Falsely claiming PTSD for VA benefits?

MAIN POINT: Not every PTSD claim comes from "combat" situations or deployments.

In my 21 years of service as a non-flying officer in the Air Force, I was always "supporting" from a headquarters or flying wing staff--even with 3 tours in AFSOC. I was also "joint" for 5 tours, so I actually never deployed with an Air Expeditionary Force (AEF). My VERY unusual career path never saw direct combat and only my 1 year short tour with AFSOC in Korea got me qualified for the VFW. On the other hand, I earned an Air Medal for 21 air-land/8 airdrop missions over and into Bosnia during Op PROVIDE PROMISE in the early 90's which was considered humanitarian relief--not combat--although we also received Hostile Fire Pay for getting shot at with AAA and MANPADS on occasion, even though this did not seem to cause any PTSD at the time.

So why did I approach the VA for PTSD claim during my retirement out-processing when I never directly served in combat?

Because I was in the Pentagon on 9/11/2001 when American Airlines Flight 77 was flown into our building by Muslim terrorists. I helped evacuate kids from the Pentagon Child Development Center (CDC) and had to "take cover" near the Pentagon Marina when United Airlines Flight 93 was approaching DC for a second attack. I was one of only 70 people ordered by SECDEF Rumsfeld to go back into the burning Pentagon on 12 SEP 01 where the intel community (IC) told us we had to be prepared for follow-on CBRNE attacks by al Qaeda terrorists and we had to go outside to breathe fresh air every 15 minutes because our mission spaces had the highest levels of carbon dioxide in the whole building. The "non-combat" stress of that environment still haunts me every day when I come across people who said it never happened because there are no video/photos of an airplane hitting the Pentagon, Snopes/Fact Checker media says there was no evacuation of the CDC kids, there were no heroes that day, the IC failed to warn of an attack, or my personal favorite, "So how do you feel about President Bush your Commander-in-Chief launching missiles at you on 9/11 to start a war just to kill hundreds of thousands of innocent Muslim civilians?"

I've also gone through all the VA screenings, therapies, counseling, and PTSD treatment tools, but now the VA says there is nothing more they can do for me. My flashbacks during the early days of COVID when our Commander ordered us to immediately put on masks which fogged up my glasses and I could not see to do my contractor "support" mission, sent me into a panic mode in an enclosed space without windows just like 9/11. The VA had no sympathy for me that day and has discontinued all PTSD treatment while sending me to the "black hole" of NGO treatment programs that conduct intake interviews and never have "room for me" after that.

However, I was honored last year to have found two sisters who were rescued from the Pentagon CDC on 9/11/2001 that are both graduating or graduated from a military service academy 20 years after the terror attack.

I guess my bottom line is that ANY veteran who applies and goes through the rigorous VA screening process for PTSD, even if they were never in "combat" situations or deployments, should be given the same access to PTSD treatment with an equivalent VA disability rating depending on the level of their condition.

https://www.dnronline.com/news/rockingham_county/never-forget-elkton-honors-remembers-9-11-with-service/article_62de4b0a-d0d9-55fa-bd97-a9e6b58b2b4d.html

I respectfully request that any and all of my brothers and sisters-in-arms refuse to reply to any post that is made by an anonymous poster. I joined this site with the understanding that I would be connecting with actual fellow Veterans. If RP allows un-verified people, I may as well join instagram or tik-tok!!!

You are correct THE VA DOES NOT CARE NOT MNOW NEVER DID. PTSD has nothing to do with firing a weapon but a event. PTSD can occure at the time of the event or years later no two solders react the same. I recall a reporter claiming PTSD after firing an AR-15 one time at a range. In short move on with your life it is not your problem chances are you do not have all the facts unless you are the person you are talking about

Very important article. One of the tenets of service is integrity. One year, two years, twenty years combat or not, be honest about your very important service to America. Turn him in to the IG.

1. "Gets out of Army following enlistment and joins Army Guard. Within first year of guard duty (upon orders for overseas tour) claims PTSD" -Can happen, my dad, a Vietnam veteran and I a Cold War/Post 911 Veteran both diagnosed & awarded in 2013.
2. "Receives 100% disability. Claims to his family that his PTSD disease is cured. " a) Usually 70% for that award (and why to fuck do they call it a "award"?) b) I've never heard of anyone being cured. Maintained, sure.
3. "having never fired his weapon in actual combat.", can still get PTSD
4. The rest of that, most assuredly a Blue Falcon ASSHOLE!
In Texas anyone can carry openly.
Finally can anything be done? As far as I know, no. Best bet, avoid that shitbird like the plague.
When I was in intensive therapy (for years) I've met a couple like that. My Dad never did the therapy, he just considered all that goes with PTSD as normal and got his claim.

Is it really your business?

PTSD is on its own sliding scale regarding exacerbation of symptoms and functionality. Just as one may seem perfectly fine and normal; some thing can happen and one is back at ground zero. Trying to revoke a person’s benefits is not in your lane.
Do your job and allow others to fight their very individual daily fight with out your bias. Until you walk in their shoes; you have no idea. The struggle is real.

Barracks Lawyers know all the tricks in order to prep people! PTSD takes many forms and is very hard to diagnose. Providers need to be educated on all the tricks however the VA hires contractors and often times have no experience in dealing with service members. There needs to be a more rigorous process when it comes to these evaluations for example reviewing service records, corroborating documentation from commanders etc. although there is nothing fool proof. If you suspect that someone is defrauding the government and you have proof, then contact the agency. The VA is overwhelmed and in my opinion as a retired healthcare professional it’s rare to find a provider there that really cares. (My own experiences).

Also there was too much talk about not firing weapon in combat. One does not need to fire a weapon in combat to suffer from PTSD. It is an invisible scar that must be healed thru therapy. He needs help. Don’t worry about his money or his record. They found him to be mentally ill connected to his records.

At the VA, we do care, even though our policies prevent us from investigating perjury (which is the legal term for what you suggest) or malingering, which is how the Army would see it. If they cared, which they do not. You can have PTSD and serve in the ARNG, you just can't deploy, and MAY be medically or administratively discharged by your command. As for the Brady Act, it only applies to veterans whom we consider "incompetent" according to 38CFR § 3.353.

I can tell you that we do investigate every claim for PTSD, using a veteran's entire personnel and medical file to cross-reference, however once we have determined that a veteran received IDP or HDP or was in a combat zone (or during a combat campaign for older vets) at the time they claim their stressor occurred, the stressor is "conceded". Note here that the investigations of PTSD stressors depend on whether it is fear of hostile action, personal assault (including MST), or non-combat, with a
different evidentiary standard for each.

Every claims processor is different, and the veteran receives the benefit of the doubt by law. Many stressors are not fully investigated, to my great chagrin (having investigated thousands of them), due to the repeatedly liberalized law and lack of meaningful quality control. For instance, a veteran may claim they were assaulted - a stressor which is usually very hard to prove, but because they received IDP during their honorable service, the claims processor requests an exam anyway. At this point, the examiner is expected to verify the PTSD stressor, though technically this is not required since we already conceded a stressor based on "fear of hostile activity", which is the minimum requirement in this case. If the rater doesn't want to delay the outcome, they may award the PTSD rating even though the claimed stressor was never verified. Once the service connection is made, it takes A LOT of work to undo it, and the obligatory pile of evidence required to do this means that it is unlikely to happen.

Rest assured there are those of us who take the cross-referencing process very seriously, and have denied plenty of stressors where conflicting evidence was found. I have even found evidence of altered records being submitted by veterans, but unfortunately, even though this amounts to perjury, there is no action we can take. Fraud, by our definition, is different and therefore we can't even report it. The best we can do is put a note in the file, and deny the claim.