171,423 deployed Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans diagnosed with PTSD
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (2010), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is defined as a condition resulting from exposure to direct or indirect threat of death, serious injury or a physical threat” (VA, 2010, p.1).The recent analysis and reporting on PTSD by Veterans groups and the medical community is commendable. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs in June 2010, there were 171,423 deployed Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans diagnosed with PTSD, out of total of 593,634 patients treated by VA (www.va.gov). Thus far 84,005 Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veteran patients have been granted VA disability compensation; of that about half for PTSD.Often disregarded is the fact that many of our wounded veterans are surviving injuries that would have resulted in their fatality in wars past. Given the escalating costs of medical care and budget constraints it will be interesting to see if Congress maintains it’s commitment to supporting the troops after they have left the battlefield.
To read the rest of this blog or more like it check out http://thefrontlines.com Or if you have a question or comment please email me at [email protected]. Thank you.
Very respectfully,
The “Warrant”
Fronts Change. Memories Don’t
Posted on January 26th, 2011 by The Frontlines
Filed under: General Military
Leave a Reply