Noteboom The Law Firm

VA Mental Health Care Becoming More Expensive

The Washington Post recently published an article focusing on the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) cost in providing health care to veterans from the current wars. The number of veterans with disabilities requiring care is climbing at astronomical rates. A recent study shows a majority of the money that's spent on veterans' healthcare most likely is being used to treat "the invisible wounds of war."

Researchers looked at the overall amount of money the VA spent on health care in 2007, which studied mainly veterans from Vietnam and the Persian Gulf. They found the VA money spent on health care treating veterans with mental health conditions was 3 times greater compared to the money spent on  health care for veterans without mental health conditions.

One of every 7 veterans using VA-provided health care services required care for a mental health condition. At the same time those same veterans accounted for about a third of the VA health care system's total costs.

It takes a lot of money to study conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries. It also takes a lot of money to treat those conditions as new treatments are always being developed and tested. The more complex conditions become, the more it takes to treat them, which all works in conjunction to drive up the overall cost of care.

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.