Post 9/11 Trends in Medical Separation and Separation for Service Members with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury

Between 2002 and 2017, more than 200,000 active-component U.S. service members were diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and nearly 300,000 were diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI). These conditions became known as signature wounds of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, during which more than 3 million personnel deployed in support of combat operations. The physical and psychological toll of these conflicts strained the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) disability evaluation system, leading to concerns about the consistency and timeliness of the disability evaluation process and the quality of care that injured service members received. In response, DoD has enacted numerous changes to how service members are treated and evaluated for potentially career-ending medical conditions and injuries. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD) serves as the basis for assigning a disability rating between 0 and 100 percent for each condition and for assigning a total disability rating. Service members who are found to be unfit will be medically retired or separated from the military, depending on the extent of the disability and years of service.