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Veterans do not receive the appropriate help and support when they return home from service
Samantha J. Scarfone
Rasmussen University
ENC1101: English Composition
Professor Rebecca Baldwin
12/10/2023
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Veterans do not receive the appropriate help and support when they return home from service
When veterans return home from services, they lack the appropriate assistance and
Support is a critical issue that demands attention and action immediately. Veterans need assistance with many things when returning to the civilian lifestyle. They need assistance with housing, education, healthcare, employment, disability compensation, and pensions. Some veterans need caregiver support also due to being hurt or paralyzed in the service. According to studies, 71.03% of veterans do not receive the support they need and deserve. (
Reese,
2020). Now, let's dig a little deeper into what veterans should be getting and what they are not getting for support and assistance from the government.
Starting with veterans' education, they get significant training and experience in their specific fields but no degrees or certificates to go with them. In an article I read while researching, the author states, "Many veterans join straight out of high school; therefore, when they come back into the civilian lifestyle, they do not have a degree or experience in a field to get
a job. This issue brings another issue, which is homelessness; without a job, veterans cannot make money for their living situations."
(
Blinded Veterans Association
,2023) The issue of homelessness then brings out more issues. Due to depression and or trying to manage their mental illness with drugs to numb the pain, the ability to get a job to provide is more challenging
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and nearly impossible. The article I mentioned above also stated
, "One out of every ten veterans alive today was seriously injured in the service, preventing them from getting a job now." The injured also suffer from significant self-esteem issues, which creates depression and suicidal thoughts. All mental health get harmful stigmas, so many veterans don't like going and seeking the care and medicine they so desperately need. I work in an ALF, and I see a lot of veterans every day and get to see firsthand what medications they take and how they have been affected by not getting the correct support. For example, when my residents use the VA for their medicines and as their doctor's office, we have quite a lot of trouble getting their medicine on time and scheduling doctor appointments promptly. The VA also refuses to speak with the nursing staff or family members even if the patient has a diagnosis of dementia and can no longer speak for themselves.
The author then wrote, "What Are the Biggest Problems Facing Veterans Returning Home from Conflict?" Mr. Juth says most veterans come back home with severe issues from the service. Most veterans suffer from anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, problematic alcohol use, and suicidal thoughts. Some are also victims of sexual trauma in the service. Several studies have shown many veterans get no help treating this disorder once home, or they are unaware of how to apply to get the health coverage they deserve. Veterans have issues falling back into the routine of a "civilian" lifestyle they used to live. Many veterans from the newer wars also suffer from traumatic brain injuries. Veterans also run into the issue of transportation to get to the VA or working around their schedule. As I mentioned in my last paragraph, the VA is a challenging office to get ahold of. It is also difficult to go from being in combat to a 'regular' way of living suddenly; the small noises we hear on a day to day like a
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garbage truck or a horn on a car, might be a trigger for a veteran who is freshly home from the service. Mental health services are in such demand at the moment it is expected that veterans
must wait at least a month before their essential appointment with the psychologist. Due to the
demand, only 18 veterans and one active-duty soldier reach out a day for treatment; the rest suffer without. Up to 840,000 risk everything to serve our country, but America cannot provide the correct resources to them promptly. "26% of the homeless population are veterans. 45% of these homeless veterans have PTSD or another mental illness." (Lawes, 2013) In the Military,
You have a specific job and need to understand how to do it. Still, in civilian life, when going
for a job, the employer will choose someone with that degree or certificate in the specific field
over them, leaving them jobless. For veterans to get the medical help they may require, that
means time off work, and employers must understand that.
I agree with Pew's article
The Problematic Transition from Military to Civilian Life
.
Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project
explains and gives statics about how some
veterans have it easier than others. It is stated that if said
veteran had already gone to college and
gotten their degree, they are more likely to come home from
service and succeed in civilian life. On the other hand, the people who faced traumatic injuries or knew someone who
passed due to combat have a more difficult time readjusting themselves, which is why Quite
a few veterans suffer from
flashbacks, making it
difficult to do a job, or they have triggers that will randomly happen at work and put
their careers on
the line. Marriage and family life are other
things that are affected and do not receive correct
support for veterans.
In conclusion, Veterans do not receive the appropriate amount of help or support
when they return from service, including education, housing, healthcare, employment, disability compensation, and pensions. Many veterans are unemployed due to a lack of degrees or
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certifications, which can result in homelessness and other problems. Suicidal thoughts might arise from mental illness and depression, which exacerbate homelessness. Furthermore, 10% of veterans suffered severe injuries during their service, which makes it challenging for them to obtain employment. Stigmas around mental health also prevent veterans from getting the care and drugs they need. Numerous veterans experience serious problems, such as suicidal thoughts and feelings, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and problematic alcohol usage.
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Reference List
Association, Blinded Veterans. “Challenges Veterans Face When Leaving the Military.” Blinded Veterans Association
, 9 Oct. 2021, bva.org/challenges-veterans-face-when-leaving-the-
military/. Center, S.R. (2021) Challenges veterans face when leaving the military
, Dr Paul’s By The Sea
. Available at: https://drpaulbythesea.com/challenges-veterans-face-after-leaving-military/ (Accessed: 20 November 2023). Juth, Terrell Smith. “What Are the Biggest Problems Facing Veterans Returning Home from Conflict?” The Science Behind It.
, 11 Nov. 2019, thesciencebehindit.org/what-are-the-
biggest-problems-facing-veterans-returning-home-from-conflict/. Lawes, A. (2013) Why don’t U.S. veterans get the support they need?
The Good Men Project
. Available at: https://goodmenproject.com/conflict/why-dont-u-s-veterans-get-the-support-
they-need/ (Accessed: 20 November 2023). Morin, R. (2011) The difficult transition from military to civilian life
, Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project
. Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-
trends/2011/12/08/the-difficult-transition-from-military-to-civilian-life/ (Accessed: 20 November 2023). Reese, B. (2020) “Veteran Statistics in the United States - the Complete Guide.” Veterans Statistics in the USA
, 19
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Apr. 2020, vaclaimsinsider.com/veteran-statistics-in-the-united-states/#0-veteran-
statistics-summary-of-our-key-findings. (Accessed 3 Dec. 2023).