Denial of Veterans’ Benefits for PTSD to Be Reviewed by Supreme Court

The Supreme Court agreed last week to consider if two veterans were improperly denied medical benefits needed to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) thought to have arisen during their military service. PTSD, which used to be called “shell shock” and “combat fatigue,” occurs in individuals who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event or set of circumstances, according to the American Psychiatric Association. “An individual may experience this as emotionally or physically harmful or life-threatening and may affect mental, physical, social, and/or spiritual well-being.” People suffering from PTSD “have intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings related to their experience that last long after the traumatic event has ended. They may relive the event through flashbacks or nightmares; they may feel sadness, fear or anger; and they may feel detached or estranged from other people.”...