There are approximately 16.2 million veterans living in the United States. Each branch of the United States military has it’s own quirks, communication style and set of rules and regulations. This can make the transition from Active Duty to civilian quite challenging. Thankfully the Department of Veterans Affairs was founded in 1989 to help ease the transition and ensure quality of care for those individuals.
To make the most out of their medical appointments, the VA implemented Patient Aligned Care Teams. A mental health professional is included on these teams. This streamlines the communication between all providers caring for the patient. For example, if a veteran discloses to the nurse that they are feeling suicidal or homicidal, that nurse can alert the mental health physician on that specific patient’s care team. In a perfect world, all participating parties involved are aware of the patients history to better ensure care for that person. The needs of those seeking care at a VA can be complex and unique to their time in service. They may be suffering from depression, anxiety, military sexual trauma, alcoholism or drug abuse, or maybe even a traumatic brain injury. With the Patient Aligned Care Teams, each and every one of these possible situations can be cared for while all professionals knowing exactly what their patient is being treated for.
In order for social workers and other VA professionals to gain the trust of their patients, they must be competent in military culture. As a veteran, I understand that the military lifestyle is unique. The provider must be able to understand the acronyms, enlisted vs officer, deployment types, and the overall camaraderie of being in the military. As miserable as being active duty or in the reserves can be, we are truly always there for one another. That can be a stressor upon discharge or retirement because one can feel extremely alone and isolated. I believe that if the providing social worker cannot understand what their patient is trying to explain or talk about, the veteran most likely would not trust or have faith in them and their ability to help. Trust in social workers and VA physicians must be in place for recovery or help to take place. Social workers can help veterans in many ways outside of psychotherapy. They can assist veterans with applying for benefits, coordinating residential care, directing them to agencies that provide financial assistance, and drug and alcohol treatment.
Unfortunately, suicide among veterans is common so much so that roughly 22 veterans commit suicide per day. The backlog of VA cases and wait times to receive monetary benefits and receive care needs to be changed. I have read too many news articles regarding veterans committing suicide out of desperation because they still hadn’t had their case pushed through the VA. The system needs to change so we can fully provide the care that these warfighters deserve.
Abbigale Wheeler
Hey Tesha. I found your blog this week to be a really interesting yet sobering read. It is a tragedy how often our veterans are forgotten after they have finished serving their time. It is no large Suprise with how many veterans are forgotten about after their contracts that the homelessness rate for veterans is as high as it is. It disheartens me to read how high the suicide rate is for veterans in the United States, but at the same time it does not surprise me with the lack of mental health care that is afforded to veterans. We truly need to do something in this country to fix this problem, starting with not forgetting our veterans and all that they have done for us. We need to provide life long mental health care for out veterans both during and after their time served.
Brendon Mowery
Hey Tesha,
Great job on your blog post for this week! First off, I just wanted to say that there are a lot more veterans living in the U.S. then I would’ve thought. I didn’t think about the fact that each branch of the military would be different and thus causing the transition from active military to civilian to be different in people so thank you for bringing up that point. I thought that it was interesting you included the idea hat a social worker should keep up with the culture and lingo that the military uses, again not something I would’ve thought about. It’s sad to hear how many ex-military people commit suicide. I agree that something needs to change in order to keep this from happening. Great job on your post and way to finish the semester strong!
Kenese Faamu
Hey Tesha,
I find your blog to be very interesting and informative, I definitely agree that the transition from Active Duty to the civilian life is quite challenging. From my experience all I’ve known was being a soldier and always doing what you were told no matter what it is, it was all I ever knew. I never thought that one day I’ll be a civilian with this much freedom, it’s sad to know that many veterans are committing suicide and I hope one day they’ll get the help that they need.