The Army is wantonly denying Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans their right to healthcare benefits, claiming they have a disorder that would have originally disqualified them entry into the Army under Department of Defense standards.
Only three percent of soldiers who have seen combat since 2003 have been officially diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. But, a recent Army study of soldiers serving in Iraq found that 17 percent meet the criteria for PTSD. The Veterans Administration has reportedly treated seven percent of the 52,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans for PTSD.
Why the discrepancies?
The Army is misdiagnosing those with PTSD. Combat veterans are being diagnosed erroneously with personality disorder—denying them benefits because PD is classified as a pre-existing condition.
In the last six years, the Army has discharged 22,500 people diagnosed with personality disorder.
