A new federal policy could help veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and who are presently ineligible for benefits, get the medical care and benefits they need. The Department of Defense set down new guidelines Thursday to work with veterans who are trying to upgrade discharges to get medical help. This new set of guidelines is for veterans who have been diagnosed with PTSD or who do not realize they have PTSD.

The DOD says this is in large part for veterans from the Vietnam War who were discharged without any record of having PTSD because it wasn’t understood in that time. So, unless they get diagnosed by a private doctor, they cannot be reinstated for help with their PTSD if they were declared ineligible with their discharge.

The new guidelines don’t mean every single veteran will get their benefits. It just means a review board will take PTSD cases under special consideration. Without these guidelines it was nearly impossible to get benefits reinstated after they were denied.

For more information, contact the Rowan County Veteran Services Office at  704-216-8139.