PTSD can land veterans in prison. Restoring VA care honors sacrifices and struggles. | Opinion
We've seen case after case involving veterans whose traumatic brain injuries and PTSD contributed to the circumstances that landed them in prison.
For far too many American veterans, serving our country is followed by serving time. Combat-related trauma and other “invisible injuries” complicate the difficult transition from military to civilian life, and drugs and alcohol become dangerous traps that divert veterans from managing unresolved issues.
As a result, some former service members end up behind bars, where they lose access to a vital benefit from the Department of Veterans Affairs: specialized health care to help them cope with the challenges that put them inside prison to begin with.
I have lived this experience, and I now work with other servicemen and women whose struggles landed them in the criminal justice system. Congress must help these incarcerated veterans get the care they’ve earned ‒ at the time they need it most ‒ so they can heal on the inside and lead productive lives on the outside.
1 in 3 veterans report having been arrested at least once
Each year, roughly 200,000 active-duty service members leave the armed forces. While most transition successfully, some struggle with mental health and substance use disorders, the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, homelessness and criminality.
According to the Council on Criminal Justice, 1 in 3 veterans report having been arrested at least once, and the suicide rate for veterans is about 1.5 times higher than the rate among the general population.
In recognition of veterans’ service ‒ as well as their vulnerabilities as they transition home ‒ our government provides an array of supportive benefits, including the VA’s specialized medical and mental health care.
That used to be the case for incarcerated veterans, too. While serving time, they had access to the professionals most qualified to treat their unique needs and address the PTSD, traumatic brain injuries and other wounds of war that might have played a role in their incarceration.
But then came an administrative rule change, formalized in 1999, that terminated this key VA benefit and reversed nearly 70 years of practice.
Suddenly, the VA was barred from providing care to incarcerated veterans, leaving them dependent on institutional clinicians who typically lack specialized training to address PTSD and other service-related conditions.
This is a disgrace. Depriving incarcerated veterans of the very care that could make the greatest difference in their lives is not only unwise, it also fails to recognize the sacrifices they made for our nation ‒ sacrifices that, in many cases, exposed them to experiences that underlie their criminal offending.
Fortunately, this issue has caught the attention of the bipartisan Veterans Justice Commission, which is calling on Congress to reverse the ban and restore VA benefits for incarcerated veterans.
Launched by the Council on Criminal Justice, the commission ‒ chaired by former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and includes former Defense Secretary and White House chief of staff Leon Panetta ‒ noted that the 1999 rule change occurred just before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, millions of American troops deployed, many of whom went on to serve multiple combat tours.
Those multiple tours mean that today’s veterans have experienced historically high rates of combat exposure, raising their risk of PTSD and traumatic brain injury, which are linked to criminal justice involvement.
Put simply, the commission said, “VA coverage was taken away from incarcerated veterans at a time when veterans became more likely to experience risk factors associated with criminal behavior, making it more difficult for them to receive proper care for those factors.”
Incarceration does not end our debt to veterans
After my release from prison in 2022, my wife and I launched a nonprofit organization, the Veterans Justice League. We have turned our pain and personal experiences into purpose by focusing on justice-involved veterans, supporting their re-entry from prison with housing and other resources while engaging them in programs for active-duty service members as well as veterans still behind bars.
Through this work, we’ve seen case after case involving veterans whose traumatic brain injuries and PTSD contributed to the circumstances that landed them in prison.
If not treated, their conditions put them at risk of falling back into a life of crime and addiction once released ‒ and increase their vulnerability to suicide as well.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Our nation loves its veterans and excels at recognizing them through parades, holidays and monuments. But what veterans really need are the full benefits the government pledged to provide them when they volunteered to serve.
Incarceration does not end our debt to these men and women, and veterans behind bars deserve the best chance possible to heal their wounds.
If we keep our promise, it not only helps veterans as individuals, but benefits public safety as well.
Manny Menendez is a U.S. Army veteran and founder and director of the Veterans Justice League, a nonprofit that supports justice-involved veterans and uses their experiences in trainings for active-duty service members.