Every Veterans Day, we recognize the sacrifices made by those who served and continue to serve our country. We honor deployments that kept families apart, years spent far from home, and the willingness to answer a call when others could not. We also recognize the physical and emotional toll that service can sometimes leave behind.
Yet not all injuries are immediately visible. A lost limb, a scar, or another physical injury can often be seen and understood immediately. Psychological injuries are different. Many veterans living with PTSD carry no outward signs of injury. No cast. No scar. No visible reminder of the battles they continue to face long after their service has ended.
The challenge of recognizing invisible injuries does not end when military service concludes. Many veterans carry the effects of traumatic experiences into civilian employment, where those injuries may continue to affect their ability to work and function in daily life. When those injuries become the subject of a workers' compensation claim, a difficult question often emerges: how do you prove an injury that cannot be seen? The answer frequently determines whether an injured worker receives benefits, making PTSD one of the more complex issues in workers' compensation law.
When Military Trauma Extends Beyond Service
For many veterans, the transition from military service to civilian life can bring challenges not immediately visible to others. Military service can leave lasting psychological effects long after a veteran returns home. Yet many veterans continue to work, support their families, and maintain outward appearances of normalcy while quietly coping with those effects.
Although awareness of PTSD has grown significantly, veterans seeking legal recognition or compensation for psychological injuries may still face significant challenges. The National Center for PTSD reports that approximately 7% of veterans will experience PTSD at some point during their lives.
The Challenge of Proving Invisible Injuries
A broken bone can often be confirmed through diagnostic imaging. A laceration can be photographed and treated. Psychological injuries are rarely so straightforward.
As a result, PTSD and other psychological injury claims frequently face greater scrutiny than many physical injury claims. Questions of diagnosis, causation, severity, and credibility can become central issues in litigation. The recent case of Apostolovski v. U.S. Department of Labor illustrates this challenge.