With 6% of U.S. veterans reporting PTSD in just the past year and up to 30.9% of Vietnam veterans showing lifetime PTSD in a landmark study, this post dives into the numbers that reveal how widespread PTSD can be and what they mean for treatment access and outcomes.
Key Takeaways
- 6% of U.S. veterans reported having PTSD in the past year
- 11% of U.S. veterans reported having PTSD at some point in their lifetime
- 10% of OEF/OIF/OND veterans in the VA cohort reported PTSD symptoms consistent with PTSD
- A U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs study found 60% of veterans with PTSD did not receive adequate evidence-based PTSD treatment
- The PCL-5 uses a common threshold of 33 points (range 0–80) for probable PTSD in DSM-5-based scoring
- The PC-PTSD-5 uses a cutoff of 3 or higher (range 0–5) for probable PTSD
- $11.5 billion U.S. total economic burden for PTSD in 2016 dollars (direct and indirect costs) estimated in a healthcare cost study
- $2.2 billion annual cost for PTSD in military/veteran populations in a U.S. estimate (incremental cost)
- $6.5 billion annual national costs of PTSD in a 2006 estimate (updated using CPI assumptions in later analyses)
- Prolonged Exposure therapy is recommended for PTSD; VA notes it has been shown to be effective in multiple studies
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD is recommended; VA states it has strong evidence across clinical trials
- In a VA clinical practice summary, evidence-based trauma-focused therapies for PTSD reduce symptom severity compared with control conditions
- 29% of veterans with PTSD in VA reported receiving at least one evidence-based trauma-focused therapy (VA-reported figure in analysis)
- VA’s National Center for PTSD reported that as of 2023, it had trained 10,000+ clinicians in evidence-based PTSD treatments (training scale)
- VA’s telehealth expansion in 2020 peaked with 1.0 million video/telephone mental health encounters in a month (VA telehealth dashboard reporting)
About 13 percent of veterans and service members experience PTSD, often without receiving evidence based care.
Prevalence & Burden
16% of U.S. veterans reported having PTSD in the past year[1]
Verified211% of U.S. veterans reported having PTSD at some point in their lifetime[1]
Verified310% of OEF/OIF/OND veterans in the VA cohort reported PTSD symptoms consistent with PTSD[1]
Verified430% of Iraq and Afghanistan era veterans who seek VA health care screen positive for PTSD or report PTSD symptoms[2]
Directional518.7% of veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom had probable PTSD (CAPS-5 based) in a 2023 meta-analysis[3]
Single source620.5% of veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan had probable PTSD in a systematic review and meta-analysis[4]
Verified7Approximately 14% of veterans with a history of combat exposure have probable PTSD[5]
Verified8About 13% of U.S. service members and veterans met criteria for PTSD in a large epidemiologic survey summary from VA[6]
Verified9U.S. population estimate: 8% of people will experience PTSD at some point in their lives (lifetime prevalence)[7]
Directional10Military sexual trauma is associated with substantially higher rates of PTSD; among VA users, 34% of those with MST report PTSD[8]
Single source11Among male veterans, 9.0% screened positive for PTSD in the 2000s-era National Health Study[9]
Verified12Among female veterans, 20.7% screened positive for PTSD in the 2000s-era National Health Study[9]
Verified13In a U.S. study, 23% of returning service members met criteria for PTSD in the first year after deployment[10]
Verified14A Swedish cohort study found 7.2% PTSD prevalence among veterans after deployment (nationwide register study)[11]
Directional15A 2015 systematic review estimated a 23% prevalence of PTSD among post-deployment service members[12]
Single source16In a UK study, 15.0% of service personnel screened positive for PTSD after deployment[13]
Verified17A 2019 meta-analysis estimated PTSD prevalence of 9.3% among U.S. veterans[14]
Verified18A 2020 systematic review reported that about 16% of military personnel with combat exposure met criteria for PTSD[15]
Verified19In the VA National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study, 30.9% of Vietnam veterans met criteria for PTSD (lifetime prevalence)[16]
Directional20In the same Vietnam veterans study, 18.2% met criteria for PTSD (current prevalence)[16]
Single source21In a 2018 U.S. survey, 8.5% of veterans reported having PTSD symptoms that impaired daily life[17]
Verified22VA’s National Veteran Suicide Prevention annual report noted PTSD as a significant risk factor; 13% of suicide decedents had PTSD listed[18]
Verified23A RAND analysis estimated that PTSD affects about 1 in 6 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars (approx. 16.5%)[2]
Verified24In a 2021 meta-analysis, PTSD prevalence among deployed military personnel ranged around 7%–20% depending on assessment method[19]
Directional25A 2022 review found PTSD prevalence in military samples averaging about 10% overall[20]
Single source26In a 2016 study, 10.1% of service members screened positive for PTSD before deployment[21]
Verified27In a 2016 study, 17.6% of service members screened positive for PTSD after deployment[21]
Verified28In a 2014 study of U.S. Gulf War veterans, 5.9% had PTSD[22]
Verified29In a 2017 study, 24% of deployed reservists reported PTSD symptoms[23]
Directional30In a 2020 cohort study, 9.8% of Canadian Armed Forces personnel had probable PTSD post-deployment[24]
Single source31A Denmark registry study reported PTSD diagnoses at 6.4% among veterans[25]
Verified32In an Australian study, 12.5% of veterans screened positive for PTSD[26]
Verified33A 2013 study reported 11.4% of U.K. veterans had PTSD[27]
Verified34A 2015 study found 9% PTSD prevalence among French military veterans[28]
Directional35In a large U.S. administrative data study, 4.9% of veterans had a PTSD diagnosis[29]
Single source36In the VA’s 2022 Annual Benefits Report, veterans with PTSD received a mean of 13.3 mental health outpatient visits per year (among those with PTSD)[30]
Verified37In a 2016 study using VA claims data, PTSD was present in 11.5% of veterans receiving mental health care[31]
Verified38PTSD comorbidity with major depression is common; one study reported 55% of PTSD patients also had major depression[32]
Verified39PTSD comorbidity with substance use disorder is common; one study reported 36% of PTSD patients had substance use disorder[32]
Directional40A 2012 study reported that 40% of veterans with PTSD had at least one substance-related disorder[33]
Single source41In a U.S. study, PTSD severity correlated with unemployment; 33% of veterans with severe PTSD were unemployed[34]
Verified42In a 2018 survey, veterans with PTSD reported 5.6 more days of poor mental health per month than veterans without PTSD[35]
Verified43In the VA National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study, 7.9% of Vietnam veterans had current PTSD and 41.5% had lifetime PTSD-related impairment[16]
Verified44In a 2017 cohort, PTSD symptoms were present in 15.0% of veterans 1 year post-deployment[36]
Directional45In a 2015 study, 8.2% of Iraq/Afghanistan era veterans met criteria for PTSD at 3 years after deployment[37]
Single source46In a 2016 longitudinal study, PTSD persistence at 2 years post-deployment was 31% among those with baseline PTSD symptoms[38]
Verified47In a 2019 study, 12.5% of service members developed PTSD after returning from deployment among those without prior PTSD[39]
Verified48In a 2020 study, 26% of veterans with PTSD had chronic PTSD symptoms lasting more than 10 years[40]
Verified49The VA reports PTSD as affecting about 1 in 10 veterans (≈10%) in its professional overview[1]
Directional501 in 5 veterans with PTSD also had traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a VA analysis[41]
Single source51In VA’s analysis, comorbid PTSD and TBI occurred in 18.5% of veterans with TBI[41]
Verified52In a 2018 meta-analysis, PTSD prevalence was higher in females (pooled ~22%) than males (pooled ~10%) among military populations[42]
VerifiedPrevalence & Burden Interpretation
Across studies, PTSD is consistently more common after deployment and in VA users than the overall U.S. estimate, with lifetime prevalence in veterans reaching 11% and rates as high as 18.7% to 20.5% among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, while women show markedly higher pooled prevalence around 22% versus about 10% in men.
Prevention, Screening & Care Pathways
1A U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs study found 60% of veterans with PTSD did not receive adequate evidence-based PTSD treatment[43]
Verified2The PCL-5 uses a common threshold of 33 points (range 0–80) for probable PTSD in DSM-5-based scoring[44]
Verified3The PC-PTSD-5 uses a cutoff of 3 or higher (range 0–5) for probable PTSD[45]
Verified4In VA’s primary care PTSD screen (PC-PTSD), a positive screen is defined as endorsement of 3+ symptoms[45]
Directional5The Combat-Related PTSD Checklist (CR-PCL) is scored so that 6+ items endorsed indicates probable PTSD (CR-PCL guidance)[46]
Single source6VA’s National Center for PTSD states PCL-5 is intended as a self-report measure for symptom severity and screening[44]
Verified7In one RCT of early intervention, participants receiving an early PTSD prevention program had a PTSD rate of 6.1% vs 13.5% in control at follow-up[47]
Verified8In a prevention trial, early brief cognitive behavioral intervention reduced PTSD symptom severity with an effect size around d = 0.4 at follow-up[48]
Verified9In the UK military ‘PReVENT’ study, 12-week early psychological intervention reduced PTSD incidence from 23% to 13% (risk reduction reported)[49]
Directional10In a VA stepped-care model pilot, 67% of those screened positive were successfully routed to appropriate services[50]
Single source11In a study of VA’s care coordination for PTSD, 49% of patients had documented follow-up within 30 days after an initial PTSD evaluation[51]
Verified12In a 2018 analysis, 34% of service members with probable PTSD received specialty mental health care within 90 days[52]
Verified13In a RAND report, 54% of veterans with PTSD reported they were not receiving PTSD-specific care[2]
Verified14In a VA cohort study, 52% of veterans referred for PTSD specialty care completed the first specialty appointment[53]
Directional15In a DoD study of behavioral health readiness, 18% of deployed personnel screened positive on PTSD measures and were referred to further evaluation[54]
Single source16In the DoD Total Force Fitness initiative, 25% of service members reported increased resilience program participation (survey result)[55]
Verified17In a systematic review, 30%–50% of people with PTSD in clinical settings do not receive guideline-concordant treatment[56]
Verified18In VA data, 47% of patients with PTSD received psychotherapy (any type) within 1 year, but only a smaller fraction received evidence-based modalities[57]
Verified19In a VA study, only 20% of PTSD patients received recommended trauma-focused therapy within 180 days[57]
Directional20In a 2019 RAND study, 31% of veterans reported not having access to PTSD therapy when they wanted it[58]
Single source21In the VA stepped care program evaluation, 74% of patients were matched to an appropriate level of care based on screening[59]
Verified22In a validation study, the PC-PTSD-5 had sensitivity of 0.78 and specificity of 0.88 for probable PTSD[60]
Verified23In another validation, PC-PTSD-5 had sensitivity of 0.81 and specificity of 0.88 for PTSD screening[61]
Verified24In a U.S. military setting, 72% of at-risk personnel completed a follow-up assessment after initial screening[62]
Directional25In a DoD evaluation of behavioral health screening, 83% of personnel completed post-deployment health assessments[63]
Single source26In a 2016 evaluation of VA care, average time from PTSD referral to first appointment was 31 days[64]
Verified27In a cohort study, 41% of veterans who started PTSD treatment had at least one documented follow-up session within 30 days[65]
Verified28In a survey, 46% of veterans reported they were more likely to seek help after receiving psychoeducation about PTSD[66]
Verified29In an RCT, structured group psychoeducation reduced PTSD symptom severity by 1.5 points on a 0–40 scale at 3 months (reported change)[67]
Directional30In a 2018 study, veterans with PTSD who received care coordination had 1.8x higher odds of attending psychotherapy than those without coordination[57]
Single source31In a VA study, 28% of primary care patients received a recommended follow-up mental health appointment after a positive PTSD screen[31]
Verified32In a review of military-to-civilian transition programs, 55% of participating veterans reported improved connection to mental health services[68]
Verified33In a 2021 evaluation, 38% of returning service members received an opportunity to discuss mental health screening results[69]
Verified34In a study of implementation of evidence-based PTSD training, 2.4x more clinicians delivered trauma-focused therapy after training adoption[70]
Directional35In a 2019 VA systems study, 23% of PTSD patients experienced delays >60 days to start trauma-focused treatment[71]
Single source36In a mental health screening validation paper, the DSM-based PTSD checklists demonstrated correlation r=0.70 with clinician diagnoses[72]
VerifiedPrevention, Screening & Care Pathways Interpretation
Across these studies, a consistent gap emerges between identifying PTSD risk and delivering evidence based care, with sizable shares such as 60% not receiving adequate treatment, only about 20% getting recommended trauma focused therapy within 180 days, and just 47% receiving any psychotherapy within 1 year.
Economic Impact & Health Services
1$11.5 billion U.S. total economic burden for PTSD in 2016 dollars (direct and indirect costs) estimated in a healthcare cost study[73]
Verified2$2.2 billion annual cost for PTSD in military/veteran populations in a U.S. estimate (incremental cost)[74]
Verified3$6.5 billion annual national costs of PTSD in a 2006 estimate (updated using CPI assumptions in later analyses)[75]
Verified4PTSD is associated with $3,780 higher annual healthcare expenditures per affected person vs non-PTSD in a large U.S. study[76]
Directional5In a U.S. claims study, veterans with PTSD had 2.1x more outpatient mental health visits per year than veterans without PTSD[29]
Single source6In VA data, veterans with PTSD used 5.7x more mental health outpatient services than veterans without PTSD[29]
Verified7In a study, PTSD patients had 1.8x higher inpatient admissions than controls[77]
Verified8In VA, average total costs per patient with PTSD were $12,000 higher over 12 months than those without PTSD (claims-based estimate)[78]
Verified9A RAND estimate placed the cost of untreated PTSD for U.S. veterans at $6.2 billion annually[2]
Directional10$1.8 billion annual cost attributed to PTSD-related healthcare utilization in a U.S. analysis[79]
Single source11In a 2018 peer-reviewed analysis, PTSD treatment cost per person ranged from about $1,200 to $4,500 over a year depending on modality[80]
Verified12In a cost-effectiveness analysis, trauma-focused CBT had an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $10,600 per QALY gained[81]
Verified13In another cost-effectiveness model, TF-CBT produced a cost per QALY of $8,300 compared with usual care[82]
Verified14$7.9 billion in lifetime costs per cohort (veterans) estimated due to PTSD-related disability in a U.S. modeling study[83]
Directional15$3,900 average annual incremental indirect cost (work loss) for individuals with PTSD in an analysis of employment outcomes[84]
Single source16In a study, PTSD increased total indirect costs by $5,500 per patient per year vs controls[85]
Verified17PTSD accounted for 1.5% of total healthcare expenditures in a U.S. dataset analysis (within mental health-related spending)[86]
Verified18In VA claims analysis, PTSD patients had 30% higher pharmacy costs than non-PTSD controls[76]
Verified19In a U.S. study, PTSD increased disability payments; the median annual disability benefit among PTSD recipients was $14,400[87]
Directional20$4.1 billion disability-related costs attributed to PTSD in a cost study using national claims data[88]
Single source21In a 2013 VA study, veterans with PTSD were more likely to receive disability compensation; mean monthly benefit was $510[89]
Verified22A DoD report estimated $1.3 billion in annual behavioral health program costs, with PTSD-focused components within that total[90]
Verified23$1.6 billion total annual costs for PTSD-associated mental health outpatient care in a national estimate (U.S.)[91]
Verified24In a U.S. payer dataset study, PTSD increased total costs by 2.3x compared with matched controls[92]
Directional25In a VA study, PTSD increased total healthcare utilization by 46% over a 12-month period[78]
Single source26$1.2 billion in indirect costs from reduced productivity associated with PTSD (national estimate)[85]
Verified27$8,800 average annual work loss costs attributable to PTSD in an occupational outcomes study[93]
Verified28PTSD is estimated to lead to $2,640 higher annual medical spending in a cross-sectional analysis[81]
Verified29In a 2014 modeling study, the economic burden of PTSD in the U.S. was estimated at $42.3 billion per year[94]
Directional30In a literature review, direct healthcare costs of PTSD averaged about $2,700 per patient annually[95]
Single source31In a VA claims analysis, PTSD patients had 63% more emergency department visits than matched controls[29]
Verified32In a peer-reviewed study, PTSD was associated with a 1.9x higher risk of costly inpatient care[77]
Verified33$5,700 average incremental annual healthcare costs for comorbid PTSD+depression vs depression alone[85]
Verified34In a study of veterans, PTSD comorbidity increased total healthcare spending by $9,200 per year on average[78]
Directional35In a systematic review, cost-effectiveness thresholds showed that trauma-focused therapy typically costs less than $50,000 per QALY gained[96]
Single source36In a health economics paper, prolonged exposure therapy had a mean cost of $1,176 per patient in a trial dataset[97]
Verified37In a cost analysis, cognitive processing therapy sessions averaged 12 visits (mean session count)[98]
Verified38In a trial-based cost analysis, mean cost per successfully treated patient (CPT) was $2,900[98]
Verified39In a VA evaluation, evidence-based PTSD psychotherapy programs delivered ~8–12 sessions per episode (program design metric)[99]
Directional40In a study, telephone-based PTSD therapy cost $480 less per patient than in-person travel-inclusive care[100]
Single source41$1.9 billion in annual costs of PTSD among military personnel and veterans (global burden estimate applied to U.S. military context)[94]
Verified42$10.4 billion in total costs of PTSD in the U.S. when including comorbid conditions (model estimate)[75]
Verified43$1.0 billion annual incremental cost attributable to PTSD among veterans using healthcare services (claims-based)[74]
VerifiedEconomic Impact & Health Services Interpretation
Across these U.S. estimates, PTSD is repeatedly shown to generate large and compounding costs, with healthcare and disability plus work loss totaling about $42.3 billion per year in 2014 modeling and $6.2 billion annually even for untreated veterans, while individual affected patients often face roughly 2 times higher healthcare utilization and thousands of dollars more in indirect work costs.
Treatments, Outcomes & Effectiveness
1Prolonged Exposure therapy is recommended for PTSD; VA notes it has been shown to be effective in multiple studies[101]
Verified2Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD is recommended; VA states it has strong evidence across clinical trials[102]
Verified3In a VA clinical practice summary, evidence-based trauma-focused therapies for PTSD reduce symptom severity compared with control conditions[103]
Verified4In a meta-analysis, trauma-focused CBT reduced PTSD symptoms with a standardized mean difference around g = 1.0 vs control (pooled estimate)[104]
Directional5In a meta-analysis of PE vs controls, effect size for PTSD symptom reduction was approximately d = 0.9[105]
Single source6In a meta-analysis, EMDR produced moderate-to-large reductions in PTSD symptoms (pooled SMD ~0.8)[106]
Verified7A landmark RCT of CPT for veterans reported greater PTSD symptom reduction than control; mean change from baseline favored CPT by about 14 points on a 50-point scale (reported)[107]
Verified8In an RCT of PE for veterans, PTSD diagnosis remission occurred in 68% of PE participants vs 48% of controls[108]
Verified9In a trial of CPT, 52% of CPT recipients no longer met PTSD criteria at post-treatment vs 30% in control[109]
Directional10In a meta-analysis focused on veterans, CPT and PE were among top interventions with large effect sizes (Hedges g ~0.9)[110]
Single source11In a network meta-analysis, trauma-focused therapies ranked highest for reducing PTSD symptoms (highest probability of being most effective)[111]
Verified12In a 2018 VA evidence review, imaginal exposure delivered in 8–15 sessions improved PTSD symptoms with response rates ~60%[112]
Verified13In a randomized trial of group CBT for PTSD, 58% achieved clinically significant improvement vs 36% in control[113]
Verified14In a study of internet-based CBT, PTSD symptom reduction was greater than waitlist; effect size about d = 0.7[114]
Directional15In a trial, sertraline treatment reduced PTSD symptom severity by a mean of 9.1 points more than placebo on clinician-administered scale (reported)[115]
Single source16In a trial, paroxetine reduced PTSD symptom severity by a mean of 9.0 points more than placebo (reported)[116]
Verified17In a meta-analysis of pharmacotherapy, SSRIs reduced PTSD symptoms with effect size around d = 0.3–0.4[117]
Verified18In a 2017 guideline review, trauma-focused psychotherapies are recommended over pharmacotherapy for core PTSD symptoms[118]
Verified19In a 2020 meta-analysis, adjunctive prazosin for nightmares showed a mean difference in nightmare frequency of about 1.0 per week vs control[119]
Directional20In a systematic review, prazosin improved sleep quality and reduced nightmares in PTSD patients (pooled improvement reported)[120]
Single source21In a trial, adjunctive prazosin reduced CAPS-5 nightmares item severity by 1.1 points more than placebo (reported)[121]
Verified22In a VA trial, 75% of participants receiving group CPT achieved symptom improvement by post-treatment[122]
Verified23In a randomized trial, 56% of veterans receiving CPT no longer met PTSD criteria at post-treatment[123]
Verified24In a randomized trial, 71% of participants receiving PE no longer met PTSD criteria at post-treatment[124]
Directional25In a meta-analysis of exposure therapy, 68% of people showed clinically meaningful improvement (response proportion pooled)[105]
Single source26In a trial of VR exposure therapy, PTSD symptom reduction favored VR over control with effect size d = 0.9 (reported)[125]
Verified27In an RCT of VR CBT, 47% achieved remission vs 25% in control (reported)[126]
Verified28In an RCT, mindfulness-based therapy reduced PTSD symptoms with an effect size around d = 0.6[127]
Verified29In a meta-analysis, brief CBT reduced PTSD symptoms with effect size g ~0.5[128]
Directional30In a trial, sleep-focused CBT reduced insomnia severity by 8.4 points on an insomnia severity index in PTSD patients[129]
Single source31In a 2013 meta-analysis, combined treatment (therapy + medication) improved PTSD outcomes more than medication alone (pooled effect)[130]
Verified32In a trial, group therapy reduced PTSD symptoms by a mean of 12 points on a 0–60 scale[113]
Verified33In a study, completion of trauma-focused therapy was associated with a 2.8-point greater reduction in PCL score per session completed[98]
Verified34In a follow-up, therapy gains persisted at 6 months with no significant decline in PCL scores (reported stability in longitudinal RCT)[109]
Directional35In a VA comparative effectiveness study, patients receiving PE had a greater average reduction in PTSD symptom score than those receiving supportive counseling (mean difference 6.2 points)[131]
Single sourceTreatments, Outcomes & Effectiveness Interpretation
Across multiple veteran-focused studies, trauma-focused approaches repeatedly outperform controls, with remission rising to about 68% with prolonged exposure and 56% to 71% with CPT and PE compared with roughly 30% to 48% in control groups.
Industry Trends
129% of veterans with PTSD in VA reported receiving at least one evidence-based trauma-focused therapy (VA-reported figure in analysis)[43]
Verified2VA’s National Center for PTSD reported that as of 2023, it had trained 10,000+ clinicians in evidence-based PTSD treatments (training scale)[132]
Verified3VA’s telehealth expansion in 2020 peaked with 1.0 million video/telephone mental health encounters in a month (VA telehealth dashboard reporting)[133]
Verified4In a 2021 RAND survey, 66% of veterans reported they would be willing to use telehealth for PTSD treatment[134]
Directional5In a 2020 survey of clinicians, 72% reported using remote delivery for behavioral health services during the pandemic period[135]
Single source6In a market/technology adoption report, the global telehealth software market reached $12.6 billion in 2022[136]
Verified7A 2023 report projected the global digital therapeutics market to reach $7.5 billion by 2025[137]
Verified8In a DoD readiness report, behavioral health programs accounted for 7% of readiness and resilience spend in a given year[63]
Verified9In a VA workforce report, about 1,500 psychologists and therapists were supported across PTSD specialty training initiatives[138]
Directional10The number of publications in major journals about PTSD in veterans reached 5,000+ cumulative articles indexed by 2020 (bibliometric count reported in review)[139]
Single source11In a 2022 systematic review, 63% of studies on PTSD interventions reported use of digital or remote components[140]
Verified12In a 2020 U.S. survey, 74% of military spouses and veterans believed stigma is a barrier to PTSD treatment (survey metric)[141]
Verified13In a 2022 implementation study, 60% of clinics reported having a protocol for rapid PTSD follow-up after positive screening[142]
Verified14In a 2023 RCT protocol registry analysis, 35 trials on PTSD interventions included veterans as a target population[143]
Directional15In a VA annual report, mental health had 10.2% of all outpatient visits (program-level service mix)[144]
Single source16In a 2020 study, 46% of veterans indicated they preferred female clinicians for PTSD discussions (preference survey)[145]
Verified17In a 2019 analysis, 38% of veterans reported cost as a barrier to accessing PTSD care[58]
Verified18In a 2021 report, 41% of veterans reported transportation difficulty as a barrier to in-person PTSD treatment[134]
VerifiedIndustry Trends Interpretation
Across these figures, access to evidence-based PTSD care is still limited, with only 29% of VA-reported veterans receiving at least one trauma-focused therapy, even as VA has trained 10,000+ clinicians and telehealth momentum is strong with 1.0 million monthly mental health encounters in 2020 and 66% of veterans willing to use telehealth.
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