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Veterans Health Care

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As the largest integrated health care provider in the United States, the Department of Veterans Affairs faces significant challenges in ensuring access to high quality health care for military veterans. RAND has a wealth of expertise in health policy research, which informs its analyses related to the medical care needs of military veterans and their families, as well as the care systems intended to meet them.

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.
Article

How High-Quality Mental Health Care Improves Veterans' Lives

Sep 25, 2019

A growing body of RAND research shows that veterans who receive high-quality care have the best chance of improving their mental health outcomes.

Explore Veterans Health Care

Periodical

Periodical

RAND Review: November-December 2020

Features explore the challenge of delivering effective treatments for veterans with co-occuring disorders; teachers, students, and the importance of civic responsibility in present-day America; and teaching and learning in the age of COVID-19.

Nov 16, 2020
Blog

Veterans Day, Psychedelic Drug Policy, Family Caregivers: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses supporting veterans with mental health and substance use disorders, changes to psychedelic drug policy, the vital role of family caregivers, and more.

Nov 13, 2020
Report

How Military Medical Care Has Evolved

How America cares for its war casualties—those physically or mentally wounded in combat—is a high priority. From the Korean War to recent conflicts in the Middle East, there have been dramatic changes in the care that these casualties receive in the field and in hospitals, in the care given to disabled veterans and their dependents, and in who provides that care.

Nov 11, 2020
Q&A

A Voice for Veterans on Capitol Hill: Q&A with Terri Tanielian

Terri Tanielian, a senior behavioral scientist at RAND and an internationally recognized expert on military and veteran health, spent six months as a fellow with the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. She helped the committee develop a comprehensive suicide prevention strategy.

Nov 6, 2020
Essay

There's Help for Veterans with Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

Many post-9/11 veterans who have PTSD or depression also struggle with substance use. There are clinically proven treatments to help break the cycle of the co-occurring disorders, but the VA and other facilities need guidance on how to expand and enhance treatment opportunities for these veterans.

Nov 4, 2020
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 Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

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 veterans' needs.

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
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
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
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
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

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