In FY 2007, the Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) spent $4.1 billion on long-term care for veterans. VA provides -- through VA or other providers -- institutional care in nursing homes and non-institutional care in veterans' homes or the community. In 2007, the VA published a long-term care strategic plan through FY 2013. These estimates are based on workload projections -- the amount of care to be provided -- and cost assumptions. This report examined: (1) VA's reporting of planned workload in its 2007 long-term care strategic plan; and (2) VA's long-term care spending estimates, including its cost assumptions and workload projections, in VA's FY 2009 budget justification. Includes recommendations. Charts and tables.

Approximately 4 million U.S. service members took part in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Shortly after troops started returning from their deployments, some active-duty service members and veterans began experiencing mental health problems. Given the stressors associated with war, it is not surprising that some service members developed such mental health conditions as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and substance use disorder. Subsequent epidemiologic studies conducted on military and veteran populations that served in the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq provided scientific evidence that those who fought were in fact being diagnosed with mental illnesses and experiencing mental healthâ€"related outcomesâ€"in particular, suicideâ€"at a higher rate than the general population. This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the quality, capacity, and access to mental health care services for veterans who served in the Armed Forces in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn. It includes an analysis of not only the quality and capacity of mental health care services within the Department of Veterans Affairs, but also barriers faced by patients in utilizing those services.