Iraq Vets Left in Physical and Mental Agony

According to documents obtained by the National Security Archive at George Washington University, 25 percent of veterans of the “global war on terror” have filed disability compensation and pension benefit claims with the Veterans Benefits Administration.

152,669 veterans filed disability claims after fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan. Of the more than 100,000 claims granted, Veterans Administration records show at least 1,502 veterans have been compensated as 100 percent disabled.

Pentagon studies show that 12 percent of soldiers who have served in Iraq suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. The group Veterans for America, formerly the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, estimates 70,000 Iraq war veterans have gone to the VA for mental health care.

New guidelines released by the Pentagon released last month allow commanders to redeploy soldiers suffering from traumatic stress disorders

[Read](http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36056 “Read the Story”) (Inter Press Service News Agency)

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.