Falsely claiming PTSD for VA benefits?

I know an air traffic contoller that never left the green zone that gets on neighborhood social media and goes nuts around the 4th of July....I also now an NCO from Finance that does the same thing. Every year they ask non military neihbors for statements. I'm like WTF???

Should probably just stay in your lane and worry about things you have more control over. That’s what I would do anyways.

I was a combat medic in the 25th division 14 infantry attached to recon. I will not talk about or think about what happened in Vietnam. It will go to the grave with me. I belong to Vietnam veterans of America, The VFW and American Legion, life member of all three. I do not attend meetings but I support these organizations 100% I will not talk about Vietnam for the past service in Vietnam. That works for me and I think a lot of us veterans are doing the same thing.

Your statements are adding to the stigma. As others have said not all wounds are obvious or show up at first or second glance. This attitude of you never fired your weapon and combat therefore you cannot have PTSD, or you were just National Guard you cannot have PTSD is part of the reason that we are losing soldiers, airmen, Marines, and seamen to suicide! Command has got their head thoroughly screwed into their backside, and refuse to admit that maybe they don’t know jack about mental health.
There has been a paradigm shift in our culture, but the old guard in the military refuses to accept that. The thought process of “I deployed and was ok” means anyone who is not ok is faking it, or weak and a dirt bag permeates the NCO corps and the command structure. Granted there is no clean easy answer but one thing we can do as a force is actually attempt proper Soldier care, and stop with this blatant bullshit of “we care”, but when troops show up for help wringing our hands and saying “sorry can’t help” or worse yet allowing the attitude of “your faking it” to survive.

As for VA investigation and fraudulent claims… that’s been here since time eternal, if you can fix this one, but possibly screw over 10 other joes w real issues why are you pushing? It’s hard enough to get Joe actual care when he needs it, why risk it over one POSSIBLE dirt bag who is gone? Get your priorities right, look around you at the Joes who need your help now! Stop letting the dirt bag live rent free in your head.

Just my two cents, I’ll take a number 3 and a coffee.

I feel that every one who serves in a combat area will have some sort of PTSD especially if there for a length of time. How ever like mine it was extremely mild. I would dream that after being discharged that 2 MP's would come up to me and tell me that I was wanted back. I would wake up and almost laugh to myself. This ended when my inactive reserve ended. The military and the VA are constantly making mistakes, its the nature of the beast.

From a DOD civilian's perspective, you raise valid points and ask excellent questions. Unless you KNOW for a fact that someone is lying to qualify for VA disability, stay away from it. If the person brags about how he fooled everyone and gets money for life with medical care, commissary, and exchange access, etc., it will be problematic to prove. Hell, getting the diagnosis is still an uphill battle.

Having a mental disorder or disease does not affect one's ability to possess, own, carry, or use firearms. A temporary hold, 51/50, Baker Act, or other mental health holds initiated by a doctor, friend, or relative does not meet the definition of involuntary "commitment" to disqualify someone. It takes due process, which requires a judge to revoke people's liberties in America. Yes, so-called "red flag" laws can result in the police temporarily seizing someone's firearms pending a mental evaluation by physicians. However, due process requires a hearing and a judge's finding of mental incompetence. Even after a due process commitment, the person can work with a mental health provider and stabilize. Once they no longer pose a threat to themselves or others, the judge should remove the event from NICS.

Others mentioned that PTSD is not unique to combat. Anyone exposed to sustained trauma or constant high-pressure situations often develops severe cases of PTSD. Good coworkers look at each other, and when they see apparent signs of an unusual stress reaction, they should intervene and get the person away from the immediate area, if only for ten minutes.

You will see PTSD in young kids sometimes. If they suffer from verbal, sexual, mental, or physical abuse at home, it is almost a guarantee. IMHO, a service member who makes it through the screenings and performs well for a couple of years before PTSD begins affecting their performance, we owe that service member the benefit of mental health care to try to retain them.

PTSD can be tricky. Consider a high achieving individual who excels at everything as a youth. Excellent grades, played sports, joined Scouts, attended church religiously (ha!), and others generally look up to and try to emulate. Make that person endure a childhood of frequent physical, mental, and verbal abuse. When they go off to college or enlist and get to the point that they live on their own, that person is experiencing personal safety and security for the very first time. The result is the cork pops, and you see delayed onset cases of PTSD. That is something to consider before reporting someone. If they are frauds, get your evidence and submit it to the VA's fraud, waste, and abuse hotline or the IG.

My husband is a VietNam veteran. Married to him for 46 years and counting. Never would admit to having any issues. Denial and avoidance is pretty common and so is speaking a lot of BS. Personally I think if his behavior doesn’t affect you then why worry about it. If he is doing something illegal the VA will catch up to him sooner or later. PTSD is a really thing and so is secondary PTSD because I have that. You get them from being with someone who does all of the above. I have to go to my own counseling sessions because of it and I appreciate all the VA has done now for my husband and for me.

I know this was posted over a year ago, but it just popped up on my email today. It reminds of a story that I read in one of the military publications a few years ago. It seems that just after 9/11 a guy joined the Army for either a 2 or 3 year stint (can't remember which - might have been a 4 year, but he was out after 2 or 3). Anyway, he enlists for an admin MOS - PAC rat. Never leaves CONUS. Does the time, gets out, it seems involuntarily, and has a "3(something)" code on the DD214, in other words, can't re enlist, don't call us, we'll most likely not be calling you, either. But he doesn't go home. Gets in to some trouble, and goes to prison for a couple years. Gets out of prison. THEN he goes home. Starts telling stories about how he was a hero in Iraq. By then there's enough books out by soldiers who WERE there, etc., that he can bullshit his way through. Tells family and friends that he didn't write/call because he got assigned to "classified" missions (of course). Now, he then "doctors" his DD214 and takes it to the VA. He applies for benefits for PTSD. He goes to his C&P, drops enough incidents from the books and does enough song and dance that he gets 100% disability rating for combat PTSD. Remember, this clown never the CONUS. The only way he was ever found out was someone finally got suspicious of his stories and sent his info to one of the "Stolen Valor" sites. They did a Freedom of Information and got his records from the military, then the state where he was in prison, and published. Someone else took it to the VA... The result? He had bilked the VA out of some $300,000 in disability pay - it was proven he was a fraud. So they cut him down to 30%. That was the end of it. No court case, not restitution. It's pretty ridiculous. PTSD is a great thing to claim, because no one can prove, or disprove it.

You do not need to be a combat vet in other to develop PTSD. You don't have to have fired your gun. There is enormous pressure on every service member. Personally, I developed PTSD after being mugged while walking back to my ship one night.
It is not an easy thing to get disability for PTSD. Who knows why this particular vet has told the stories he has. But the fact is that he talked to plenty of people before gaining disability and they obviously believed him. They don't just take his word for it. They investigated his claims, reviewed his service record and approved his claim.

An Army infantry soldier completes a first term 4 year enlistment, excited following 9/11. Possibly serves only one overseas tour, and never fires his weapon in combat. Gets out of Army following enlistment and joins Army Guard.

So first of all, yes this is 100% possible for this to cause PTSD.

You do not have to experience the trauma directly, that is the big part of it that people do not understand.

Gets out of Army following enlistment and joins Army Guard. Within first year of guard duty (upon orders for overseas tour) claims PTSD threatens to kill his comrades. Is released from duty.

This should have been part of a med board/psych eval and administrative action, but was more than likely done as an "unsat" participant.

Member has tried for 12 years to get benefits, and finally receives 100% disability. Claims to his family that his PTSD disease is cured. Does not follow psychologists prescriptions, as they are not really needed.
Was member fit for duty when enlisting in the Army Guard? Or did this member fraudulently join having pre-existing condition?

He as already in the reserves, all he did was move form the IRR to the Guard, or do you not realize that first enlistment is actually 8 years? Since he had not been diagnosed with PTSD yet, yes he was capable.

Can this member have concealed carry and go hunting, when he claims PTSD for gunfire?

Yes.

would you consider this member to be defrauding the government and taxpayer?

No.

Soldier has lied to family members claiming to be heroic sniper, only to reveal as lies later, having never fired his weapon in actual combat. Possibly used similar lies to VA psychologist.
How would you approach situation? VA does not seem to care, and does not offer path for investigation.

His treatment is NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS.

How about you find something important to do, and stop trying to police other peoples medical issues.