Severe post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is concerning. But what is even more worrisome is the significant cost associated with comprehensive mental healthcare and treatment.
Therefore, the importance of monthly reimbursements by the SSA (Social Security Administration) for the general public and the VA or Veteran Affairs for the veterans serving in the US military cannot be downplayed.
PTSD Disability Compensation Statistics
According to a report by “psychiatrist.com,” the economic impact of PTSD management is way higher than the cost of other mental health conditions.
In 2018, it was projected that the US economy had to bear an extra $232 billion covering PTSD costs. This comes down to $19,630 per person suffering from PTSD. For the veterans, this number was $25,684 per person. And it would not be surprising to know that these figures have only risen in recent years.
Direct healthcare payments covering treatments of civilians affected by the mental condition accounted for another $66 billion. In the case of US veterans, the direct treatment expenditure was around $10 billion. These numbers are terrific and call for more awareness around PTSD as much as possible.
Now that you have an idea of how much the VA and the SSA spend on disbursing compensation and other benefits to the approved claimants. You must be curious about how much monetary compensation you can expect to receive.
We will get to all the details for you in this article. Keep reading!
Detecting the Severity of Your PTSD
Your PTSD disability compensation depends on your PTSD rating. The rating, in turn is determined by how intense or severe your symptoms are.
Therefore, it is important to understand the various signs and symptoms of PTSD and how it influences your emotions as well as your behavior.
Not to forget, both emotional and physical aspects or changes in moods, whether positive or negative, are taken into consideration when a rating is finalized for your specific condition or mental state.
If you are struggling with PTSD, you may frequently re-experience traumatic events from the past via nightmares, flashbacks, vivid thoughts, and even bodily sensations, so much so that you have this constant dread about going out, meeting people, or going about your day normally.
Here are some of the major symptoms of PTSD. This list will help you know if you are a potential claimant and are entitled to receiving disability benefits.
- Insomnia, weird sleep patterns, or disturbances
- Concentration or focus issues affecting work or studies
- Nightmares and flashbacks
- Erratic changes in moods, thoughts, and emotions
- Persistent anger and irritability
- Suicidal thoughts or the tendency to harm yourself or others
- Extremely intrusive thoughts of bad memories
- A natural tendency to avoid certain situations, places, and people fearing triggers or revisit to traumatic memories
If your PTSD symptoms are a significant obstacle in your everyday routine, to the point that they regularly cause problems in daily functioning, greatly affect your personal or professional relationships and raise serious concerns about your employability or capability to work efficiently, you are more likely to get disability compensation if your claim is accepted.
How Much Compensation Should You Expect for PTSD?
As mentioned earlier, this depends on the severity of your PTSD. If you are a US veteran dealing with the disorder, this section gives you a breakdown of the VA ratings.
PTSD Disability: Various VA Ratings
Your doctor’s statement about your mental health and PTSD severity helps the VA assign an appropriate rating, and you are reimbursed accordingly every month.
- 0% – You have been diagnosed with very mild symptoms of PTSD, and they do not interfere with your day-to-day activities or routine or your ability to work.
- 10% – You have been diagnosed with minor PTSD symptoms (tricky to notice) that can be easily controlled or corrected with proper medication.
- 30% – You may get a 30% PTSD disability rating when the symptoms start impacting your behavior, your social life, communication in general, and professional/academic performance.
- 50% – You are rated as 50% disabled due to PTSD because you have now started to develop a negative relationship with your job/profession, leading you to miss your work frequently.
- 70% – At 70% of PTSD disability, you are quite unstable when it comes to your symptoms as you tend to experience regular panic episodes, anxiety, and depression. It is difficult for you to stay happy in romantic relationships as well as get work done due to a lack of focus and interest.
- 100% – Your symptoms are out of control, so you cannot interact normally, let alone the ability to work in professional settings. You also have this constant urge to commit suicide and may even witness strange delusions and hallucinations.
For civilians with PTSD caused by non-combat trauma such as road accidents, death of a loved one, natural calamities, sexual or physical assault, workplace trauma, etc., your compensation amounts will depend on your claim and how it is presented or justified to the SSA officials.
For specific or state-wise compensation details on work-related PTSD, you can check out this article – Workers’ Compensation for PTSD: Which States Offer Benefits? (gerberholderlaw.com)
Detailed Rates Based on Assigned VA Ratings (Revised 2023 rates for US Military)
- With 10 and 20 percent PTSD disability with or without a child or a spouse, you are only eligible to receive $165.92 USD monthly and $327.99 USD monthly, respectively.
- For veterans without any dependents, you would get $508.05 USD for 30% disability, $731.86 USD for 40% disability, $1,041.82 USD for 50% disability, and $1,319.65 USD for 60% disability.
- For veterans with a spouse but no parents and zero children, you are eligible for $568.05 USD for 30% disability, $811.86 USD for 40% disability, $1,141.82 USD for 50% disability, and $1,440.65 USD for 60% disability.
- For veterans with a spouse and a parent but zero children, you would get $616.05 USD for 30% disability, $875.86 USD for 40% disability, $1 222.82 USD for 50% disability, and $1,537.65 USD for 60% disability.
- For veterans with a spouse, both parents, and zero children, you would get $664.05 USD for 30% disability, $939.86 USD for 40% disability, $1,303.82 USD for 50% disability, and $1,634.65 USD for 60% disability.
- For veterans with one parent but no spouse and zero children, you would get $556.05 USD for 30% disability, $795.86 USD for 40% disability, $1,122.82 USD for 50% disability, and $1,416.65 USD for 60% disability.
- For veterans with both parents, no spouse, or zero children, you are entitled to get $604.05 USD for 30% disability, $859.86 USD for 40% disability, $1,203.82 USD for 50% disability, and $1,513.65 USD for 60% disability.
We are putting the tables showing the basic rates based on the VA ratings from 70% to 100 %, along with its different permutations and combinations depending on whether you are alone, have a spouse, have one or both parents and the number of children/dependents you currently have.
Basic monthly rates for 70% to 100% disability rating
| Dependent Status | 70% disability rating (in U.S. $) | 80% disability rating (in U.S. $) | 90% disability rating (in U.S. $) | 100% disability rating (in U.S. $) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veteran alone (no dependents) | 1,663.06 | 1,933.15 | 2,172.39 | 3,621.95 |
| With spouse (no parents or children) | 1,804.06 | 2,094.15 | 2,353.39 | 3,823.89 |
| With spouse and 1 parent (no children) | 1,917.06 | 2,223.15 | 2,498.39 | 3,985.96 |
| With spouse and 2 parents (no children) | 2,030.06 | 2,353.15 | 2,643.39 | 4,148.03 |
| With 1 parent (no spouse or children) | 1,776.06 | 2,062.15 | 2,317.39 | 3,784.02 |
| With 2 parents (no spouse or children) | 1,889.06 | 2,191.15 | 2,462.39 | 3,946.09 |
Added amounts for 70% to 100% disability rating
| Dependent Status | 70% disability rating (in U.S. $) | 80% disability rating (in U.S. $) | 90% disability rating (in U.S. $) | 100% disability rating (in U.S. $) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spouse receiving Aid and Attendance | 130.00 | 148.00 | 167.00 | 185.21 |
Following are the basic monthly rates for veterans with 30% to 60% disability *with dependents, children included*
| Dependent Status | 30% disability rating (in U.S. $) | 40% disability rating (in U.S. $) | 50% disability rating (in U.S. $) | 60% disability rating (in U.S. $) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veteran with 1 child only (no spouse or parents) | 548.05 | 785.86 | 1,108.82 | 1,400.65 |
| With 1 child and spouse (no parents) | 612.05 | 870.86 | 1,215.82 | 1,528.65 |
| With 1 child, spouse and 1 parent | 660.05 | 934.86 | 1,296.82 | 1,625.65 |
| With 1 child, spouse and 2 parents | 708.05 | 998.86 | 1,377.82 | 1,722.65 |
| With 1 child and 1 parent (no spouse) | 596.05 | 849.86 | 1,189.82 | 1,497.65 |
| With 1 child and 2 parent (no spouse) | 644.05 | 913.86 | 1,270.82 | 1,594.65 |
And below is the table of added amounts:
Added amounts for 30% to 60% disability rating
| Dependent Status | 30% disability rating (in U.S. $) | 40% disability rating (in U.S. $) | 50% disability rating (in U.S. $) | 60% disability rating (in U.S. $) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Each additional child under age 18 | 30.00 | 40.00 | 50.00 | 60.00 |
| Each additional child over age 18 in a qualifying school program | 97.00 | 129.00 | 162.00 | 194.00 |
| Spouse receving Aid and Attendance | 56.00 | 74.00 | 93.00 | 111.00 |
Now that you are fully aware of all the basic rates for different types of VA ratings, here is how you can calculate the compensation you are entitled to as a veteran.
- Find out the basic monthly rate applicable to you and your allocated disability rating
- Check out your added or additional amounts, which are fixed by the VA if you have a dependent spouse and children. Look for the relevant table and find out this amount too
- Add all the amounts, and that is your fixed monthly compensation
Remember, those additional monthly payments to be added to your basic monthly rate are applicable if you have more than one child or your partner/spouse gets Aid and Attendance benefits.
You can know more about VA Aid And Attendance Benefits And Housebound Allowance | Veterans Affairs for more information.
Conclusion
So, you can easily tell how serious PTSD has become over the years, and its scope, as well as its effects on people, are not just limited to the individuals serving in the military.
Doctors, veterinarians, firemen, EMTs, journalists, and many more professionals are bearing the brunt of PTSD.
There are even reports about work-related PTSD, and a rising number of states are enacting new rules, clauses, and regulations for enabling smooth compensation to the affected workforce.
There is a lot more work to be done, but positive development is underway as more and more states become aware and respond empathetically to help people manage their PTSD symptoms in better ways by bringing in new provisions.
This is great news, and we can only expect things to improve moving forward.
Hope you found the article informative. Let us know if you have anything more to add or address through this piece in the comments section below.
She is an experienced Clinical Psychologist and Mental Health Writer with a decade of expertise in psychology. Skilled in assessment, therapy, and patient care. Committed to helping individuals through clinical practice and mental health writing at Therapyjourney.co. Passionate about promoting mental well-being and awareness. Open to aligned opportunities.