Veteran Policy Insights

One of the most rewarding aspects of running the RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute is being able to bring together RAND’s diverse subject matter and methods experts. This enables the institute to conduct innovative and exciting research covering a broad array of veteran-related topics—more than we see anywhere else. This month’s newsletter exemplifies this point. We feature new work that delves deeply into veterans’ own narratives on why they support extremist groups and beliefs—and then highlight a data-driven look at the working conditions veterans face in their civilian jobs.

Encourage your colleagues and friends to subscribe so they too can stay informed about RAND’s veteran-focused research as well as policy developments and public discussions on veterans’ issues. You can learn more about our published and ongoing work, as well as how to collaborate with us, at veterans.rand.org.

Wishing you a wonderful spring,

Carrie M. Farmer and Rajeev Ramchand

Codirectors, RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute

In a groundbreaking 2022 survey, institute researchers assessed the prevalence of support for violent extremist groups and causes among U.S. military veterans. Following up on this work, the authors conducted in-depth interviews with veterans who indicated support for one or more extremist groups or beliefs to understand the drivers and patterns of extremism. This report examines how veterans describe their endorsement of extremist beliefs, their experiences in the military and transitions to veteran status, and the paths they took to their current political and ideological views. Interviewees revealed the considerable presence of negative and traumatic life events in the military and while adapting to civilian life. Coupled with narratives of becoming involved in extremist ideas and groups, these findings point to several possible implications for policy and practice, which require further research to design, test, and calibrate.

Veteran Narratives of Support for Extremist Groups and Beliefs: Results from Interviews with Members of a Nationally Representative Survey of the U.S. Veteran Community

While unemployment rates have fallen for veterans in recent years, these statistics do not account for the quality of jobs available to veterans after they leave military service. An important first step to identifying potential areas for improvement is understanding the working conditions that veterans currently experience and how various policies and programs promote safe and healthy workplaces. The evidence indicates that veterans are more likely than their nonveteran counterparts to pursue occupations with high levels of on-the-job hazards. Military service can also make veterans more vulnerable to various health risks. Although this analysis sheds new light on veterans’ working conditions, the research is still emerging. There are multiple opportunities to address knowledge gaps. These include examining differences by gender and race, evaluating the resources available to veterans as they transition to civilian employment, and exploring policy avenues to improve both employment transitions and working conditions.

How Working Conditions in Civilian Jobs Can Affect Veterans’ Health and Well-Being: Veterans’ Issues in Focus

Co-director Rajeev Ramchand was recently appointed to the National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on Mental Health Effects of Toxic Exposures Among Veterans. Rajeev is joined on the committee by Dr. Carl Castro, who serves as the director of the RAND-USC Epstein Family Foundation Center for Veterans Policy Research. Authorized by Congress, the committee is charged with conducting a study to examine potential relationships between exposure to environmental toxins experienced during military service and mental health and other health outcomes.

The House and Senate recently introduced several bills to improve support for veterans:

• Veterans Employment Readiness Yield (VERY) Act would update terminology related to veteran employment by replacing “employment handicap(s)” with “employment barrier(s).”
• Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion (VSAFE) Act would create a veterans scam and fraud evasion officer within VA who would be responsible for fraud and scam prevention, reporting, response plans, and establishing guidelines for both employees and for veterans, their families, and caregivers on how to identify and report scam attempts.
• VA Home Loan Awareness Act would require entities to include a disclaimer on the Uniform Residential Loan Application to inform veterans they may be eligible for a VA Home Loan and would direct the Government Accountability Office to conduct a review on lenders’ adoption of the Uniform Residential Loan Application form.

In addition, VA has announced multiple new ways that they are working to serve spouses and families of veterans. On March 4, VA published a final rule in the Federal Register amending VA’s medical regulations on reproductive health services to provide abortions to veterans and other beneficiaries in certain cases including in those states that have banned the procedure. On March 6, VA announced that it had signed onto the 4+1 Commitment, a partnership between government and private sector employers to hire and support military spouses, in response to President Biden’s Executive Order 14100 to help address unemployment among military spouses.

• Jessie Coe, Daniel Schwam, Rajeev Ramchand, and Carrie Farmer published a journal article in Armed Forces and Society on American support of public programs for veterans.
• The institute published a research brief as a companion to the longer report on veteran single parents—which the California Department of the American Legion covered.
• RAND researchers Samantha McBirney and Emily Hoch published an opinion piece asking, when will the Pentagon listen on blast injuries?
• AUSA covered the institute’s recently released report on perceptions of veterans.
• Ky Hunter was quoted in a news story about VA expanding provision of IVF to LGBTQ+ and unmarried eligible veterans.
• A story about a Texas VA medical center opening a free drive-thru food pantry cited RAND research on veteran food insecurity.
• Military.com cited RAND research in an article on disproportionately high suicide rates among minority service members and veterans.
• The Hill quoted RAND expert Jeff Wenger extensively about underemployment among veterans.
• New research finding VA healthcare to be more efficient than private care cited RAND.
• The American Legion’s article on women warriors cited RAND on demographic trends.
• The War Horse quoted RAND’s Sarah Hunter in a long-form piece on veteran homelessness.

Stay tuned for more information about our next webinar, which will be held on May 16 at 4pm EDT / 1pm PDT.