders and addiction without the occurrence of a mental health issue like PTSD are not by themselves a VA disability.
And thus, even though a veteran’s problematic alcohol use can, in some instances, qualify for VA disability benefits and services. Not all alcohol and drug use disorders can receive disability benefits.
VA Ratings, PTSD and Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment
Trauma can do a great deal of damage to us as individuals. And our body’s responses to trauma, like the development of PTSD and addiction, can also be rather challenging to live with.
But just because addiction and PTSD are hard to deal with and can have life-threatening consequences sometimes, it does not make them impossible to treat.
Of course, it can be challenging to admit you need help with PTSD or addiction. And it can only get more complicated for you to start treatment if you feel you are making a financial burden on yourself or your family.
Luckily insurance companies work to provide clients with access to traditional rehab services, even if their disability benefits cannot cover the cost of addiction treatment. Drug and alcohol treatment centers like our own St. John’s Recovery Place do their best to make their services as affordable as possible. But if you or a loved one once served in the United States military, are actively protecting our country, and have developed PTSD, an AUD, a co-occurring disorder, or injury resulting from your service.
You should know that even more assistance programs and opportunities are available to you!
What is the VA Disability Rating?
But, what is the VA disability rating, you wonder?
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs supports a VA disability rating, which is a compensation coverage devised to help get the needed funds to each struggling veteran in need. The rating works by giving each condition you struggle with a percentage on a severity rating scale from 0 to 100%.
The higher you are on the scale, the more financial assistance you may claim for your treatment services.
As a result, if you have PTSD alongside an alcohol use disorder, the VA rates alcoholism co-occurring conditions at 70%, thus allowing clients more financial assistance and flexibility to find the right rehab for them when they seek out treatment.
VA Disability Rating Benefits for Primary Service-Connected Disorder and Secondary Service Connection Disability Benefits
Now, a VA rating may seem like a free case evaluation to open the door to treatment. But in actuality, the process can be a little more complex than getting diagnosed with a substance use issue or mental disorder.
In order to receive a disability rating for PTSD and thus financial assistance for treatment, a client must undergo an evaluation to determine whether their PTSD condition is a primary or secondary disorder. Suppose PTSD is proven to be a side effect of alcohol abuse. In that case, the condition is considered secondary and may disqualify a client from receiving their disability benefits or compensation.
However, suppose a client can prove that PTSD or other mental health problems connected with their military service is the on-setting cause of their addiction. In that case, the individual may have an easier time receiving the assistance they need to undergo treatment and healing.
In the end, VA rating services and benefits can be complicated to access but very helpful to use for financial assistance in treatment.
It may take the client a bit of time to go back and forth with an attorney and the Department of Veterans Affairs before receiving the assistance they need. But the effort put into healing and feeling normal again is well worth the battle.
Treating Substance Use Disorders at St. John’s Recovery Place
Here at St. John’s Recovery Place (SJRP), we believe in your ability to heal from substance abuse and addiction.
We believe that you can learn how to better cope with the world around you with quality, holistic care services. And thus, become a more productive and happy member of your community again once you complete rehab. Addiction and alcohol misuse are treatable conditions. Even though PTSD may not be treatable in the same sense, attending recovery can help you learn to balance your life and coping skills. So that conditions like post-traumatic stress are easier to deal with when and if they ever do, flare up again.
You can live your life to the fullest again!
At SJRP, we offer our clients a chance to experience various healing exercises and treatments. From alternative and complementary practices to traditional healing programs, our facility works its hardest to provide you with the best treatment plan! Let us be your cheerleaders so we can support you through every obstacle the recovery journey may throw your way.
Asking for help with addiction can be scary, and admitting that you may have PTSD can be frightening. But the good news is that healing is 100% possible.
We are here to love you even when you are at your lowest. Call us today at 1-833-397-3422 to learn more about our programs and how we can help you heal.
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