Access to VA services for returning veterans with PTSD.

Objective: In order to understand access to treatment services for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), we reviewed existing literature to estimate the proportion of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who have used VHA services.

Methods: We reviewed studies regarding the prevalence of PTSD among Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans to estimate the need for treatment. We then compared need to Veterans Affairs utilization in order to estimate the proportion accessing care.

Results: Access to VHA services is high, with 58% of the estimated population of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans accessing some PTSD-related service. However, there is insufficient information about the quality of these services.

Conclusions: The Veterans Affairs has been successful in providing access to treatment services for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans with PTSD. Additional studies are needed to further characterize the quality of services provided.