One health risk factor often overlooked in this blog is going to war. Veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan frequently return home with traumatic brain injury from roadside bombs, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other injuries.
Marketplace chronicles the problems veterans experience trying to collect military benefits after returning to civilian life. The article reports that it can be difficult for Veterans to claim indemnity benefits.
Soldiers given a military disability rating below 30 percent get a one-time severance payment instead of life-long medical benefits for the whole family. Kerry Baker — with the Disabled American Veterans — says the army cherry-picks lesser injuries when applying its disability standards. In military-speak, disabilities are referred to as “unfitting conditions.” That’s any injury that prevents soldiers from performing their duties.
Further, getting medical care at the VA is difficult during wartime. The VA has a “backlog for disability claims is in the hundreds of thousands.”
The human and financial cost from war does not end at the close of combat. These issues will linger on for years to come.