Military

Benefits For Vets Discharged For PTSD Reviewed

By Alison St John / Reporter

Published January 25, 2010 at 3:31 PM PST

This story was published more than 14 years ago.

A Department of Defense settlement that could increase disability benefits for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder reinforces recent policy changes.

A Department of Defense settlement that could increase disability benefits for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, reinforces recent policy changes.

Seven combat vets sued saying they were denied benefits they deserved when they were discharged because of PTSD. The Pentagon now says it will review thousands of claims.

Officials at the VA in San Diego say the Department of Defense and the VA used to have different ways to estimate disability benefits. That resulted in veterans being reassessed after they were discharged, sometimes resulting in better benefits.

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Now, the Department of Defense’s ratings have been aligned with those of the VA.

A spokesperson at the Department of Defense says a new policy recommends all vets discharged for PTSD get 50 percent disability benefits temporarily. Then they get a comprehensive mental assessment to determine their ongoing benefit.

Veterans in San Diego discharged for PTSD before the policy change can appeal their benefit rating, either through the Department of Defense or through the Navy.

Military

Alison St John

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Alison St John currently serves as a general assignment reporter and occasionally co-hosts KPBS Midday Edition. She fell in love with KPBS Radio when she arrived in San Diego in 1985 and first heard NPR. She has been a voice on KPBS Radio since 1989, and has served as a news reporter for radio, TV and the web, as well as anchoring, hosting, producing and editing. Alison has reported on stories about North County and was based in the KPBS' North County Bureau. Alison covered the metro beat during the critical period of the San Diego City pension crisis, and the education beat while Alan Bersin was the controversial Superintendent of San Diego City School District. She covered health when the industry was converting to managed care and told welfare reform stories in the late 1990s when Clinton was “ending welfare as we know it.” She has covered land use issues extensively, looking at the challenges of meeting a growing population while preserving community character, and developing a better transportation system to meet environmental concerns. She has done many stories on the military in San Diego, and the series she edited on the challenges veterans face returning from active duty to civilian life won “Best of Show” from the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists. She occasionally hosts the KPBS Roundtable and KPBS Midday Edition. Alison has won awards from the San Diego Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Press TV and Radio Association, and the California Golden Mike Awards. Alison was born in Tanzania, brought up in Scotland, and earned her degree in psychology and sociology from Durham University in England. Her postgraduate diploma is in student counseling. She worked in England, Nigeria, Switzerland, Belgium, India, and Japan before moving to the United States in 1981. She now lives in Oceanside and enjoys how her community is growing and changing.