VA's New Rule Wrongly Penalizes Veterans for Successfully Managing PTSD with Treatment
Source: Steve Kennedy. "Trump wants veterans to lose PTSD benefits if they take medicine.." February 19, 2026. slate.com
The Gist
The author argues that the VA's new policy of reducing disability benefits when veterans' PTSD symptoms improve with medication is both legally wrong and harmful. He says this punishes veterans for getting better while ignoring that their underlying injuries remain permanent and require ongoing treatment to manage.
Conclusion
The VA's interim rule that evaluates veterans' disabilities based on their function with medication rather than underlying condition severity is legally wrong and morally harmful
Premises
- The new VA rule directs evaluation of disabilities based on how veterans function with medication rather than the underlying severity of their conditions
- Recent court precedent in Ingram v. Collins established that VA must evaluate disabilities as they would exist without treatment when criteria don't explicitly mention medication-based improvements
- Research shows disability compensation directly correlates with better outcomes - veterans receiving benefits had lower poverty rates (15% vs 45%) and reduced homelessness risk
- Medication manages symptoms but does not cure the underlying injury - when veterans stop medication, symptoms return
- The legal and moral principle of compensation requires acknowledging permanent loss of quality of life, similar to workers' compensation for job-related injuries
Assumptions
- Veterans deserve compensation for service-connected injuries regardless of treatment effectiveness
- Successful symptom management through medication indicates severity of underlying condition rather than recovery
- Court precedents should guide VA policy implementation
- The government has a moral obligation to compensate those harmed in its service