About 3.5 million people in the U.S. have chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. 1 Because veterans are at greater risk of infection than is the civilian population, the VA recommends that all veterans born between 1945 and 1965 receive testing for HCV infection. Veterans also should be tested if they have ever shared a needle to inject drugs, have HIV infection, were on long-term kidney dialysis, had a blood transfusion prior to 1992, or had tattoos/body piercings in an unregulated place.
In fiscal year 2015, VA spent $696 million on treatment for patients with HCV infection, which accounted for 17% of the pharmacy budget. In 2016, the spending more than doubled to $1.5 billion, in part because the VA began offering treatment to all veterans with HCV in February 2016, regardless of degree of fibrosis or severity of the underlying liver disease. In 2016, more than 38,000 patients were treated for HCV infection, and 94% were cured. In all, 174,842 veterans have been diagnosed with HCV infection at the VA, more than 76,000 have been treated, and more than 60,000 have been cured. 2
It is expected that another 40,000 patients may be infected with HCV but have not been diagnosed. Because HCV infection often has few noticeable symptoms, many veterans may not be aware that they have the disease.
