As of 2023, there were around 15.8 million military veterans in the United States. That means that around six percent of adults in the U.S. were veterans at that time.
, with military veterans accounting for around a quarter of men aged 65 to 74 years and around 42 percent of men aged 75 years and older. Veterans have often been exposed to unique stressors and dangers that put them at a higher risk for various physical and mental health issues. For this reason, veteran health and veteran access to health care services is an especially important topic. In 2022, it was estimated that around 35 percent of
Common health conditions and risks among veterans
A survey from 2023 of U.S. veterans and service members who incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound while serving in the military on or after September 11, 2001, found that around 83 percent had problems sleeping, while 80 percent suffered from anxiety, and 77 percent had depression. Other
common injuries and health problems among these respondents were post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), hearing loss, and bone, joint, or muscle injuries. The
leading causes of death for veterans in the United States in 2022 were heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries. These were also the
leading causes of death for the United States as a whole, however, rates of death from these causes were much higher among veterans compared to the entire United States. For example, the death rate for heart disease in 2022 in the United States was 167.2 per 100,000 population, while for veterans it was 239 per 100,000 population. One major and troubling difference in the leading causes of death for veterans is that suicide is the seventh leading cause of death for veterans, while it is not even among the leading ten causes of death when considering the entire country.
Health care for veterans
In the United States, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), a subdivision of the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), is responsible for providing all forms of health care to veterans. As of 2023, almost 12 million people in the United States were
insured by some form of military health care. However, despite the importance the United States places on taking care of its veterans, the VA is often criticized for providing inadequate care. In fact, a survey from 2022 found that around 44 percent of U.S. veterans felt
health care from the VA was generally worse than what most Americans receive, while 33 percent felt it was about the same, and only 16 percent felt it was generally better. The
most common barriers to receiving VA care as reported by veterans and service members who incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound while serving in the military on or after September 11, 2001, include there not being enough access to VA health care services and benefits, the VA being too far away, and VA providers not being sensitive to patient needs. As part of his effort to reduce the federal workforce and cut government spending, President Trump is planning on cutting around 80,000 employees from the VA. This is predicted to further strain an agency already struggling to deliver adequate health care to a population that has often risked or sacrificed their physical and mental health for their country.
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