OBJECTIVES: To examine the economic burden and health care utilization for patients diagnosed with dyslipidemia in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) database.  METHODS: A retrospective database analysis was performed using VHA claims from October 2009 to September 2014. Patients diagnosed with dyslipidemia (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 272.xx) were identified in the VHA database from 01OCT2010-30SEP2013. The first dyslipidemia diagnosis claim date was designated as the index date. A comparator group was created by identifying patients without a dyslipidemia diagnosis but of similar age, gender, race, index year, and baseline Charlson Comorbidity Index scores. The index date for the comparator group was randomly chosen to reduce selection bias. One-year pre- and post-index continuous health plan enrollment was required for both groups. A 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) was used to compare follow-up health care costs and utilizations between the case and control cohorts, adjusted for baseline demographic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS:  Before matching, patients with dyslipidemia were older and were more likely to have comorbidities, including diabetes and hypertension. After 1:1 PSM, 677,074 patients were included in each group, and baseline characteristics were well balanced. Dyslipidemia patients had higher health care utilization, including inpatient (4.65% vs. 2.34%, p<0.001), outpatient (99.81% vs. 60.88%, p<0.001), and pharmacy visits (84.12% vs. 48.94%, p<0.001). Higher health care utilization resulted in higher health care costs for dyslipidemia patients, including inpatient ($1,333 vs. $736, p<0.001), outpatient ($3,010 vs. $1,921, p<0.001), pharmacy ($470 vs. $338, p<0.001), and total costs ($4,813 vs. $2,995) compared to patients without dyslipidemia.  CONCLUSIONS: During a 1-year period, patients diagnosed with dyslipidemia had higher health care utilization and costs compared to matched control patients.