Va Health Care Services For Women Veterans

In 2008, the VA provided health care to over 281,000 women veterans, a fast growing subgroup of veterans. Women veterans seeking VA health care need access to an array of services, and Congress has raised concerns about how well VA is prepared to meet the physical and mental health care needs of women. This report examined: (1) the on-site availability of health care services at VA facilities for women vets; (2) the extent to which VA facilities are following VA policies that apply to the delivery of health care to women vets; and (3) key challenges that VA facilities face in providing health care to women vets and how VA is addressing these challenges. The auditor visited a sample of 9 VA medical centers and 10 community-based outpatient clinics.

Approximately 4 million U.S. service members took part in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Shortly after troops started returning from their deployments, some active-duty service members and veterans began experiencing mental health problems. Given the stressors associated with war, it is not surprising that some service members developed such mental health conditions as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and substance use disorder. Subsequent epidemiologic studies conducted on military and veteran populations that served in the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq provided scientific evidence that those who fought were in fact being diagnosed with mental illnesses and experiencing mental healthâ€"related outcomesâ€"in particular, suicideâ€"at a higher rate than the general population. This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the quality, capacity, and access to mental health care services for veterans who served in the Armed Forces in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn. It includes an analysis of not only the quality and capacity of mental health care services within the Department of Veterans Affairs, but also barriers faced by patients in utilizing those services.

VA health care services for women veterans : bridging the gaps in care : hearing before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, first session, July 14, 2009.

The Dept. of Vet. Affairs (VA) provided health care to over 281,000 women vets in 2008 ¿ an increase of about 12% since 2006 ¿ and the number of women vets is projected to increase by 17% between 2008 and 2033. Women vets seeking care at VA medical facilities need access to a full range of health care services, including basic and specialized gender-specific services. This testimony discusses: (1) the on-site availability of health care services for women vets at VA facilities; (2) the extent to which VA facilities are following VA policies that apply to the delivery of health care services for women vets; and (3) key challenges that VA facilities are experiencing in providing health care services for women vets. Illustrations.