Mortuary Affairs Veterans with PTSD – Win Your VA PTSD Claim
Mortuary Affairs veterans with PTSD are among the vast group of men and women who honorably served our country and are trying to obtain much-needed VA compensation. Of the military occupational specialties (MOS) that increase your chance of developing PTSD, mortuary affairs (MA) is among the top.
MA staff experience firsthand the aftermath of war as they pick up the pieces left behind by combat, explosions, crashes, EIDs, fires, assaults, and devastating accidents. This working group experiences very specialized types of PTSD stressors in both the nature and environments in which they work.
As the opening and closing statements from a 2016 PTSD study published in Military Medicine affirm:
“U.S. Army mortuary affairs (MA) soldiers experience stressors of deployment and exposure to the dead, increasing risk for post-traumatic stress and depression.”
“Considering the negative effects of deployment and exposure to the dead, and the number of military personnel returning from deployment, post-deployment psychological readjustment is a critical public health concern.”
When Mortuary Affairs Veterans with PTSD Are Denied VA Compensation
Some of these veterans find that the VA claims process lets them down. Filing a claim that connects all the dots and establishes service connection is far more complex than they imagined. The VA is immensely backlogged, and VA examiners make medical and managerial mistakes. Mortuary affairs veterans with PTSD are frequently denied benefits or underrated.
What we want you to know is you must not give up! There are specific strategies you can take to prevent this from occurring or appeal the VA’s decision. You do not need to deal with the VA alone. Our veterans’ legal team will help.
Service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder is presumed when the following events are met:
- Medical evidence of PTSD diagnosis;
- A link (nexus), established by medical evidence, between current symptoms and an in-service stressor; and
- Credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressor occurred.
Several scenarios can play out in PTSD disability claims in non-combat situations regarding mortuary affairs jobs:
- Veterans who served and worked as MA specialists may have developed PTSD symptoms in service but were never diagnosed while serving. Now, it’s months or years later, and they wonder if they can ever get PTSD disability benefits.
- MA veterans may have been diagnosed with PTSD while serving but felt too ashamed or undeserving to claim disability benefits since they weren’t directly involved in combat or other catastrophic situations.
- Still other veteran MA personnel file their claims to the VA only to be denied based on lack of evidence proving (1) an in-service PTSD stressor, (2) a medical nexus between their symptoms and stressor, or (3) that the claim does not prove the stressor even occurred.
If similar situations have been your experience, it is essential to understand that exposure to death and the handling of fallen soldiers and their personal property are highly traumatic PTSD stressors. We can help you prove your case.
If you have submitted a disability claim to the VA and were denied, there are effective actions we can help you take to reinforce your claim and appeal the decision.
The Connection of Mortuary Affairs Occupations and PTSD
MA specialists are responsible for the search, recovery, identification, preparation, and disposition of human remains of deceased military personnel within a theater of operations. This includes their personal effects. MA technicians prepare the remains for shipment to the evacuation point.
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This work is vital. The proper recovery and evacuation of the fallen is the first step in honoring the dead and providing solace, homage, and closure to the family. The men and women who fill these roles are committed to providing dignified, reverent, and respectful handling of all remains.
While each MA command is highly trained in these procedures, nothing compares to the job.
Mortuary Affairs Veterans have a Higher Risk of Developing PTSD
Handling human remains involves direct exposure to death, with each individual reacting differently to the stress. Consequently, veterans who served in Mortuary Affairs stand a better-than-average chance of exposure to devastating casualties, injuries, and suffering. Fatality rates per day often exceed capacity, overwhelming MA personnel.
In general, PTSD stressors within Mortuary Affairs MOS involve:
- Locating, identifying, and recovering soldiers’ remains in battlefields and conflict zones. Search and recovery may also mean sifting through ashes or vehicle debris to find dog tags, bodies, or body parts.
- Ensuring safe evacuation of the deceased and their belongings
- Assisting with arrangements and military honors at their burial sites
- Interaction with bereaved families
PTSD Stressors in Battlefield Mortuary Affairs Operations May Include:
- Physical handling of remains, which may have been burned, dismembered, decomposed, or intact and lifelike, including sights and smells;
- Emotional involvement – MA workers may become personally involved in the task, handling personal effects, seeing a body in the same uniform as their own, and interacting with families of the deceased;
- Fear for their safety – such as in recovery operations occurring in combat zones, fear of injury or death, and risks of health and sanitation while handling remains in various stages of decomposition.
These forms of PTSD stressor exposure are common and often overlooked aspects of war and military operations.
What Qualifies as Traumatic Events for Veteran’s PTSD?
For mental health disorders, the VA generally follows the DSM-5 criteria.
The DSM-5 defines traumatic events for PTSD using four criteria (A1-A4). You meet the trauma definition with any one of the four.
Mortuary Affairs veterans with PTSD are covered under A4.
AI: Direct exposure to traumatic events such as actual or threatened death, serious injury (e.g., military combat, physical attack, torture, disasters, etc.), or sexual violence or assault;
A2: Witnessing such events even if they were not harmed themselves;
A3: Indirect exposure, such as learning that a loved one was exposed to a traumatic event;
A4: Exposure to repeated or extreme details of trauma, such as seeing dead body parts or severely injured people as part of one’s professional duties (e.g., medical, law enforcement, mortuary affairs, and journalism personnel).
Mortuary Affairs PTSD Claims Must Establish Service Connection
Proving service connection begins with a diagnosis of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
PTSD can be diagnosed only when symptoms have persisted for at least one month. PTSD can appear as a sole diagnosis or, more commonly, with another co-occurring DSM-5 disorder, such as a substance use disorder, mood disorder, or anxiety disorder.
If you have not yet been diagnosed with PTSD, it is not too late to obtain service-connected benefits. There is no time limit for claiming PTSD disability when it was caused or aggravated by your military service. Call our Veterans attorneys to see how we may help you remedy this.
What else do you need to prove your mortuary affairs MOS has caused PTSD?
You must show the VA that your PTSD is connected to your Mortuary Affairs MOS.
This requires proof that you were assigned to a mortuary affairs unit. You must be able to corroborate your time served under the mortuary affairs MOS that correlates to your claimed PTSD stressor or multiple stressors.
The U.S. Army reports the following MA Units:
The 54th Quartermaster (QM) Company (Co.) is the only MA unit within the active-duty component, and it is located at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia. [Note: Its sister MA company, the 111th QM Co., recently deactivated and reassigned its personnel to the 54th QM Co.]
The remaining six MA units are within the Army Reserve component, located in
- Costa Mesa, California (387th QM Co.)
- Dover, Delaware (673rd QM Co.)
- Honolulu, Hawaii (962nd QM Co.)
- Note, the 962nd QM Co. also has personnel dispersed to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; Barrigada, Guam; and Pago, Pago, American Samoa.
- Staten Island, New York (1019th QM Co.)
- Aguadilla, Puerto Rico (311th QM Co.)
- Mayaguez, Puerto Rico (246th QM Co.)
MA personnel serves throughout times of peace, responding to accidental deaths and in times of mass fatalities.
If time has lapsed, or you are unsure about your time served in Mortuary Affairs or your stressor event, reach out to our dedicated team.
Let Us Help You Get the VA Compensation You Deserve
If your PTSD disability claim was denied or delayed, or if you have questions about your case, please request a free case evaluation using the form on this page or call (800) 562-9830.
Our accredited veteran’s claim attorneys have helped countless veterans like you, and we’re ready to fight for your benefits. We will help you get the disability compensation you deserve regardless of where you live.
Learn about other military jobs with high PTSD rates.
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