But the evaluator either didnt bother to read my notes or wanted to be nice to the veteran. 12 years later she filed for disability benefits for ptsd and a number of other physical injuries she supposedly sustained in basic training. This guy is wrong about PTSD but right about fakes. A C&P psychologist wrote a superb article about the environment at VA, which describes the situation better than anything Ive ever seen: Russo, A. C. (2014). I now get money from the VA. Im not saying I deserve it. The young lady claims PTSD, migraines, and pain, just to name a few. According to Wikipedia, he received over $10,000 in unspecified VA benefits. Intrusive thoughts and an inability to stop scanning for new data that could cause. These folks dont have to pay property tax in VA, there are so many in my local area they are ruining the real estate market for locals . I dont know why I went, I guess to see if I actually was messed up. It also includes resources to help every member of the family. Heres my suggestion. He now gets 3,500/month in disability pay while he waits in jail on armed home invasion charges. It was removed. I hate it. Sounds like you are very frustrated. Not long ago I wrote an article about two combat vetsand their attempts to paint veterans as pitiful victims of PTSD. Weve been frustrated by stories of horrible, disabling PTSD from people we know were never in combat. top Genomics and PTSD I used to dream about being in Iraq and my unit was leaving. One of my civilian co-workers spent about seven years in the Air Force. Our culture is a powerful influencer of behavior. They face it all, from intrusive and negative thoughts to not trusting people and fearing a new relationship. I had multiple knee surgeries and will likely have to get multiple more, the VA rates that as a 10% disability. One research study looked at male Vietnam Veterans and their female partners. This site complies with the HONcode standard for Then there is politics. Or removing a Gunship, hit between the armor plates up into the back of his head, now spattered all over the ship. Thank you for writing this article and I feel a majority of this is spot on. Wives of PTSD-diagnosed Veterans tend to take on a bigger share of household tasks such as paying bills or housework. Im certified to practice before the VA and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. In one of the most ridiculous contradictions, John observed: They also frequently wear military paraphernalia while saying they cant be around things reminding them of the military.. VAs hand are tied in this issue because their bosses do not want to push this issue and their ability to identify fraud themselves has been reduced significantly by the law. In addition, the VA is increasingly open to alternative treatments for PTSD, including the use of hyperbaric chambers and yoga, but an Army veteran who went through VA treatment for PTSD said the expansion and outreach leave the program open to scams by veterans looking to get a disability check. Dear Chump Lady, I'm sure you have a variety of chumps who were military spouses. Anyways the VA specialist sent me to a civilian clinic and I talked to them. He was quoted in a 2014 LA Times articleabout PTSD malingering (which mentioned, among other things, a veteran receiving PTSD disability for falling and breaking her leg while walking to the DFAC), and has spoken out about massive fraud in the system for years. My daughters friend is an Iraq veteran, she said. Sadness, loss. How is this possible that someone that works in an office on the base can get disability.Do you they get paper cuts and claim disability?? Infidelity. Im severely disabled from combat PTSD. Besides the experiences of humiliation and anguish, an even more destructive heartbreak occurs when the third member of the triangle is a close and trusted friend or a family member. 43 by GuestPoster. The fakers feed the stereotype of the emotionally crippled combat veteran, which makes people assume all combat veterans have PTSD, which makes life harder for the majority of war veterans who lead normal lives without being obnoxious, insincere blowhards. You cannot fake PTSD to whomever sitting at that typewriter wrote that BS! Partners are keenly aware of what can trigger symptoms of PTSD. get back to your type writer and find somebody else to pick on. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Email: ncptsd@va.gov Give them all the mental health care they need, give them an immediate cash payment to pay their bills for a couple of weeks, link them up with employment services such as Hire Heroes USA, give them access to $25K to start a business or get certificate training in some field, and then re-evaluate them. Can Humans Detect Text by AI Chatbot GPT? if they have conflicting sexual feelings. Subject: Fraud Illegal Acquisition of VA Benefits (100%) & Illegal Acquisition of SS Benefits (100%). It's normal for PTSD to impact the whole family. Sonja is a licensed professional counselor. Another explanation is that the partner has gone through trauma just from living with a Veteran who has PTSD. He has been vilified for trying to fix what is clearly broken. Not receiving any disability for it but have been told I should pursue it. Faking military disabilities. I had 1 of those fakers that found out about my past have the nerve to ask me for advice what she needed to do to make a claim with the VA when she was ready to get out talk about a trigger (I hate that term too)My response was/is not fit for a public forum. Additionally, the types of traumas that a veteran may have experienced are likely different than in the general population. PTSD can affect how couples get along with each other. VA Secretary Dr. David Shulkin has made combating veteran suicides a major priority and has focused on making treatment available for veterans with less than honorable discharges. Reform measures proposed by the Government Accountability Office and others including basing disability on functional limitations rather than the extent of the injury, or offering one-time payouts rather than a lifetime of checks have gone nowhere., Huang, D. (2014, October 27). This is the first in a series of three articles pertaining to Betrayal from Infidelity and PTSD by Joyce Smith, MA, MFT Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist. Excellent article Chris! When youre doing that many cases, you cant possibly go through them with any degree of comprehensiveness, said Francis Gilbert, a psychologist who worked at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Medford, Ore., until 2011. Dont think Im joking its total relational aggression. I agree that journalists should vet their stories but editors and publishers have little to gain from stories that paint a negative picture of Veterans. The United States is ratcheting up national security concerns about TikTok, mandating that all federal employees delete the Chinese-owned Stew Smith and Jeff Nichols discuss mental toughness. All rights reserved. The first step for partners of Veterans with PTSD is to gather information. How Long the Infidelity Has Been Going On. The partner who has been betrayed must truly want to rebuild the relationship and ultimately learn to trust that person again. Let me say this: first, I am a real female who was really physically assaulted (MST) while I was active duty Navy in the late 1980s when I was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan. Play09:48. Macbeth claimed to have slaughtered dozens of Iraqi civilians and hung them from hooks in mosques; he became a celebrity of the anti-war movement, represented Iraq Veterans Against the War, and his lies were even translated into Arabic and distributed in the Middle East. The culture war in the military was lost a long time before, decades maybe even, but that was the final blow (in my opinion). Were not trained. I remember my evaluation appoint and first (and last) VA appointment ever. He is vice commander of American Legion Post 14 in Southlake, Texas, and a lead trainer in the Military Veteran Peer Network. "For the sake of our military personnel -- if not for the sake of our democracy -- such statements should be quickly and forcefully repudiated by the offending political party.". Just more rot in the corrupt system. ", Junger said society must share the blame for the prevalence of PTSD. But yet these dudes and women out here claiming PTSD, going out to party, shopping for hours, living it up with their free disability money, while I am stuck taking painkillers to get by through the day because of my Migraines too. You got to know how to work the system. But that strength is being sapped by a human wave assault of liars, posers, and thieves who see a PTSD diagnosis as free money. I find this highly troubling. I went and got the VA to give me more and different meds and Im not thinkIng about it no more. I know other VA claims attorneys who have gotten out of the field for the same reasons. your baseless claims only add to the issues vets are facing today. Im a vet, as well, and it just gripes me no end that these goldbricks are trying to game the system and collect benefits that they are not eligible for. I work in an office with a bunch of these 100% liars and thieves. Because of the debt the nation owes these men and women, and because of the talent and experience they can contribute to our economy and society, both lawmakers and citizens should ensure that our efforts to support veterans do not undermine their recovery. Wow that was a lot of talking. Never deployed, only worked on base behind a desk. "It would be premature to say we know why.". Trauma and the Vietnam War generation: Report of findings from the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study. Whenever I get any chance, even from facebook, I rat out fakers, there are whole groups on facebook full of people faking the system on veteran pages, its sick. Of course, not a single anti-war activist seems to have checked MacBeths records, which showed he was kicked out of basic training after 44 days (and none thought it necessary to examine his ridiculous Army Ranger/Airsoft clown photo). Hell over the last 10-15 years we have learned more about the brain and trauma then ever before, yet most of these modalities are rooted in the 1980s or even older. What has gotten me so frustrated things recently is of how some people, particularly women, are using SHARP and other well meaning Programs to fake harassment and/or assaults advance their own agendas. O'Byrne was a central figure in the book "War" by author Sebastian Junger, who also testified at the hearing on "Overcoming PTSD: Assessing VA's Efforts to Promote Wellness and Healing. I dont think you have a problem. They all claim they have PTSD and depression. Airline mechanic in Navy. As now allies in healing the relationship, they must be prepared to encourage and weather whatever frustration, anguish, or retaliation their betrayed partner needs to express. Her mom is a VA rep that receives Military disability claims, (no conflict of interest?). Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine John Krystal said while service members receive extensive support in navigating their romantic relationships during deployment, that level of support often deteriorates once they return home. They feel they are doing everything right, that their love is intact, and that trust will never be broken. The healing process from infidelity is the same as it is for all traumas. Sadly, the most common excuse many unfaithful partners give when they stray is that they were unable to get their needs met in the relationship. I dont know what trauma he has treated, but with all of my clients who suffer from PTSD there is no such thing as short treatment. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. When I retired an E6 transition clerk, black female, went on about a 15 minute diatribe about a false MST claim she witnessed that destroyed a very competent male sailors career. My neighbor who worked at the VA (I didnt know it at the time) was talking to me in my drive way. According to the National Center for PTSD, about 8 million adults are affected by PTSD in the United States each year. No, you will keep limping, moaning, but working. Watch this video on the best treatments for PTSD. But within the VA, either these proven programs dont work or patients are skewing the stats by lying about their symptoms. I ended up working for the VA in this capacity and what you wrote about was the reason I left. Dr Frueh is the perfect example. "When there is money to gain, there will be fraud," he said. I was 03 USMC, multiple tours in some of the biggest fights people can remember. (2021, December 26). Ill call him John. What you need to know to help yourself and your loved one with PTSD. The study grouped the veterans as combat, unclear combat, or no combat. Treating trauma is different for each individual and can really be dictated by several factors. Know what would be even more depressing? The issue of extremist groups has gained attention after the riot on Jan. 6 aimed at preventing the peaceful transfer of the Veterans who have had a head injury are at higher risk for suicide, but these deaths can be prevented, experts say. The comments on that LA times are a good example of this, where the article is frequently perceived as anti-military or anti-veteran. The pendulum swung the other way. Shame them. Especially since I was rape by someone in the military with me that was my best friend and also being raped by someone else that was in the military with me by knifepoint and never have I told these things to the VA or the military. They share less of their thoughts and feelings with their partners. Im not a doctor, but someone needs to check this women out. I could go on but this isnt something easily if at all cured for the authentic. About 14 of the 20 daily suicides involve veterans who never deployed and experienced combat trauma, he said. PTSD symptoms in veterans include: Veterans with PTSD find the disorder can affect their work, family and social relationships drastically, particularly if the veteran is not receiving PTSD treatment. I told him what happened. Please switch auto forms mode to off. What kind of infidelity was it? VA disability claims soar: Some see higher fraud risk as more vets seek compensation, overloading doctors. Wall Street Journal. All veterans are heroes! Get help if you need help. Two individuals reported prisoner-of-war captivity in Vietnam, and five reported classified combat activities in Vietnam, Cambodia or Laos, although none of these experiences was documented in military records and all were reported by individuals classified in the Vietnam no combat group. 1. VA disability fraud? They are clearly in trauma and experience the same array of symptoms that professionals now describe as post-traumatic stress disorder. Those who have remained silent may then pull away for fear of being seen as accomplices. Kudler said there is a "counter-intuitive" involved in addressing the veteran suicide problem. "When it became fashionable after the election for some of my fellow Democrats to declare that Donald Trump was 'not their president,' they put all of our soldiers at risk of moral injury," he said. I used to have dreams, i dont have them anymore. After I got hurt I got out and got my masters and became a therapist as I saw there was little support or help for veterans, especially within the VA system. I work with a young lady that openly brags about working the system. This makes me angry. I found your post while searching for any answer why people are faking assaults, abusing the process. Learn more about research with Veteran couples and help available for Veteran families. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, anywhere from about 7 to 30 percent of U.S. combat veterans experience PTSD, a condition that emerges following an event in which a person experiences or witnesses something extreme like the brutal killing of a friend. Both partners must realize that their past relationship is over and that their goal is to build a new one that will withstand challenges in the future. When Macbeth was arrested he was in the process of using doctored documents to apply for PTSD disability. He said he lived with PTSD for almost 30 years before seeking the mental . Experts said the findings underscore the need to further investigate the effects of infidelity on deployed service members and develop clinical methods to better treat those effects. Yes, because most of the diagnostic criteria are subjective. (no board if you are less than 6 years in and the command doesnt go for the OTH). If you wanted to create a perfect way to keep people from getting better, youd invent the VA compensation system., And hes frustrated nearly to the point of disgust with the VAs willingness to turn almost any claimed trauma into a monthly check for life. This was proven when I overheard one vet say to another that he had to 'pay the bills' and how he 'was hoping this in-patient was enough for a 100-percent rating.' Investigate? Then they told me I couldnt do interviews at all. Female. Male partners of female Veterans with PTSD reported lower well-being and more social isolation. Anyhow, after returning to his command, and being the subject of a sexual assault investigation, he eventually popped positive on a piss test and was booted after just a year or just shy of, under notice proceedings. If our suspicions about PTSD fakers were confirmed, it would be depressing. I guess no more 20 for retirement. The fact is that there are enough people with enough power in the places that matter, that this thing is simply not going to end any time soon. 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I have twice fallen so low. The healing process after such damage is slow. Cist was removed, no treatments were needed, yet, it was called breast cancer. Yes, I have seen partners do this kind of healing, and do it beautifully. One of her friends, Jacquelyn Dutes, had a bad stomach during her short time in the Air Force. The system does need to be revamped and quite frankly sought all my personal help outside the VA and it was night and day from what is being offered and delivered in the VA. Now I will challenge on aspect of this article and will call it as it is, complete BS. For partners, PTSD may also lead to more time and stress from giving care. Yes, PTSD is real. Of the 573 veterans who participated, 22 percent reported that their partners were unfaithful during deployment. His friend died leading the patrol,Stepped on a landmine.It devastated him and he til this day blames himself.It haunts him.Then there is nothing like sitting down on a log, dog tired and discovering it s a crispy critter! That was what I was told. Regarding PTSD being treated quickly- nope! A VA doctor recently asked a great question on my blog: When will realistic reform occur within the VA disability benefits system?. 2023 HealthyPlace Inc. All Rights Reserved. And now I will smash this soapbox and throw it in the wood burner. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense recommend the use of specific medications to treat PTSD, namely paroxetine and sertraline, which are antidepressants known as SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. John cant give specifics, but two Army veterans who served during a particular war told stories of being traumatized by their experiences at a notorious attack. Her name is India Macquette Lemmon. All that would not happen, of course, if folks in power did stand up and make major changes NOW rather than later on the brink of collapse. Many professionals who work with veterans, such as: C&P (compensation and pension) examiners, the VA psychologists and psychiatrists who conduct the PTSD evaluations with vets who have filed a claim for disability compensation due to post traumatic stress disorder; attorneys (its great that the attorney wrote to you); Veterans Benefits Administration adjudicators (the VA employees who make the ultimate decisions regarding service connection and disability ratings), have been concerned about this problem for many years, and have tried to work within the system to achieve the goal you articulated: Save the money for the real veterans, with real problems, who need real help., Unfortunately, when the Department of Veterans Affairs, the President, Senators, or Congressional Representatives propose changes to improve the system, the veterans service organizations and a very vocal group of self-appointed veterans advocates quickly assail them with accusations of being anti-veteran, unpatriotic, and uncaring. Your email address will not be published. Many function fine. Not surprisingly, many veterans without verified combat experience claimed intense combat experiences, including being wounded, committing atrocities and even being POWs. trustworthy health information: verify Helicopter gunship pilot in Vietnam. VA offered my 100% when I got out(the alternative) and required an evaluation visit. While it is their job to determine whether or not a Veteran deserves a disability rating, they make that determination based on the laws passed by congress. It's important to be as honest as you can with the VA examiners about the severity of your symptoms. I couldnt handle the bore of a gun being pointed even remotely in my direction for a very long time. Psychology Today 2023 Sussex Publishers, LLC. For instance, more men than women justify that decision by stating that their sexual needs werent being met, that their partners didnt pay enough attention to them in general, or that they felt exploited in the relationship. This has got to stop. Army Force Recon are you for real? Superficializing a true betrayal can create unresolvable pain. Yes, it is great to give vets a path toward further education, and yes, that may have benefitted many individuals, including myself and my family as a result. Last known address: 123 Anytown, USA I trust you will have someone look into this and contact me, [A few days later I was called back and told they could do nothing. After a few months he went down to Atlanta, GA for a funeral where he was shot. Practical help for coping with your loved one's PTSD. I noticed you have lots of story and anecdotal elements to your article, but I only see you reference a single source. Ill end with this, there is no simple fix and no one size fits all. After seven years, she had compiled a thick medical record of stomach problems. Be proud of ANY service you gave and help those that really need because that is what we were trained to do and believe. The other must survive the trauma and learn to love again. Eventually, after fifteen years of trying to fix the problems and running into a brick wall, I left the VA., A big part of the VAs anger at Frueh came from his accusation that the VA engages in collusive lying with veterans obviously faking PTSD. Employment numbers suggest that veterans have taken advantage of a robust economy fueled by the easing of the COVID-19 An investigation into the accident, which happened last August, is ongoing. How does a betrayed partner ever learn to believe the other again? Despite losing his right leg at the hip, he won his category at Ironman Arizona in 2010, and in 2012 he completed the Race Across America cycling race, covering the 3,000 miles from San Diego to Annapolis in eight days as part of a four-man team. For example. Though the traumatized partner has every reason to be upset, he or she must work through those responses in a sincere and committed way, alongside the other partners commitment to do whatever is mutually needed for healing. After four years, he was given a 70-percent disability rating for PTSD and was immediately advised by administrators and other veterans to push for 100 percent to boost his check, O'Byrne said. Finally physical changes that correlated to symptoms could be observed, not for all maladies but for many. Were employing very expensive PTSD treatments which our own stats say are ineffective. PTSD You didnt have to be in the front lines. "If there are people taking advantage of us, that's OK, because we have a bigger mission," Iscol said, but he also noted that Headstrong does not give out disability payments. Among Veterans who use VA health care, about: We hear assurances that PTSD disability isnt handed out like candy, that claimed trauma is investigated rather than blindly accepted, and that the tiny number of scammers are quickly identified and booted from the system. Never seen combat. 173.236.215.13 I feel certain I had PTSD for probably 30 years. Rape stories, Particularly when young, some people may ask, "How do I know if I am gay?" The men and women who report and document the corruption are the ones fired, in spite of multiple state and Federal whistleblower protection laws. Further, these individuals were not on an accepted registry of repatriated prisoners of war.. PTSD is a debilitating anxiety disorder that occurs after a traumatic event, like war combat. Weve heard of troops coming home from deployments to peaceful countries, never hearing a shot fired, but immediately claiming PTSD. While researching the nuances of the Combat Vet relationship, she discovered a nasty by-product of Combat PTSD - infidelity! The 2 Most Psychologically Incisive Films of 2022, The Surprising Role of Empathy in Traumatic Bonding. Got jobs with health care insurance. This message has to come from those who are strong Veterans where the mysticism of Veteran heroics come from. Here are some other great resources, in addition to what you mentioned in your post: Gade, D. M. (2013). When those prior traumatic experiences are triggered and re-emerge, they significantly complicate the healing process. I worked in aircraft, mostly carrier based but in country on occasion. had a wife and two small children. They don't believe treatment is effective. Im okay now. Kinder, gentler, more entitled, more ready to cry to the EO office over any damn thing, and most significantly, MORE BUREAUCRATICALLY ORIENTED. She also faked Pain, Sleep Disorder, and Migraines. Also-How is it that the government allows a Vet to get more than one degree and pays them a monthly payment and they just using it for early retirement and will never use that degree because they 60 years old and dont have a desire to work after they finish. Her biggest stressor was finding the right tool. Then, the Department of Veterans Affairs has been studying the effects of psychedelic drugs in treating PTSD, but government regulation and concerns over recreational drug use may stand in the way . Partners feel stress because their own needs are not being met.