OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the clinical and economic burden of schizophrenia in the U.S. veteran population. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia were included in a retrospective study conducted using the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Medical SAS Datasets. The study period was from January 1, 2006 to May 31, 2012. Health care resource utilization and costs were assessed in the 12-month follow-up period. Descriptive statistics were calculated as means ± standard deviation (SD) and percentages to measure treatment, cost, and utilization distribution in the sample.  RESULTS: For VHA patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (n=59,691), the most common comorbidities were counseling not otherwise specified (21.25%), other specified counseling (19.42%) and unspecified essential hypertension (18.90%). 52.56% of patients were prescribed oral anti-psychotic therapy (OAT) and 2.43% were prescribed long-acting anti-psychotic therapy (LAT). The most commonly prescribed medications after diagnosis were risperidone (20.66%), simvastatin (17.58%), quetiapine (17.21%), omeprazole (15.16%), lisinopril (14.79%) and aspirin (13.58%). Percentages of inpatient (38.13%), emergency room (ER) (35.19%), physician office (98.86%), and outpatient visits (99.08%) were also calculated. Patient expenditures were found to be $18,162 (SD= $65,948) for inpatient, $517 (SD=$1,333) for ER, $10,366 (SD=$14,243) for physician office and $11,074 (SD=$14,923) for outpatient visits. CONCLUSIONS: : Results suggest that risperidone was the most frequently prescribed medication after a diagnosis of schizophrenia. However, more research is needed to better understand adverse events and side effects of risperidone.