Veterans Statistics
Most veterans return home strengthened by their military service. But the combat
experience has unfortunately left a growing number of veterans suffering from substance
abuse, mental health disorders and trauma.

Since 2006, the number of veterans receiving mental health care from the VA
increased 34%, with 1,203,530 receiving mental health treatment in 2010 alone.1

It is estimated that out of the over 2.5 million veterans of the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, approximately 1 in 5 suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
or major depression.2

1 in 6 veterans from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom
suffers from a substance abuse issue,3 and research continues to draw a link between
substance abuse and combat–related mental illness.4

Since 2004, the number of veterans being treated for mental illness and substance-use
disorders has increased 38%.5

22 Veterans commit suicide every day.6
Left untreated, mental health disorders common among veterans, such as Traumatic Brain Injury
and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, can directly lead to homelessness and involvement in the
criminal justice system.7
1
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). (October, 2011). Number of Veterans Receiving Care, Barriers
Faced, and Efforts to Increase Access. (GAO-12-12 VA Mental Health). Washington D.C. Retrieved from
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d1212.pdf
2
Terri Tanielan & Lisa H. Jaycox eds (2008). Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their
Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery. RAND Ctr. For Military Health Policy and Research. Washington,
DC.
3
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. (November 1, 2007). The NSDUH
Report: Serious Psychological Distress and Substance Use Disorder among Veterans. Rockville, MD.
4
Dep’t of Def. Task Force on Mental Health, An Achievable Vision: Report of the Department of Defense Task Force
on Mental Health, at ES-1 (2007)
5
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
6
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
www.JusticeForVets.org

The Department of Justice and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration estimate that there are 703,000 veterans in the corrections system.

81% of justice-involved veterans had a substance-abuse problem prior to
incarceration and twenty-five percent were identified as mentally ill. Twenty-three
percent of justice-involved veterans were homeless at some point in the year prior to
their arrest.8

The VA estimates that roughly 67,495 veterans are homeless on any given night and
nearly 144,842 are homeless over the course of a year.

It is estimated that 76% of homeless veterans suffer from a substance abuse or mental
health disorder.9
Local Snapshot - Travis County, Texas10
90 day survey conducted on veteran arrests. 679 charges were filed against 458 Veterans.
147 Veterans were arrested two or more times.
65% of arrested Veterans have not received VA services.
DWI charges were filed in 19% of cases, followed by 10% for assault with bodily injury, 7%
for theft, 6% for possession of an illegal substance, and 5% for public intoxication. 22% of
felony cases were for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The top ten charges for both
misdemeanors and felonies appear in the chart below.
Unemployment11
OEF/OIF - 10%
All Veterans - 6.9%
Total unemployment - 7.3%
7
Noonan, Margaret E. (2010). Justice-Involved Veterans: National Estimates and Research Resources [PowerPoint
slides]. Presented at Howard League for Penal Reform. September 8, 2010. Washington, DC.
8
Mumola, Christopher J. (2002). Veterans in Prison or Jail. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S.
Department of Justice.
9
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (1999). Homelessness: Programs and the People They
Serve. Washington, DC.
10
The Veterans Intervention Project. (2009). Report of Veterans Arrested and Booked into the Travis County Jail.
Travis County, Texas.
11
U.S. Department of Labor, October 2013
www.JusticeForVets.org