Rural Native Veterans Analysis

State and federal legislators both need to make it a priority to be involved in the welfare of veterans. The issues will never get better unless the individuals in charge of the laws, regulations, funding and departments step up to the challenges. That alone will not even be enough. These issues need to be addressed on a state level as well. Housing projects and professional training need to be made more widely available. Understanding the importance of both changes made at a state and federal level for the living conditions and health status of American veterans is the first step. The next step is that it must be acted on and improved. The United States of America owes that much to its

Keywords: veterans, Veteran Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014, H.R. 3230, Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act of 2014, Clay Hunt SAV Act, Justice as Fairness, vulnerable population, healthcare disparities, healthcare reform, social justice

This study strives to increase the awareness of healthcare disparities among veterans in hopes that veterans can receive the best healthcare possible. This study has the potential to change the structure of veterans’ health care. If their health care is damaged to the extent that some insiders and outsiders believe it to be, then hopefully the veterans’ health care system can be restructured. These disparities can be addressed in community outreach programs to expand common knowledge on the subject.

The presence of additional risk for homelessness specifically associated with Veteran status is puzzling in that it occurs among a population that shows better outcomes on almost all socioeconomic measures and that has exclusive access to an extensive system of benefits that include comprehensive healthcare services, disability and pension assistance, and homeless services (Fargo, et al, 24).

It is no secret that the Native American and Alaska Native (NA/AN) population is one of the most (if not, the most) overlooked and underserved communities in America. Perhaps because of their small numbers, rural habitats, or general neglect and antagonism by the part of the United States government (or a combination of all of these), extreme disparities in health exist among NA/AN communities. The detrimental effects that colonial settling and industrialization have had on the NA/AN lifestyle are obvious and well-documented. So too, are the physical health disparities that plague NA/ANs (diabetes, tuberculosis, obesity, etc). However, less data is readily available on the mental health challenges that NA/AN populations face. Furthermore, even

In order to understand the term “rural” as it applies to veterans, one must recognize how it is defined by the VA. The VA uses the rural-urban commuting areas (RUCA) system to define rural. Created by the USDA and the Dept. of Health and Human Services, the RUCA system takes into account population density, and how well a community is linked socio-economically to larger urban centers. According to RUCA an urban area has an urban nucleus of 50,000 people or more, with a core of total land area less than two square miles and a population density of 1,000 people per square mile. While an urban cluster is an area with a core similar to that of an urban area but with a population density of less than 1,000 people per every two square miles, the

Destitute veterans are a real social issue confronting our general public today. Vagrancy among United States veterans are of specific concern to the general public in light of the fact that everybody sees a percentage of the weights confronting vets after coming back to regular citizen life. Who are homeless veterans then? The U.S. Division of Veterans Affairs

One can deduce from these findings that overall local veterans do feel safe in their neighborhood and can get around the area ok. They also clearly have a good support network of family and are able to connect with other people sharing their religious beliefs. In addition to this most do say they have access to medical services, per the survey, but as my individual interviews point out the quality is clearly lacking. The survey data also points to a need for more services which my individual interviews point to as well.

Since there is no reported data or analyses to help the nation or specific regions and communities assess veterans’ needs for services by geographic area, and to plan for and coordinate service delivery across community-based, TRICARE, and VHA resources; we purpose several general directions for moving forward (Burnam et. al, 2009). The general directions for moving forward include a need for confidentiality, consumer education, treatment choices, workforce policy, training and certification, QI needs, and technical assistance to the

According to Todd Mackenzie PhD, Amy E. Wallace MD, MPH, William B. Weeks MD, MBA in their article “Impact of Rural Residence on Survival of Male Veterans Affairs Patients After Age 65” one in five veterans lives in a rural or highly rural community because of this they face many challenges when it comes to receiving adequate healthcare. The challenges faced by many rural veterans in receiving the medical attention that they need may in fact contribute to higher death rates among rural veterans. In the research done by Todd A. Mackenzie, PHD along with his colleagues Amy E. Wallace, MD and William B. Weeks, MD, they ascertained that of the 372,463 male veterans age 65 or more 80, 931 lived in rural settings. Age adjusted mortality was 5.9% higher in rural residence than urban after adjusting for age, education and zip-code median income, whereas rural

A large number of veterans with service related injuries live in rural areas due to the fact that residents in rural

After controlling for poverty, age, race, and geographic locations, female Veterans were three times as likely as female non-Veterans to become homeless, and male Veterans were twice as likely as male non-Veterans to become homeless. Black race (compared to all other races) was consistently identified as a strong risk factor for homelessness, with little to no variation across sex (Jamison, “Fargo”). These analyses demonstrates that veterans were more likely to become homeless than non-veterans and racial prejudice was also a factor in veteran’s homelessness. Veterans receives lack of care because of prejudices which results for many veterans,

The Department of Veterans Affairs is a government run system that provides benefits to all veterans of the United States military. Along with assisting veterans, it is also a benefit program for the families of the veterans. Many sections of the department are very obvious to those not involved, however there is much more to it than we see. There are three main sub sections of the program. These include the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Benefits Association (VBA), and the National Cemetery Association (NCA). All this is possible due to the increase in funding over the past decade. The department has grown tremendously since its very beginning in 1636 to what it is today.

The people working for the U.S. Military inspire me the greatest. They devote their lives to protecting the citizens while, at the same time, promoting peace and democracy through the world. They are the real heroes since they put their lives on the line. We can safely stay in our homes due to the soldiers that dedicate their time and put in their effort in their work. U.S. citizens should truly be grateful for their veterans since they risked their lives to protect ours. The reason we are not attacked by other foreign countries is due to the national defense is determined to make its citizens save while letting them seek out their happiness. Although some of us do not take the time them every day, their work keeps us safe. They inspire and

This article offers a brief history of the laws governing AI/AN (American Indian/Alaskan Native) health policy, as well as recent trends and contemporary issues. A long history of underfunding of the Indian Health Service (IHS) has led to serious challenges in providing proper care. One law designed to meet these challenges was the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, enacted in 1975. This law authorized AI/AN tribes to take over the management of health programs, carry over funding,. and receive third-party revenue, as well as made them eligible for grants and assisted them with contract support costs. More recently, Medicaid expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) should increase the number of AI/AN individuals eligible for and enrolled in Medicaid. This should result in increased access to health services for the high percentage of AI/AN adults living at or below the federal poverty level in 2009 (20.4%). Still, the problem of inadequate health care persists, as the Indian Health Service (IHS) budget has not kept pace with medical inflation and the increases in AI/AN population. Long-term underfunding of the IHS is a contributing factor to AI/AN health disparities. To bring the IHS budget to an equitable level similar to federal employee health benefits would require approximately an additional $3 billion per year. With a Department of Health and Human Services budget of more than $800 billion per year, this increase