Does PTSD Contribute to Dementia? San Antonio Congressman Is Asking VA

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) has asked U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to investigate possible connections between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dementia, with potential ramifications for veterans' disability benefits, reports Texas Public Radio . PTSD is a service-connected condition, so veterans with the disorder can demand compensation from the VA. Castro noted that veterans groups in Congressional District 21 had "expressed concern that the Department of Veterans Affairs does not recognize dementia developed later in life as being a secondary condition of service-connected PTSD." In light of this, the congressman has written to Wilkie, requesting that he launch an evaluation of the VA's case records and weigh in on the issue. According to the VA, PTSD affects 11 percent to 20 percent of post-9/11 veterans and 12 percent of Gulf War veterans in a given year. "We don't know how many, then, may be affected by Alzheimer's and dementia, but it's something that we need to find out. So I'm going to keep pressing this issue," Castro emphasized.