The federal government has officially recognized a link between being a prisoner of war (POW) and the development of osteoporosis.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has established a presumption of service connection for osteoporosis in former POWs who were interned for at least 30 days and whose osteoporosis is at least 10% disabling. The VA also established the connection for POWs, regardless of length of imprisonment, who have a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder and osteoporosis that is at least 10% disabling.
Creating a presumption of service connection means that these veterans will not have to prove that their condition was caused by their military service in order to receive VA benefits. The VA said that several studies have shown that POWs have suffered serious bone loss because of dietary deficiencies during their imprisonments.