Veteran Policy Insights

This month, we continue to explore a broad array of veteran issues, including their transitions from military to civilian life and their health. The first publication presents proceedings from a RAND roundtable conference that focused on the ways the transition from military to civilian life affects veterans during the period from one to five years after leaving military service. The second piece looks at strategies to ensure the involvement of veterans and their families, caregivers, providers, and advocates with the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. Here, the writers draw lessons from the implementation of the World Trade Center Health Program, which helps first responders and survivors exposed to toxins and hazardous substances during the 9/11 attacks in New York City.

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Best wishes,

Carrie M. Farmer and Rajeev Ramchand

Codirectors, RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute

Although all branches invest substantial effort to train new service members and acculturate them to military life, the process of preparing service members to reenter civilian life is much less rigorous. In November 2023, RAND hosted the third roundtable in its series on how the transition from military to civilian life affects veterans, this one focused on the period from one to five years after leaving military service. Themes from the conversation included: factors that indicate a successful transition and how these might differ among veterans, the importance of providing support and services to the spouses and families of veterans in the years following separation, the need for a centralized system that links and provides reviews on current transition support programs, and necessary policy changes to support transitioning veterans and the role of the federal government.

“This is a Solvable Problem”: Proceedings from a Roundtable on Providing Support to Veterans in the Transition from Military Service to Civilian Life

Exposure to environmental hazards exacerbates the risks inherent in military service, but many veterans do not experience the health consequences until many years later. The 2022 Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act tasked the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs with streamlining benefits and health care eligibility for certain veterans who have been exposed to military hazards. There are opportunities to use structures from existing programs—specifically, the World Trade Center Health Program—as a template to improve engagement with veterans and their families, caregivers, providers, and advocates to ensure that their experiences and needs are heard, understood, and an integral part of the PACT Act's implementation.

Lessons from 9/11 for Supporting Veterans Exposed to Military Environmental Hazards

Co-director Carrie Farmer was appointed to the VA scientific review committee for Health Services Research Centers of Innovation and presented at the VA VetResources Community Network convening in Syracuse on April 30.

Co-director Rajeev Ramchand was appointed Chair of the VA National Research Advisory Council (NRAC).

House Passes Veterans Legislation and Sends Them to Senate for Consideration

• Student Veteran Benefit Restoration Act would direct VA not to charge a veteran’s educational assistance benefit if it is determined the individual could not finish the course or program due to an educational institutions’ actions or inactions. The bill also places conditions on the educational institution to repay assistance benefits if the institution is closed or suspended due to fraud.
• Veterans Economic Opportunity and Transition Administration Act would establish a new administration within VA to administer economic opportunity programs such as vocational rehabilitation and employment programs, educational assistance programs, veterans' housing loan and related programs, and the Transition Assistance Program.
• Veteran Fraud Reimbursement Act would modify VA’s process for reissuing benefits that has been misused by the veteran’s fiduciary. It would also require VA to establish methods and timing to determine if the misuse was also a result of VA negligence.
• Veterans Education Transparency and Training Act would direct VA to create and regularly update a website as a repository of information for school certifying officials about VA educational benefits.
• Daniel J. Harvey, Jr. and Adam Lambert Improving Servicemember Transition to Reduce Veteran Suicide Act would require DoD and VA to carry out a joint five-year pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of incorporating suicide prevention provisions with the VA Solid Start Program and Transition Assistance Program.

Veterans Affairs

On April 25, VA published a final rule in the Federal Register amending and clarifying the department’s regulations for character of discharge determination process. By doing so, VA expanded access to health care and benefits for some veterans who were discharged under other than honorable conditions or by special court-martial. The updated regulations, which take effect June 25, 2024, eliminate the regulatory bar for “homosexual acts involving aggravating circumstances,” create a “compelling circumstances exception” for certain former servicemembers, and allow certain former servicemembers who had been denied benefits to reapply.

• Media outlets including Military Times, The War Horse, and The Intercept cited or quoted the RAND report Veteran Narratives of Support for Extremist Groups and Beliefs by Todd Helmus and Ryan Brown. An opinion piece on countering extremism within DoD also cited that report.
• Journalists at FedWeek and Military Times covered the RAND report about veteran working conditions by Margaret D. Whitley and Eric Apaydin. An opinion writer also published a response piece about the respectability of physical jobs.
• Military.com covered the report about lessons from 9/11 on PACT Act management.

Stay tuned for more information about our next webinar, which will be held on July 18 at 4pm EDT / 1pm PDT.