Noteboom The Law Firm

Over Half of Returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Will Need Health Care

Citing new Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) statistics, an article on Truth-Out.com reported over 50% of all Iraq and Afghanistan veterans returning home will require treatment for mental health and/or medical problems. Those numbers indicate far more veterans with disabilities than previously believed would exist.

The numbers the VA offered are "unprecedented" and seemingly validate earlier, controversial findings. Those findings come from a 2008 Rand Report that predicted 1 in 3 returning soldiers will return with: 

• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD);
• traumatic brain injury (TBI); and/or
• major depression. 

Multiple tours of duties and constant combat have taken their toll on returning veterans. The VA's needs have been reflected in the budgets President Obama has requested for the VA, which have increased by 23% since 2009.

Nevertheless, veterans are still facing multiple problems when it comes to receiving health care for physical ailments. Aside from long wait times to receive treatments, the VA is facing a severe overburdening of their available resources as a mass amount of troops return over the next couple of months.

Mental health care is also a large percentage of the complaints the VA is encountering. VA numbers already show 51.7% of all Afghanistan and Iraqi veterans have sought mental health treatment, which is expected to increase when the soldiers return home.

If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today - 1-888-234-5758.