The Consequence of War:

The Problems Facing Americas Veterans

After coming home from war, veterans may be out
of combat, but the battle never ends. Many
military members face physical, mental and social
issues when they return from war that make them
a vulnerable population. Vulnerable populations
are defined as social groups of people with an
increased risk of health-related problems. Due to
lack of proper care, these populations have higher
rates of mortality and a lower quality of life.
Vulnerable populations are frequently marginalized
and discriminated against, which contributes to
their lower social status.

Upon returning from war, veterans are not provided adequate support services
causing the struggle of readjusting to a civilian lifestyle. Some of the main issues
that veterans face today are:

One fourth of all homeless citizens in America are veterans:

About 1.4 million other veterans, meanwhile, are considered at risk of

homelessness due to poverty, lack of support networks, and dismal
living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing.
47,725 veterans are homeless on any given night
Approximately 40% of homeless men are veterans, although veterans
comprise only 34% of the general adult male population.
While most housing help available to veterans focuses on
homeownership, there have been Federal investments in programs for
homeless veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) funds
temporary housing for homeless veterans including:
shelter and two-year transitional housing funded through the Grant
and Per Diem Program,
long-term care through the Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans
Program, and
skills programs such as the Compensated Work Therapy/Veterans
Industries Program.
These programs do not meet existing need. For example, Grant and Per
Diem only funds 8,000 beds.

Veteran unemployment is nearly twice the national average:

While the national unemployment rate is 7.3%, the unemployment rate

for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is 10.3% almost
50% higher than the national rate, according to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
There are three distinct factors that most heavily affect unemployment
among veterans. These causes include the challenge of translating
military work experience into civilian terms, certification hurdles

including licensing requirements, and disabilities such as posttraumatic stress disorder.

On a good note, at present, the employment rate for veterans is slowly
increases, and is projected to continue to increase in 2016.

There is a backlog of 1.2 million claims at the Veterans

Administration

The appeals system does not have enough staff to handle the record
number of veterans from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as
Vietnam filing for disability payments over the last decade, then
appealing when all or part of their claims are denied.
The number awaiting appeals climbed from 167,412 in September
2005 to 425,480 this October.
Some veterans never get an answer. Since 2009, more than 32,000
have died with their appeals unresolved, VA data show.
There are still 75,000 claims in the backlog as of Sept. 28.
The VA has brought down the backlog by about 84 percent since 2013,
when it hit a peak of 600,000, but the error rate on claims completion
has shot up, reaching 30 percent in some locations
The agency can't get lazy, though, and allow that number to grow
again. And it must make sure keeping that number low doesn't come at
the expense of other veterans waiting longer for decisions on other
types of claims, such as pensions and spousal benefits.

Nearly 1 in 4 active duty members showed signs of a mental

health condition;
suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),
Traumatic Brain
Injury (TBI) and more:

Depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (aka PTSD, an anxiety

disorder that follows experiencing a traumatic event) are the most
common mental health problems faced by returning troops.
30% of soldiers develop mental problems within 3 to 4 months of being
home.
An estimated 20% of returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans turn to
heavy drinking or drugs once they return to the US.
An average of 22 veterans committed suicide every day.
19.5% reported experiencing a probable TBI during deployment
There is a large gap between the need for mental health services and
the use of those services.
These access gaps translate into a substantial unmet need for care.
Surveys found that only 53 percent of returning troops who met criteria
for PTSD or major depression sought help from a provider for these
conditions in the past year.
Of those who had PTSD or depression and also sought treatment, only
slightly over half received a minimally adequate treatment (defined
according to the duration and type of treatment received).
o The number who received high-quality care (treatment supported
by scientific evidence) would be even smaller.
Studies also identified gaps in the care systems ability to promote and
monitor quality care.