Vet groups seek update in combat definition

Vet groups seek update in combat definition
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Mar 24, 2009 20:46:13 EDT

WASHINGTON — Veterans advocates told Congress on Tuesday that a World War II-era law requiring proof of participation in combat in order to receive certain benefits creates an unnecessary hurdle for veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, but not on the front lines.

There is particular concern, they said, that the rule interferes with disability benefits for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder whose trauma may not be documented by the military. PTSD can affect people who experience a traumatic event. Symptoms can include flashbacks and anxiety.

The mental disorder has affected service members in noninfantry roles such as truck drivers or cooks, who on today’s battlefields are vulnerable to roadside bombs or mortar attacks. They often lack a combat infantry badge or other documentation to prove their battlefield experience.

The VA has said that about half of all disability claims for PTSD are approved, and the majority of denials come because the veteran lacks evidence of injury related to their time in the service, according to a report last year from the Congressional Budget Office.

Female veterans, who are officially banned from infantry jobs but still experience combat in the current war zones, are among those having difficulty in obtaining the benefits, Carolyn Schapper, an Iraq War veteran, testified.

“The traditional understanding of female servicemembers’ military duties has been the biggest hurdle to getting them adequate compensation for their injury,” said Schapper, a member of the group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.click link for more