Noteboom The Law Firm

Female Veterans Given Equal PTSD Diagnoses

January 25, 2011 - Female veterans are pushing the boundaries in the military on a daily basis. While women are officially not "allowed in combat," many female veterans have been engaged in combat and placed in roles where combat is all but inevitable. If female veterans are going to be used in the same role as male veterans, they should be given the same benefits, and that especially goes for health care. Until a recent report was released, however, this was not the case.

A recent study looked at the difference in gender among soldiers as far as how they are diagnosed with combat-related conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Perhaps surprisingly, there was no real difference between genders, with one huge exception. The difference was so noteworthy that the VA changed their procedures for diagnosing PTSD in female veterans prior to the study's completion.

Prior to the study, the VA would not qualify female veterans for PTSD treatment without having served in direct combat. But because women cannot "officially" serve in direct combat, the VA would not treat them.

That "direct" combat line, however, has become blurred. There are no longer distinctions being drawn between combat on the front-line and combat in the rear. Combat in either place causes the exact same injuries to those soldiers involved. No matter where a landmine or a sniper is positioned, the result is the same for the soldier on the receiving end of the aggression. Because of the evolved nature of combat, the VA now recognizes any veteran who served in a combat zone as eligible to apply for PTSD treatment.