Coming home from a war is a serious ordeal, and though veterans’ services exist throughout the United States, there are several areas where veterans’ support needs critical improvement. Too often, war veterans return with mental health issues that are never addressed, have difficulty finding jobs or paying for higher education, and miss out on the financial benefits that promised to them.
Without adequate veterans’ support services, these individuals are at a higher risk of facing serious mental illness and even suicide. Better funding and assistance are necessary to improve veterans’ support services in the following areas.
Transition Support
Transitioning from a war filled with violence, intense situations, and death to everyday life is no easy task. Transition support is necessary to provide veterans with the skills and opportunities they need to return to their lives. It is often difficult for veterans to find jobs, fit in with their families and friends, and work through their painful memories. More and more veterans are now homeless and jobless, struggling to find their way in life after returning home, and current efforts from federal agencies are not adequate to provide for these individuals' needs during their transition period. An increase in funding and government-implemented transition programs is necessary to create a viable home life for veterans.
Mental Health Services
It is becoming increasingly common for veterans to experience mental illnesses, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, after returning from combat. Further, many members of the military enter the service with existing mental illnesses, and after the stress and difficulties they faced in combat, they return home with even worse symptoms.
Though mental health services have received attention in the past, more emphasis must be placed on crisis intervention and mental health assistance for our veterans.
Housing Assistance
Too many veterans become homeless just a few years after leaving the military. Homelessness could result from mental illness, the inability to find a job, or a lack of family support. Current housing assistance for veterans falls short of adequately providing for the needs of those who are at risk of becoming homeless. Though some veterans can find temporary housing in homeless shelters, veterans with children often struggle to find shelters that will take in their kids. Many housing solutions are temporary, and long-term veterans’ support is needed to keep these men and women off the streets and provide them with a safe, stable place to live.
Disability Aid
Many veterans injured in combat face life-long physical disabilities as a result of those injuries. Though disability assistance does exist, many veterans are required to wait months or years to receive the monetary compensation they were promised, and in the meantime, their physical ailments continue to worsen. Funding and assistance for veterans with disabilities must be improved to better care for the brave men and women who risked their lives for the safety of our nation.
Hospice of the Golden Isles partners with We Honor Veterans to provide comfort and care for veterans at the end of their lives. Call us today at 912.265.4735 to learn more about our veterans’ support services and how you can help veterans in need.