Veteran Policy Insights

Transitioning out of the military and back into civilian life is a significant life change. Many find this time difficult to navigate—and numerous programs have been developed to support those going through it. This month we are pleased to release a major new report on federal programs that exist to help veterans find meaningful employment after they leave the military. We found that there is a dearth of evidence on the effectiveness of these programs. This is a critical oversight because many transitioning servicemembers, veterans, and their family members depend on these services.

Also, in recognition of Pride month, we are proud to share new research on the health outcomes of LGBTQ+ veterans, which our researchers show may vary based on state-level policies.

Please share this newsletter with colleagues and friends who may want to subscribe so they too can stay informed about RAND’s veteran-focused research and events, policy developments, and public discussions on veterans’ issues. More information about our published and ongoing work, as well as how to collaborate with us, is available at veterans.rand.org.

Happy Pride,

Carrie M. Farmer and Rajeev Ramchand

Codirectors, RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute

Each year, more than 150,000 active-duty service members complete their U.S. military service and transition to civilian life. One of the biggest challenges that many veterans face during this transition is securing meaningful employment.

To support military-to-civilian transitions, the federal government allocates more than $13 billion annually to programs across various agencies, and the majority of this funding is dedicated to education and training programs. These education programs are important; they are an earned benefit of military service and a vital tool for recruitment, retention, and transition. However, more than half of veterans do not pursue further education. How effective are federally funded transition programs at helping veterans find meaningful employment?

New RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute research builds upon prior research by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The RAND study reveals critical insights into the current landscape of federally funded military-to-civilian transition programs and offers recommendations to improve and sustain these programs’ efforts.

Federal Programs to Assist Military-to-Civilian Employment Transitions: Limited Scrutiny and Substantial Investment in Education Programs

There is limited research about potential health disparities among LGBTQ+ veterans that examine differences by both sexual identity and gender identity, information that is critical for efforts to improve their health and well-being. The authors of this report use nationally representative data from 2015–2021 from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to compare the prevalence of health-related outcomes across multiple domains for sexual and gender minority veterans with that of their heterosexual and cisgender veteran peers. LGBTQ+ veterans showed poorer health-related outcomes in terms of healthcare affordability, mental health, chronic cardiovascular conditions, and chronic respiratory conditions. The authors also examine associations between state LGBTQ+ policy climates and health-related outcomes among LGBTQ+ veterans; living in a state with a more favorable policy climate was associated with several health indicators (e.g., having health insurance, lower smoking rates). Sustained actions are needed ensure that all LGBTQ+ veterans can access necessary care and use the full scope of benefits for which they are eligible.

The State of Health and Health Care for LGBTQ+ Veterans: Differences Among Sexual and Gender Minority Veterans, by Identity and State Policy Climate, 2015–2021

• VA Spending Bill Goes to House Floor: At the end of May, the House Appropriations Committee marked up H.R. 8580 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act FY2025 and sent the bill for consideration to the House floor. The bill provides $337.4 billion for VA, which is $75.5 million above the FY25 budget request and $30.2 billion above the FY24 enacted levels. The full House began debate on the bill on June 3.
• White House: President Biden announced that VA has approved 1 million PACT Act service-connected disability claims to over 888,000 veterans and survivors in all U.S. states and territories. VA Secretary McDonough thanked President Biden for his support in a press release and also announced that the VA claims backlog, which is a claim pending more than 125 days, has decreased by over 100,000 claims since December 2023. Read our recent report Lessons from 9/11 for Supporting Veterans Exposed to Military Environmental Hazards.
• Veterans Affairs: VA announced that through 2027, veterans will not have copays for their first three outpatient mental health care and substance disorder visits each calendar year. This exemption began in June 2023 and will end on December 29, 2027, and will help lower veterans’ out-of-pocket costs as long as the outpatient visit is with a VA mental health professional or within VA’s community care network.

• AARP, Air Force Times, and INTO highlighted findings from the RAND report The State of Health and Health Care for LGBTQ+ Veterans.
• The video from our March webinar, How Could Evolving State Policies Affect LGBTQ+ Veterans’ Health, is available online now.
• At the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans annual conference, RAND researchers Sarah Hunter, Megan Andrew, and Daniel Schwam presented on veteran homelessness and housing and Kayla Williams presented on women veterans.

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