Local vets welcome PTSD claim changes

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can now get the help they need faster.

The Obama administration announced a new process that applies to veterans of all wars - past and present.

Most soldiers don't carry a notebook into battle - but until now, the government has required specifics like names, dates and locations of traumatic incidents that may have triggered PTSD.

"At times it can be almost like an interrogation," said Ron Avanzato, who works with the Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 4. "You have to pull the information out of them to get everything you need so you can put their claim in properly."

"My company was wiped out on the 15th of June, 1968 on hill 869 just south of Kaesong," veteran Hoy Lesniowski told WAVY News 10. "My daughter is named for my best friend who was killed on that day."

It's taken Lesniowski 20 years to admit he may suffer with PTSD.

"There isn't a day goes by I don't see my daughter and think of Jerry."

Both Lesniowski and Avanzato applaud the government's new process which only requires veterans to prove they served in a war zone.

The new rules also expand benefits to those without direct combat experience.

"It's a historic day especially for veterans who have had their military records damaged or destroyed, for women veterans whose records don't specify that they had combat experience, and for veterans who have experienced combat but had no record of it," said Dr. Robert Petzel, VA Under Secretary for Health.

Some fear the new process and rules will increase the chances for fraud. Even if everyone's honest about their wartime experience, the expanded benefits are expected to cost $42 billion over the next decade.

Avanzato says the vets are worth it.  "They've paid a heavy price and they need their due compensation for it."

The VA hospital in Hampton encourages veterans to call even if they've been denied in the past. Officials say all you need is an eligibility card.  Since word of the change leaked out last week, nearly 300 people have already called.

Despite the promise of simplicity, WAVY News 10 discovered one possible wrinkle in the new process.

The new rules say you must be diagnosed by a VA doctor, so if you're diagnosed with PTSD while on active duty you may have to be re-diagnosed once you leave the military.

10 On Your Side contacted the Department of Veterans Affairs in DC about this, but they have not yet responded.