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Military Veterans

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Military veterans—individuals who complete military service whether at home or deployed overseas, in peacetime or in combat—are entitled to and in some cases require various government services. RAND research has examined the physical and mental health, interpersonal relationships, and employment problems that U.S. military veterans and their families face, and has recommended policies to support veterans' reintegration into civilian life.

Essay

More Can Be Done to Save Veterans from Suicide

Nov 4, 2019

A decade of research at RAND has sought to focus the national conversation about suicide in general, and veteran suicide in particular, around solutions that work. The overwhelming message: We could do more to save the lives of veterans like Daniel Somers. Here is his story.
Research Brief

Veterans with Both Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders Need Integrated Treatment

Jul 22, 2020

Co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders are common among post-9/11 veterans. But treatment programs typically specialize in one issue or the other. Integrated treatments are more effective and have become more available, but it's critical that veterans have access to facilities that are equipped to treat them.

Explore Military Veterans

Blog

Truth Decay, Opioid Settlement Funds, Veterans Health Care: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on fighting back against Truth Decay, how to spend opioid settlement funds, China's lack of friends, and more.

Oct 23, 2020
Report

Defining High-Quality Care for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Proposed Definition and Next Steps for the Veteran Wellness Alliance

A rigorously developed, shared definition of high-quality care for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury will help clinical providers and veteran-serving organizations better meet the needs of this population.

Oct 22, 2020
Research Brief

What Does High-Quality Care Mean for Veterans with Invisible Wounds?

Many veterans have difficulty accessing high-quality care for posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. As clinical providers and veteran-serving organizations aim to improve access, a shared definition of high-quality care for these conditions would help them better meet veterans' needs.

Oct 22, 2020
Report

Report

Evaluation of the Ex-Service Personnel in the Criminal Justice System Programme

RAND Europe was commissioned to evaluate the Ex-Service Personnel in the Criminal Justice System Programme, to understand how projects have helped reduce reoffending and provide support to ex-Service personnel who have come into contact with the CJS.

Oct 22, 2020
Commentary

PTSD and Substance Use Disorders Are a Vicious Cycle for Veterans

It is not uncommon to see a co-occurrence of PTSD and heavy use of substances, which can rise to the level of a substance use disorder. It may be necessary to challenge how the needs of veterans are addressed to remove barriers to care that make treating these co-occurring disorders simultaneously so difficult.

Sep 15, 2020
Journal Article

Journal Article

Quality Of End-Of-Life Care Is Higher In The VA Compared To Care Paid For By Traditional Medicare

The Medicare-reliant veterans were significantly more likely to receive high-intensity care, in the form of chemotherapy, hospital stays, admission to the intensive care unit, more days spent in the hospital, and death in the hospital. However, they were significantly less likely than VA-reliant patients to have multiple emergency department visits. Higher-intensity end-of-life care may be driven by financial incentives present in fee-for-service Medicare but not in the VA's integrated system.

Aug 5, 2020
Blog

Reopenining Schools, Affordable Housing, Unemployment: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the debate about reopening schools, how a decline in commercial real estate demand could help address the housing crisis, challenges facing the U.S. unemployment system, and more.

Jul 24, 2020
News Release

News Release

Care for Veterans with Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders Requires Improvement

Veterans who have served in the U.S. military since the 9/11 attacks have a high level of need for both substance use treatment and mental health care, yet many do not receive appropriate help for their co-occurring disorders.

Jul 22, 2020
Research Brief

Research Brief

Guidance for Organizations That Support the Behavioral Health of Post-9/11 Veterans

This brief highlights important treatment, provider, and system factors that organizations that support the behavioral health needs of veterans with co-occurring substance use disorders and mental health disorders should consider.

Jul 22, 2020
Report

Improving Substance Use Care: Addressing Barriers to Expanding Integrated Treatment Options for Post-9/11 Veterans

This report provides guidance and recommendations to support the delivery of quality care for veterans with co-occurring substance use disorders and mental health disorders.

Jul 22, 2020
Report

Limb Salvage and Recovery After Severe Blast Injury

Although there is a vast literature on limb salvage, there is limited research on military blast-related limb salvage. What can be learned from the evidence and innovations about restoration and reconstruction after limb salvage for severe blast-related limb injury?

Jul 6, 2020
Report

Evaluation of Los Angeles County's 2019 "Spark the True You" Mental Health Campaign

Los Angeles County, in partnership with the Los Angeles Sparks basketball team, conducted a mental health campaign aimed at women veterans. It did not reach large numbers but provided new information about mental health among those it did reach.

Jun 25, 2020
Report

Report

Limb Salvage and Recovery After Blast-Related Injury: Proceedings and Expert Findings from a U.S. Department of Defense International State-of-the-Science Meeting

These conference proceedings summarize findings and recommendations of an expert-led meeting that addressed questions about when to emphasize limb salvage over other treatment options -- such as amputation -- for individuals with blast-related injuries.

Jun 11, 2020
Journal Article

Journal Article

The Relationship Between Engagement in Online Support Groups and Social Isolation Among Military Caregivers: Longitudinal Questionnaire Study

It is unclear how well online groups reduce social isolation and improve mental health among military caregivers. This study focused on members of a new online community for military caregivers, compared with caregivers who were members of existing groups.

Apr 29, 2020
Journal Article

Journal Article

Health System and Beneficiary Costs Associated With Intensive End-of-Life Medical Services

The objective of this paper is to quantify expected beneficiary and health system costs incurred in association with receipt of intensive medical services in the last month of life.

Mar 11, 2020
Brochure

Effecting Change, Improving Health

The RAND Corporation is dedicated to transforming the wellbeing of all people by improving health care systems in the United States and abroad.

Feb 7, 2020
Blog

State of the Union 2020: Insights from RAND

The final State of the Union address of President Trump's four-year term may be viewed through the lens of the unprecedented circumstances surrounding the evening. But the speech touched on a range of policy challenges that will remain, regardless of how politics play out in 2020.

Feb 5, 2020
Research Brief

Research Brief

Evaluating Public Awareness Campaigns to Promote Military and Veteran Mental Health

This brief describes the results of an interim evaluation that examined the scope, content, and dissemination of mental health public awareness campaigns. RAND researchers conducted a comprehensive evaluation of four such efforts.

Jan 29, 2020
Research Brief

Research Brief

Make the Connection: Findings and Recommendations

This brief is one in a series examining mental health public awareness campaigns' messages, consistency of messaging in their materials, and tools used to deliver content to audiences. This brief discusses materials from the Make the Connection.

Jan 29, 2020

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RAND Topic:
Military Veterans

Topic Synonyms:
War Veteran

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