Photo by PO1 Holly He/U.S. Marine Corps
Policymakers, researchers, and the general public have become concerned that the U.S. veteran community is at increased risk of radicalization and violent extremism, particularly in the wake of the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Extremist groups actively target service members and veterans for recruitment because of their training and operational, logistic, and leadership skills. And it has been hypothesized that the unique and often lonely experience of leaving the military makes veterans susceptible to such recruitment.
RAND researchers conducted a nationally representative survey of veterans to examine the prevalence of support for specific extremist groups and ideologies, including political violence, and compared their results with those from surveys of the general population. Among other findings, the research showed that the veteran community as a whole does not support these groups and ideologies at higher rates than the general population, although Marine Corps veterans expressed the highest level of support for extremist groups and beliefs. Interestingly, those who did support political violence did not also support specific groups.
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Photo by Laura Werber/RAND Corporation
Veteran-serving organizations across the United States offer programs to support wellness as veterans transition from military to civilian life, but little is known about the services and activities these programs offer to promote veteran social connectedness and reduce the risk of isolation—or how these organizations measure the effectiveness of those efforts. A web-based, national survey of veteran-serving organizations, interviews with organizations that offer programs to strengthen veterans' social connections, and a first-of-its-kind program typology provide new insights into the types of support available to help veterans build these connections. The study also looked at how organizations evaluate their programs' effectiveness and where they would benefit from assistance to overcome barriers to program evaluation.
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On April 26, Joshua Jacobs was confirmed by the Senate to serve as VA's Under Secretary for Benefits. He testified before the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee on February 16, answering questions related to the PACT Act, claims processing, staffing, and other topics. With this latest confirmation, all three VA under secretaries are confirmed for the first time in nearly a decade.
Several new bills have been introduced on the Hill, including:
- H.R. 3214, Veteran Entrepreneurs Act, would amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow for a tax credit up to 25% of franchise fees to veterans who establish a business franchise. A RAND study explored one program that is preparing veterans for entrepreneurship.
- S.1590, Justice for ALS Veterans Act, would grant benefits to the surviving spouse of a veteran who dies from ALS regardless of how long the veteran had the disease prior to death. As RAND research has shown, spouses often serve as informal caregivers and make trade-offs when it comes to their careers and earning potential.
- H.R. 3326, HAVENS Act (Housing America's Veterans and Ensuring They Have Needed Services), would direct VA to pilot a program providing grants to build five communities of tiny homes for veterans experiencing homelessness and increase access to supportive services for them. RAND researchers have been following the impact of policies like these.
- S. 1315, Veterans HEALTH Act (Health Empowerment, Access, Leadership, and Transparency for Our Heroes), would codify current community care access standards, expand outreach and notification to veterans of eligibility or denial of care, include telehealth in discussions of options for care, and direct VA to create a pilot program for veterans to receive mental health care and substance abuse treatment through community care without prior VA referral. Read RAND's findings on the promise and challenges of VA community care.
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