You wake up at 2 a.m. again, heart racing, back on that ship where something happened that changed you. Maybe it was combat. Maybe it was an accident that took a shipmate’s life. Maybe it was something no one talks about, but everyone knows it happens. The Navy taught you to stay silent, to push through, to compartmentalize. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) doesn’t respect military discipline, and years after deployment, you’re still fighting a war the VA doesn’t always recognize.
Sean Kendall, Attorney at Law, represents Navy Veterans nationwide in PTSD disability claims. Our experienced team presents evidence for Veterans’ disability benefits claims or appeals in a way the VA accepts. Here’s what you should know about Navy PTSD stressors and how, when you contact us, we can assist you with your claim or appeal.
What Makes Navy Service Different When It Comes to PTSD?
Navy Veterans experience unique environmental and operational stressors that contribute to PTSD in ways the bureaucracy doesn’t always understand immediately.
Months at sea create psychological pressure that civilians rarely comprehend. You lived in tight quarters with hundreds of others, operating on minimal sleep during extended deployments, unable to escape when tensions rose or traumatic events occurred. Ship fires, man-overboard emergencies, and mechanical failures that threatened everyone aboard—these aren’t hypothetical scenarios for Navy Veterans. They’re memories that resurface without warning.
The isolation of naval deployment compounds trauma. When something happens at sea, there’s no going home, no stepping away to process it. You continued your duties in the same space where traumatic events occurred.
Combat Exposure Beyond Traditional Battlefields
Navy Veterans served in combat zones from Vietnam’s river patrols to the Persian Gulf, from Afghanistan support operations to counter-piracy missions off Somalia. Experiences that qualify as verified combat stressors include:
- Direct engagement with hostile forces. River patrol boats, special operations, and security details faced enemy fire in close quarters where there was no cover and limited escape routes.
- Missile and rocket attacks. Sailors stationed in combat zones experienced indirect fire on bases and ships, living with constant threat and hypervigilance that persisted long after discharge.
- Witnessing casualties. Medical personnel, damage control teams, and those present during combat operations carry the weight of injuries and deaths they couldn’t prevent.
- Recovery operations. Retrieving remains or assisting after enemy attacks creates psychological wounds that the VA must acknowledge when evaluating PTSD claims.
What PTSD Stressors Do the VA Often Overlook in Navy Claims?
Not every traumatic event happens during war. Navy service includes inherent dangers that the VA must recognize, such as:
- Flight deck operations where one mistake costs lives
- Mechanical failures during submarine operations that threatened the entire crew
- Training accidents that killed or severely injured fellow sailors
- Drowning incidents during man-overboard situations
These non-combat stressors are just as valid as battlefield trauma when filing for Veterans disability benefits.
What About Military Sexual Trauma?
Military sexual trauma (MST) is a recognized PTSD stressor, yet Navy Veterans often face additional scrutiny when filing claims based on sexual assault or harassment that occurred during service. The confined environment of ships, the power dynamics of military hierarchy, and the cultural pressure to stay silent created conditions where MST happened—and often went unreported.
The VA cannot deny your claim simply because you didn’t report the assault when it occurred. Evidence of behavioral changes, medical visits for unexplained symptoms, requests for reassignment, or changes in performance evaluations can support your MST-related PTSD claim even decades later.
Does the Psychological Impact of Submarine Service Apply?
Submariners operate in environments that most humans never experience—confined underwater spaces where mechanical failures mean everyone dies, extended periods without sunlight or connection to the outside world, and the constant awareness that you’re surrounded by millions of pounds of ocean pressure.
This chronic stress, combined with specific traumatic events like reactor incidents or depth charge attacks, creates unique PTSD presentations that standard VA evaluators may not fully appreciate.
How Can Navy Veterans Strengthen PTSD Disability Claims?
The VA wants proof, but that doesn’t always mean an official report with your name on it. Start gathering:
- Service records that place you in the right location. Orders, fitness reports, and award citations that show you were present when and where the stressor occurred matter.
- Accounts from fellow sailors. Through buddy statements, individuals who served alongside you can verify events, describe changes they witnessed in your behavior, and confirm the conditions you faced during deployment.
- Personal journals or letters home. Contemporary documentation that references traumatic events or your emotional state during service can be powerful evidence, even if you didn’t name PTSD specifically at the time.
- Medical and mental health records. Any treatment you sought during or after service—even for seemingly unrelated symptoms like insomnia, substance use, or physical complaints—may reflect PTSD that wasn’t properly diagnosed initially.
The VA sometimes denies PTSD claims from Navy Veterans by claiming a particular stressor didn’t meet its threshold for trauma. This happens most often with non-combat stressors, MST claims, or events the Veteran cannot “prove” through official channels. That denial isn’t the end.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims exists precisely because the VA doesn’t always get it right the first time. At the Law Office of Sean Kendall, our attorneys understand both Navy service and Veterans disability law. We can challenge insufficient VA examinations, request proper psychiatric evaluations that account for your specific experiences, and present your claim in ways that meet legal standards for service connection.
