Veterans and Military Student Resources: Health and Wellness

There are currently about 21.5 million living individuals who have served in the United States' Armed Forces. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of these living veterans were exposed to toxic asbestos-containing materials during military service. This has resulted in an elevated rate of asbestos-related diseases in veterans.
Veterans are allowed to apply for Veteran Affairs (VA) benefits for asbestos-related diseases, and the resources at Asbestos.com can assist veterans in applying for benefits. Initially, a veteran must provide proof that their disease is asbestos-related and that exposure occurred during military service.

Although research conducted within the military has assessed the health and mental health problems of military personnel, little information exists about personnel who seek care outside the military. The purpose of this study is to clarify the personal characteristics, mental health diagnoses, and experiences of active duty U.S. military personnel who sought civilian sector services due to unmet needs for care.

There is limited knowledge on the impact of education on veterans' health in the United States. This study specifically examines the relationship between the education benefits from the G.I. Bill and veterans' health.

hose currently serving in the military constitute a vulnerable population given their high-risk status for substance use, and population data suggest that veterans continue to engage in significant substance use long after their military service ends. Recent research suggests that the separation transition from active duty to civilian life may be critical in terms of the future functioning of the veteran.

The article discusses the challenges facing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in terms of physician staffing, recruitment, and retention. VHA's Office of Workforce Management and Consulting has collaborated with its Partnered Evidence-based Policy Resource Center to assess and recommend a systematic approach for allocation of workforce management resources.

In 2008, suicide ranked as the 10th leading cause of death and claimed more than 33,000 American lives, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are important differences in suicide rates across population subgroups. For example, military veterans account for only 10% of US adults,[ 1] but completed about 20% of suicides in 2008.[ 2] According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of the Inspector General,[ 3] 1000 veterans who receive care from the VA and as many as 5000 of all veterans die by suicide every year.

This paper examines the experience of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a female veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, including the barriers to treatment she encountered in an outpatient psychiatry clinic. DESIGN AND METHODS. Case report data were obtained through review of records and interviews with a veteran combat nurse diagnosed with chronic PTSD. CONCLUSIONS. Sex differences in PTSD are controversial, but PTSD in female military veterans is a significant problem. Gender may complicate diagnosis and treatment. This case report discusses these issues and invites further research. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS. Advanced practice psychiatric nurses increasingly will see female veterans with PTSD in their practic

The article discusses the challenges women in the U.S. military face when they return to the U.S. after serving overseas and requiring medical and psychological services. Women in the military continue to face public perceptions which are based upon outdated gender stereotypes. Women are often assumed to never serve in the field of combat and as a result there is a perception among some that they do not have a need for the same mental health services that their male counterparts require. The U.S. Department of Vetarans Affairs (VA) is struggling to accommodate the growing number of women returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but basic services for women, such as gynecological services, are not offered at all VA centers.

This study examined the mental health impact of reported direct and indirect killing among 2,797 U.S. soldiers returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom. Data were collected as part of a postdeployment screening program at a large Army medical facility. Overall, 40% of soldiers reported killing or being responsible for killing during their deployment. Even after controlling for combat exposure, killing was a significant predictor of posttraumatic disorder (PTSD) symptoms, alcohol abuse, anger, and relationship problems. Military personnel returning from modern deployments are at risk of adverse mental health conditions and related psychosocial functioning related to killing in war. Mental health assessment and treatment should address reactions to killing to optimize readjustment following deployment

As the number of women serving in the military continues to grow, it is increasingly important to explore the sequelae of military sexual trauma (MST) among female veterans. The current study included 232 female veterans who sought outpatient mental health treatment at an urban Veterans Affairs hospital. The study's aims were to (a) describe and compare the demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and psychological symptoms of female veterans who have experienced MST to those veterans who do not report this experience; and (b) examine the associations between psychological symptoms and health behaviors in this sample, stratified by MST status. Results indicate that treatment-seeking women veterans who reported experiencing MST endorsed more psychological distress compared to those who did not report experiencing MST. In addition, psychological symptoms were associated with engaging in problematic health behaviors, such as binge eating and infrequent physical exercise among both those women who experienced MST and those who did not.

Research suggests that mental health-related stigma significantly decreases the use of mental health services by military personnel and veterans. The goal of this article is to review what is known about mental health stigma as it relates to military personnel and veterans, as well as to offer an interpretive review of self-stigma intervention strategies that have been applied within the field. Target areas for future work and the concerns and challenges faced by interventionists are discussed.

Almost 8 million Veterans are enrolled for VA healthcare, with 5.5 million actually receiving VA health care services in fiscal year 2008. VA is not authorized to provide healthcare to Veterans' family members except in limited specific circumstances (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2009). In 2009, VA had a healthcare budget of $40 billion and almost 250,000 employees. The Veterans who participate in VA health care are older, poorer and sicker than the general population and Veterans who are not enrolled for health care with VA. In addition to a usual spectrum of age and gender specific acute and chronic illness, they have a number of medical problems related to their military service.

This study sought to compare patterns of alcohol use between male veterans and nonveterans. Methods: Data came from the 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a U.S. national telephone survey using stratified random sampling. Outcomes were 30-day alcohol use, binge drinking (5+ drinks on one occasion), and heavy drinking (2+ drinks per day). Age-stratified weighted regression analyses compared men who were veterans (n = 36,874) to those who were not (n = 77,056), and veterans who used Veterans Health Administration (VHA) services in the past year (17 = 7,606) to veterans who did not, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Veterans aged 41 to 60 were less likely to binge drink (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.8) and veterans aged 61 to 70 were more likely to drink heavily compared to same-age men without military experience (AOR = 1.7). There were no significant differences in binge or heavy drinking for other age groups. Among veterans aged 51 to 60, those who used VHA services were more likely to report binge drinking than those who did not (AOR = 1.4). Conclusions: Male veterans generally have similar patterns of alcohol use as men without a history of military service, but the elevated alcohol use of specific groups of veterans merits concern.

This essay discusses the challenges faced by veterans returning to society in light of the current organization and structure of the military, veterans', and overall U.S. health care systems. It also addresses the need for an integrated health care financing and delivery system to ensure a continuum of care for service members, veterans, dependents, and other family members.

Because the goal of military medicine is salvaging the wounded who can return to duty, military medical ethics cannot easily defend devoting scarce resources to those so badly injured that they cannot return to duty. Instead, arguments turn to morale and political obligation to justify care for the seriously wounded. Neither argument is satisfactory. Care for the wounded is not necessary to maintain an army's morale. Nor is there any moral or logical connection between the right to health care (a universal human right) and the duty to defend one's nation (a local political duty). Once badly wounded, soldiers enjoy the same right to medical care as any similarly ill or injured individual. National health care systems grasp this point and offer few additional health care benefits to veterans. In the United States, however, lack of universal health coverage skews the debate to focus on special entitlements for veterans without considering the health care rights that other citizens enjoy.