As PTSD was redefined as something that could occur during peacetime work related activity, will falsified compensation claims be the rule, rather than the exception?
By: Ringo Bones
As Capitol Hill still ruminates over President Obama’s proposed healthcare reforms, the mental health side of healthcare insurance providers could face its toughest challenge yet ever since the DSM – IV definition of post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD as a psychological trauma that could also occur during peacetime related activity. Given the limit resources of most of the worlds mental health providers, could ordinary folks claiming PTSD compensation that they acquire during their 9 to 5 jobs deprive care to those who needed it most – like the returning veterans of our “Global War on Terror”?
Even though “everyday PTSD” or “9 to 5 PTSD” as it is being derogatorily called is still largely a phenomena of the working class of the affluent West. Due to the fact that cultures in other parts of the world that are staunchly clinging to their machismo still define seeking compensation for the “intangible” mental trauma that you got from work as a sissy act. These people’s views could change though given that the number of employees claiming work related PTSD that received monetary compensation is on the rise. Is the latest surfeit of gifted personal injury lawyers to blame?
Receiving a generous monetary compensation for peacetime work related PTSD is still not a piece of cake though due to the adversarial nature of the legal system that oversaw such claims proceedings. So a skilled personal injury lawyer is a must. The claims seeker often endures being presumed as a fraud in a court of law. But given that people who got a somewhat questionable PTSD compensation is on the rise while the true nature and level of trauma experienced in general peacetime society is still an unexamined phenomena. Should health insurance claims adjusters do their “homework” first before shelling out huge cash settlements to work related PTSD claims?
The problem with some overly generous cash compensation to peacetime work-related PTSD claimants - even though the funds are more often than not is doled out via structured settlements – is that there is no legal oversight whether the funds and resources are used to rehabilitate the PTSD claims seeker. Since these claimants are former valued personnel in the workforce, peacetime work-related PTSD claimants are better off undergoing a rehabilitation program – if they are genuinely suffering from PTSD. As opposed to just receiving monetary compensation to avoid being gainfully and responsibly employed, rather than being inebriated all day with their compensation money. Personal injury lawyers could also reacquaint themselves with the art of ethical practice.
Monday, August 31, 2009
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