Kristina L. Derro
Veterans Disability Lawyer
The returning veterans from the recent wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan are looking to be the most medically and mentally troubled
generation of troops in the nation’s history. Of the 1.6 million returning
troops, over 45% of them are seeking compensation for injuries sustained while
in active duty; over double the VA’s projected estimates.
To make matters worse, these new veterans are claiming nine
ailments a piece on average. This is up from the Vietnam
The numbers however aren’t the only things changing, the
types of injuries sustained are also different from what the VA has seen before.
With a majority of the injuries in our most recent wars being due to IEDs
(Improvised Explosive Devices), the VA is seeing increases in hearing loss,
blindness and damage to lower extremities. The good news is that over 95% of
troops injured in Iraq and Afghanistan
As with any war, the cost of caring for veterans rises for
several decades and peaks roughly 35 years after the conflict due to diseases brought
upon by aging. With so many recent veterans filing more claims than ever
before, our country needs to start preparing for a rather large bill in the
coming years. The VA is struggling with
processing these claims accurately and needs to improve its service delivery.
Still, despite these concerns and the increasing costs of
our returning veterans, the most important thing for us to remember is that they’re
returning at all.
To learn more or see the original article, please visit: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-05-28/veteran-disability/55250092/1#.T8SntzI-A5s.email
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