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GAO-10-578R 1 (2010-05-05)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaansp0001 and id is 1 raw text is: ~G A 0 Acountabiity I Integrity * Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 May 5, 2010 The Honorable Bob Filner Chairman Committee on Veterans' Affairs House of Representatives Subject: VA Health Care: Status of VA's Approach in Conducting the National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study Dear Mr. Chairman: In addition to providing health care to over 5 million veterans each year, the Veterans Health Administration, part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), funds research on specific health conditions that veterans may experience. One condition that is examined in VA-funded research is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder that can occur after a person is exposed to a life-threatening event.' According to VA, experts estimate that up to 30 percent of Vietnam veterans and up to 20 percent of Operation Enduring Freedom veterans and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans have experienced PTSD.2 Veterans suffering from PTSD may experience problems sleeping, maintaining relationships, and returning to their previous civilian lives.3 Additionally, studies have shown that many veterans suffering from PTSD are more likely to be diagnosed with cardiovascular disease and other diseases. After the Vietnam War, Congress wanted information about the psychological effects of the war on Vietnam veterans to inform the need for PTSD services at VA. Consequently, in 1983, Congress mandated that VA provide for the conduct of a study on PTSD and related postwar 'American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (Washington, D.C., 2000). 2Unless otherwise noted, Vietnam veterans refers to those who served in Vietnam during the Vietnam era, from February 28, 1961, through May 7, 1975. See 38 U.S.C. § 101(29). Estimates for Vietnam veterans who have experienced PTSD vary. For example, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 1989 Vietnam Experience Study, about 15 percent of Vietnam veterans have experienced PTSD. According to RAND's 2008 report Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery, from 5 to 15 percent of Operation Enduring Freedom veterans and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans have experienced PTSD. Operation Enduring Freedom, which began in October 2001, supports combat operations in Afghanistan and other locations, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, which began in March 2003, supports combat operations in Iraq and other locations. 3Those diagnosed with PTSD may also suffer from other ailments, such as depression and substance abuse. GAO-10-578R National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study

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