FACT SHEET

VA CONTRACT WITH THE INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
TO REVIEW POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) TREATMENT, 
DIAGNOSIS, AND COMPENSATION

The Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs has requested that the 
Institute of Medicine (IOM) conduct a review of PTSD.  The IOM will provide the 
VA with current information that might inform VA policy as it relates to PTSD 
diagnosis, treatment and compensation.

To accomplish this task, IOM will convene two separate committees to examine 
the peer-reviewed literature on post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  One 
committee will review the current scientific and medical literature related to the 
assessment of PTSD and the validity of screening instruments used to diagnosis 
PTSD (Task 1).  A second committee will provide technical assistance on issues 
related to treatment, prognosis, and compensation of PTSD (Task 2).  Where 
relevant, recommendations will be made that provide the scientific basis for 
future policy decisions. 

Task 1:  Specifically related to the assessment and diagnosis of PTSD, 
the committee will review and comment on the objective measures used in 
the diagnosis of PTSD and known risk factors for the development of 
PTSD.  The committee will review the utility and objectiveness of the 
criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-
IV), and will comment on the validity of current screening instruments and 
their predictive capacity for accurate diagnoses.  Task 1 is expected to be 
completed within six months.

Task 2:  A second committee will review the literature on various 
treatment modalities (including pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy) and 
treatment goals for individuals with PTSD. Specifically, the committee will 
review the literature on best treatment practices, types and timing of 
specific interventions, and comment on the prognosis of individuals 
diagnosed with PTSD (and existing comorbidities).  The committee will 
review the literature on compensation practices for PTSD including 
examining the criteria for establishing severity of PTSD as published in the 
VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD); evaluating the basis for 
assigning a specific level of compensation to specific severity levels and 
how changes in the frequency and intensity of symptoms affect 
compensation practices for PTSD; assessing how compensation practices 
and reevaluation requirements for PTSD compare with other chronic 
conditions which have periods of remission and return of symptoms; and 
reviewing strategies used to support recovery and return to function in 
patients with PTSD.  The IOM expects that the second committee will 
complete its task in 12 months.

Background on IOM and the National Academy of Sciences:

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is a nonprofit organization chartered in 1970 as a 
component of the National Academy of Sciences. IOM’s mission is to provide 
advice on matters of biomedical science, medicine, and health.

The IOM provides a vital service by working outside the framework of 
government to ensure scientifically informed analysis and independent guidance. 
The IOM's mission is to serve as adviser to the nation to improve health. The 
Institute provides unbiased, evidence-based, and authoritative information and 
advice concerning health and science policy to policy-makers, professionals, 
leaders in every sector of society, and the public at large

The congressional charter mentioned above places the IOM in a unique role. 
Beyond that, the IOM process establishes it as an independent body, with its use 
of unpaid volunteer experts who author most reports. Each report must go 
through the IOM/NRC institutional process, assuring a rigorous and formal peer 
review process, a requirement that findings and recommendations be evidence-
based whenever possible and noted as expert opinion where that is not possible. 
Because the IOM is not a governmental organization, experts and committees 
have a greater variety of options to conduct the studies. In particular, although 
many meetings are open to the public, the committee may deliberate among 
themselves, and is not obligated to conduct all their work in a public forum.

The National Academy of Sciences was created by the federal government to be 
an adviser on scientific and technological matters. However, the Academy and its 
associated organizations (e.g., the Institute of Medicine) are private, non-
governmental, organizations and do not receive direct federal appropriations for 
their work. Studies undertaken for the government by the Academy complex 
usually are funded out of appropriations made available to federal agencies. 
Most of the studies carried out by the Academy complex are at the request of 
government agencies.
 
 






Office of the Under Secretary for Health (10)
Contact:  	Louise Van Diepen, MS, CGP
		(202) 273-5878