{"id":57295,"date":"2021-08-18T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-18T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/08\/18\/cost-of-caring-for-iraq-afghanistan-vets-could-top-25-trillion-report\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:40:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:40:08","slug":"cost-of-caring-for-iraq-afghanistan-vets-could-top-25-trillion-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/08\/18\/cost-of-caring-for-iraq-afghanistan-vets-could-top-25-trillion-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Cost of caring for Iraq, Afghanistan vets could top $2.5 trillion: report"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The cost of caring for veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan<\/a> could top $2.5 trillion by 2050, creating tough financial decisions for both the veterans community and the entire country, according to a new analysis by the Costs of War Project<\/a> released Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have created a veterans care crisis, with disability rates soaring past those seen in previous wars,\u201d said Harvard University professor Linda Bilmes, lead author of the new estimates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis will take a long-term toll not only on veterans, but the U.S. taxpayers that will bear these costs for decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest analysis of the costs of veteran care in coming decades is roughly $1 trillion over previous estimates by the group. Researchers cited \u201cmore frequent and longer deployments, higher levels of exposure to combat, higher rates of survival from injuries, higher incidence of serious disability, and more complex medical treatments\u201d as the reasons for the higher price tag.<\/p>\n\n\n\t