Hey veterans, here back with another video today, talking about PTSD and how a PTSD rating
can be like a beauty pageant.
Now, what the heck do I mean by that?
If you're not aware, VA actually does take your appearance into account when assessing
how severe your PTSD is.
You know, I was discussing this with a veteran recently, and how his appearance may have
changed, how his personal hygiene may have changed now that his PTSD had become more
severe.
And his response to me was, "Well I guess you could say I'm not in showcase quality
anymore."
And I probed on that a little bit more, asked him some follow-up questions, and I think
that's something that's often overlooked in VA claims relating to PTSD to show the severity
of the condition.
If you read through the ratings criteria for the various levels of PTSD, it starts talking
about neglecting personal appearance and hygiene.
If you suffer from PTSD or depression, you're probably familiar with this to an extent.
Sometimes you just don't have the energy to do the most basic things of everyday life.
You don't feel like you have the energy to get a shower.
You don't feel like going and getting your hair cut.
You don't feel like shaving.
You don't feel like doing all these basic-type things that most of us take for granted.
Another example of that is not changing your clothes.
These are all sorts of things that can affect someone, because again, normal situations
are someone...
You know, they get up every day, they put on a fresh set of clothes, they change their
underwear, you know, these types of things.
Yet we find that veterans sometimes that are really on the more severe end of the spectrum
with PTSD or depression simply are unable to do these types of basic tasks and activities.
So, keep that in mind.
If you're gathering evidence together to prove the severity of all of this, include that
in any sort of statement that you provide to VA.
Have your spouse or family member talk about, you know, "It's like an act of Congress getting
the guy to go get a haircut.
He won't shave except for special occasions."
I had a spouse who talked about forcing her husband to change clothes at least two or
three times a week, and if not, he would go weeks on end wearing the same pants and shirt,
because to him, it just didn't matter anymore.
He was a recluse in his house, so why did it matter if he changed his clothes or not?
So these are all things that, again, just be aware of, and you can use these to sort
of illustrate to VA how severe it has become.
So yes, it is like a beauty pageant, not in the sense of we would think of a beauty pageant
in, you know, the prettiest person wins the prize, but actually quite the contrary.
You know, once your appearance starts to slip, once your hygiene is not up to par anymore,
that may be an indication of a more aggressive form of PTSD.
So if you're seeking an increase, think about those and whether those apply to your situation,
and also, if you or a loved one realizes that these are issues that you're facing, consider
whether your PTSD or depression has actually gotten worse, whether these are outward signs
that something inside of you has actually gotten worse, and you don't feel able or motivated
or have the energy anymore to keep up with these most basic self-care type activities.
So anyway, I wanted to share that with you.
If you have questions, you can reach out to us on our website, winyourvetclaim.com.
You can also get a free consultation with us there about your PTSD claim or other type
of VA disability compensation issue.
Again, hope you like this.
Give it a thumbs up, subscribe if you haven't already, and stay tuned for some future videos
that we'll be pushing out here not too long.
Thanks a lot.
Have a great day.