One issue relating to access to care is difficulty in proving an injury’s connection to service.

PTSD can take many years to manifest

The many hurdles—bureaucracy, rules, regulations, procedures, and paperwork—can be overwhelming. A veteran claiming disability must file a lot of administrative forms. The District Court for the Northern District of California noted that “because of the limited formal education of the majority of recent veterans, many had difficulty applying for and ultimately receiving the benefits to which they were legally entitled.” To be more specific, “[eighty-two percent] of the Army personnel deployed have a high school diploma or less, [and eighty- nine percent] of the Marines deployed have a high school diploma or less.”