The VA’s War on Impotence

Kathleen Miller

Almost triple what the VA paid for erectile dysfunction drugs in 2006

ALI AL-SAADI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has treated increasing numbers of combat troops for post-traumatic stress disorder in recent years. It’s also dispensing more drugs for erectile dysfunction, which PTSD can cause even in young veterans. Last year the agency spent $71.7 million on Viagra, Cialis, and similar drugs for veterans who qualify for free or subsidized health care. Sexual difficulties aren’t something “that a lot of veterans would readily talk about,” says Jason Hansman, senior program manager for health and mental health programs at the advocacy group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “It’s a very good sign that the VA is paying out and not trying to avoid the issue.”