Noteboom The Law Firm

Costs of Treating Veterans with Psychological Disorders on the Rise

April 16, 2010 - The costs of treating psychological trauma such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have become more expensive than ever before. Of the $22 billion spent on veteran disability payments to Vietnam, Persian Gulf, and "war on terror" veterans last year, approximately 35% of it went to paying for treatment of mental illnesses. In the last 7 years, there has been a 76% increase in service-related disability payments and this is only the beginning.

Over the last 4 years, the amount of soldiers being removed from Iraq and Afghanistan due to psychological disorders has drastically increased. Indeed, approximately 31% of 100,000 Afghanistan and Iraq veterans surveyed had been diagnosed with some form of psychological disorder.

It is these psychological disorders that are more costly for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) than any other disability claim. More than that, veterans suffering from PTSD are more likely to suffer from other health issues compared to other disabled veterans.

Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan were paid $329 million last year solely in disability payments for mental disorders. This is 34% of all money paid out to all disabled veterans from the two current wars. The current wars have seen approximately 250,000 women serving. The amount of money spent last year solely on female veterans for psychological damage is $50 million.

As more veterans are returning from deployments with various mental disorders in rising numbers, costs are also rising in treating these disorders. New therapies are constantly being developed and modified to accommodate constantly changing needs. Hopefully the VA will be able to continue treating these veterans with the level of care they deserve.