McClatchy analyzed a Department of Veterans Affairs database that details each of the 3.2 million veterans receiving monthly disability payments. You can search by state or zip code to see the number of veterans on the VA’s disability rolls broken down by period of war.
You can also see additional detail about the number of veterans with the highest disability rating of 100, as well as the number of veterans with key mental and physical disabilities (post traumatic stress disorder, depression, tinnitus, and back strain). Finally, you can see the average size of the veterans' monthly disability compensation check, by state or zip code.
The VA data doesn't indicate if somebody served specifically in Iraq or Afghanistan. It instead counts all veterans from the first Gulf War in 1990 on as one broad "Gulf War" category. McClatchy identified an "Iraq era" group of veterans who were both listed as "Gulf War" and who left active duty in 2003 or later, when soldiers started returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.
