Veteran Policy Insights

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Veteran women's service experiences differ from those of veteran men, and their needs also differ from those of nonveteran women. However, few studies have explored these variations—potentially leading to missed opportunities to improve support for women during and after their transition from military to civilian life. With a focus on Western Pennsylvania, a new RAND needs assessment provides a clearer picture of this often-underserved population, services and resources available to them, and gaps in support. Many of the study's findings will interest programs and organizations nationwide and can enhance understanding of barriers to accessing services and areas to prioritize in providing the best possible support for the health and well-being of women who have served. The study was sponsored by Adagio Health, a Western Pennsylvania–based provider of health, wellness, and nutrition services. If you are in the Pittsburgh area, please join Adagio Health to celebrate the study's release at an in-person event on March 30!

 

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Recognizing his deep expertise on military suicide and strategies for prevention, the U.S. Department of Defense appointed institute codirector Rajeev Ramchand to serve on the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee. The committee released its independent report on February 24. In addition to critically reviewing the scientific evidence, Rajeev and fellow committee members traveled to 11 military installations worldwide and spoke with more than 2,000 service members to identify missed opportunities for preventing suicide. Many military suicide risk factors—including financial stressors, disrupted sleep and reliance on energy drinks, and a culture of excessive alcohol use—can have long-lasting repercussions that persist into civilian life and could have implications for the type of care and wraparound support veterans need after they leave the military. Additionally, the majority of suicides among miliary personnel and veterans involve firearms, highlighting the importance of lethal means safety for both groups.

 

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In our second RAND-wide call for research proposals, we were specifically interested in projects addressing one of the veteran-focused priority areas identified by President Biden. We are excited to announce that four projects have been selected to receive internal funding:

• Robert Bozick: “Respiratory Health Among Veterans Across Age and over Time.”
• Vanessa Parks and Megan Andrew: “Veteran Housing Insecurity: Trends over Time and Across Groups.”
• Joshua Breslau, Megan Schuler, and Michael Dunbar: “State of Health Care Among LGBTQ+ Veterans: Examining Intersectional Heterogeneity and the Impact of the State-Level LGBTQ+ Policy Climate.”
• Meredith Kleykamp and Kayla Williams: “An Empirical Profile of Veteran Families and Households.”

These projects join four others that the RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute funded in 2022—on veteran food insecurity, veteran firearm suicide, veterans who are single parents, and the trajectories of veterans' employment and earnings. Stay tuned for insights from those projects in future newsletters! We are excited to add to our portfolio of research, and we look forward to the contributions that this new research will make to the policies and programs that support those who have served in the U.S. armed forces and their families.

 

In February, the Senate Veterans Affairs' Committee sent several bills to the full Senate for consideration. If they pass in both chambers and are signed into law, these pieces of legislation would:

• Enhance VA's workforce through recruitment, retention, and improvements to the hiring process (S. 10); find RAND research on veterans' employment opportunities and career transitions here.
• Authorize the VA Secretary to award grants to states to improve outreach to veterans through the use of county or tribal veterans' service officers (S. 106).
• Direct VA and DoD to create a joint three-year pilot program under the Transition Assistance Program to reduce suicide among veterans (S. 132); explore RAND's extensive research on suicide prevention, including strategies to reduce veterans' risk here.
• Improve VA programs associated with home- and community-based services and also increase assistance and support services for caregivers (S. 141); learn more about RAND's landmark study on military caregivers, sponsored by the Elizabeth Dole Foundation.

VA also had a busy month, releasing multiple reports and new initiatives to support veterans:

• The Veterans Health Administration's Office of Health Equity released its VHA COVID-19 Equity Response report.
• VA's Office of Inspector General published the report Security and Incident Preparedness at VA Medical Facilities.
• VA is making $30 million in grant funding available to organizations that are helping formerly homeless veterans maintain stable housing—and their independence.
• VA released the third addendum to its report VA Combats COVID-19 While Providing Care for Veterans, documenting VA's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.