Veterans Health Administration: Reducing barriers to access.

Abstract

There are numerous formal memorials to the sacrifices made by fallen warriors and surviving veterans. Sometimes overlooked is the degree to which our nation's prosperity stands as a living memorial to those who served their country. At the time many of these veterans served, they did so with the understanding that they would share in this prosperity through the promised benefit of future medical care. Many who served a full career expected to retire with full medical care for their families also (Shows, 2000). That expectation has been fulfilled in some cases but not in all.In this chapter, I discuss the complexities of providing health care to rural veterans. In the initial sections, I describe the veteran population and veterans' health care system. I then review reforms designed to manage costs and increase access for a broader range of veterans, particularly in those rural areas. In the next section, I focus on provision of care for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a disorder for which many veterans require specialized treatment. I close the chapter with conclusions and recommendations. Throughout the chapter, consideration is given to the importance of family services. Rural Veterans The United States Veteran PopulationThe sheer volume and the changing demographics of the U.S. veteran population present a challenge to health care planners. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA; formerly known as the Veterans Administration), there are 24.8 million living American veterans (DVA, 2000b). Approximately 25% of the American adult male population is veterans. Although women currently constitute only 4.8% of the veteran population, their number has been increasing. As a result, the median age of female veterans is younger (46.0 years) than that of male veterans (58.8 years).