Military Jobs with High Rates of PTSD | Veterans Claims Attorney

Military Jobs with High Rates of PTSD – Firefighters, Medics, Mortuary

Combat-related PTSD, such as that suffered by infantry units engaged in war zones, sometimes overshadows other military jobs with high rates of PTSD. 

While the incidence of PTSD is often directly related to combat, that is far from the only scenario. Other military occupational specialties (MOS) also come with constant high exposure to PTSD stressors.

MOS in which troops frequently suffer PTSD include emergency responders and specialists such as firefighters and military medics. A lesser-known occupation with elevated rates of PTSD is mortuary affairs specialist. Veterans who served in these occupations were likely at significant risk of encountering life-threatening or emotionally shattering trauma and resultant PTSD.

The grim reality is that these disabled veterans find it hard to prove their disability claims. The VA is famous for saying they don’t have proof that an in-service event causing the veteran’s PTSD occurred. Veterans then must appeal their initial VA disability decision to get satisfactory ratings and their rightful disability benefits. 

If this has been your experience, Marc Whitehead & Associates can help. Appealing a PTSD claim denial can be an overwhelmingly frustrating effort. 

Contact us to discuss your claim and learn how we can help ensure: 

1. your disabilities are appropriately evaluated
2. your exposure to military job-related PTSD stressors is established and 
3. your PTSD claim and appeal are handled correctly. 

On This Page: [↓ Each bulleted item will jump link to the corresponding headline within this article] 

• Top Four Military Jobs with High Rates of PTSD (outside of combat)
• PTSD Stressors Must Satisfy DSM-5 Requirements
• Examples of PTSD Stressors in Military Occupations
• What If Military Occupational “Duties” Overlap? 
• Get All the Benefits You Deserve from the VA

Top Four Military Jobs with High Rates of PTSD

• Firefighters—often the first responders in emergencies, military firefighter services are essential on military bases, aircraft, airfields, ships, ports, and submarines to protect infrastructures, equipment, and military personnel and civilians from the devastation of fires and other hazards.Research shows the frequency of PTSD was 57% for firefighters and 37.8% for military personnel. Considering the severity of these two statistics, a military firefighter’s ability to obtain the PTDS disability benefits they need must not be delayed or denied. 
  
  Read the blog: Military Firefighters and PTSD. 
• Firefighters stationed specifically on submarines—These specialists are trained to fight fires in the tight quarters of a submarine, where a fire at sea poses dire consequences for the vessel and entire crew. The ship may not allow surfacing to extinguish the fire and ventilate the structure.Read the blog: Submarine Firefighters and PTSD. [Link to NEW post: Submarine Firefighters]
• Combat Medics, Corpsman, and emergency medical support—Medics and Corpsmen provide emergency medical treatment at the point of wounding on the battlefield and in hospital settings. Medical personnel administer emergency medical care in both combat and humanitarian situations.Studies show that medical stressors appear to have more impact on military medical personnel than combat stressors, with approximately 5–10% of deployed medical personnel likely to be at risk for clinically significant levels of PTSD.Read the blog: Military Medics with PTSD [Link to NEW post: Military Medics & the High Risk of PTSD]
• Mortuary Affairs Specialists— the 2022 Annual Report by the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress verifies that service members assigned to mortuary affairs duty are at serious risk of developing PTSD. They witness firsthand the aftermath of war as they pick up the pieces following combat, blasts, assaults, or devastating accidents. Handling human remains involves direct exposure to death, with each individual reacting differently to the stress.Read the blog: Mortuary Affairs Specialist and PTSD

While there are no absolutes about which troops will face such trauma and develop post-traumatic stress disorder, we stay vigilant to recognize these and all military jobs that pose a higher PTSD risk.

Why is this important? 

The VA needs to find that, “at least as likely as not,” a veteran’s PTSD was incurred in or caused by their active military service. This means we need to prove each PTSD claim is related explicitly to stressful events the veteran was exposed to during their military service in their MOS.

Because even in combat-related situations, there is often “not enough” corroborating evidence of a stressor event. Successful PTSD claims in these cases require additional, critical proof that the in-service event did, in fact, happen to you.

Our veterans claim attorneys have the experience and resources to help you handle the complexities of PTSD claims and appeals. We fortify claims with essential evidence linking your in-service stressor and your PTSD diagnosis, and work to obtain the maximum PTSD disability rating you deserve.

To service-connect PTSD, three components must be met:

• You must have a current diagnosis of PTSD
• The in-service stressor(s) must be supported by credible evidence
• A link (nexus) between your current PTSD diagnosis and the in-service stressor event must be supported by medical evidence.

PTSD Stressors Must Satisfy DSM-5 Requirements

To determine a veteran’s occupational exposure associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, the VA complies with the DSM-5 criteria for PTSD stressors as follows:

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Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence in one (or more) of the following ways:

1. Directly experiencing the traumatic event(s). 
2. Witnessing, in person, the event(s) as it occurred to others. 
3. Learning that the traumatic event(s) occurred to a close family member or friend. In cases of actual or threatened death of a family member or friend, the event(s) must have been violent or accidental. 
4. Experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details of the traumatic event(s) (e.g., first responders collecting human remains). 

Symptoms must continue for over a month and cause distress by interfering with everyday life, including work and relationships.

Examples of PTSD Stressors in Military Occupations 

• Exposure to corpses or human remains
• Exposure to severely injured or infirmed medical patients
• Blast explosions (IEDs, mortars, rockets, etc.)
• Fires (flight deck crashes, munitions explosion, faulty electrical wiring)
• Serious mishaps and close calls
• Serious training accidents
• Witnessing others die
• Motor vehicle, aviation, or naval accidents
• Fearing for your life
• Hearing vivid descriptions or seeing images of traumatic events 
• Physical assault
• Military sexual trauma (MST)

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What If Military Occupational “Duties” Overlap with PTSD Stressors?

Studies reveal how modern warfare introduces unconventional circumstances that provoke mental health problems, including PTSD. Urban warfare tactics characterized by guerrilla attacks, roadside IEDs, and the ambiguous lines between safe zones and battle zones, may trigger more post-traumatic stress in surviving service members than traditional fighting. 

Servicemen and women in jobs considered to be low- or average-risk for developing PTSD are often asked to fill other duties not in their assigned military specialty.    

For example, a cook may be asked to assist in convoys or patrols, suddenly facing the threat of being shot at or encountering minefields. Mechanics may need to recover bodies before retrieving and hauling damaged trucks or tanks back to base. Depending on the theater of operations, truck drivers are highly exposed to ambushes and IEDs.

Other factors affecting military jobs with high rates of PTSD can include lower military rank, higher number of deployments, and more extended deployments. 

Proving a traumatic event occurred when acting outside your MOS can be problematic. Our attorneys can offer experienced help documenting your situation to the VA. While you may not be able to provide your location on an exact date, we can help you gather crucial lay testimony and other crucial evidence. We assemble sufficient facts to substantiate your stressor event and secure the maximum PTDS rating.  

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Get All the Benefits You Deserve from the VA

Marc Whitehead & Associates fights for disabled veterans nationwide. Our casework involves helping veterans increase their PTSD ratings to receive full and fair VA disability compensation in the shortest time possible. 

The question of which military jobs have a higher rate of PTSD is intensely complex. If you disagree with the VA’s decision and need to appeal or have any questions about your PTSD disability claim, please call (800) 562-9830 for immediate assistance. 

Call or text 800-562-9830 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form