Skip to main content

Report: Services for female veterans fall short

By WTOP Staff

MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Veterans Affairs Department and other government agencies are not doing enough to help women who served in the military, even as their number is rising dramatically, according to a new report.

The report, released Wednesday by the Disabled American Veterans, identified serious gender gaps in virtually every program serving veterans, including health care, job training, finance, housing, social issues and combatting sexual assault.

The advocacy group’s report blamed most of the deficiencies on a disregard for the needs of female veterans, saying the VA and other agencies focus on “the 80 percent solution for men who dominate (veterans affairs) in both numbers and public consciousness.”

A sharp increase in reporting of military sexual trauma is an illustration of problems that require “radical change” at the VA and throughout the military, the report says.

“At a time when the number of women veterans is growing to unprecedented levels, our country is simply not doing enough to meet their health, social and economic needs,” said Joy Ilem, DAV’s deputy national legislative director. Female veterans “deserve equal respect, consideration and care as the men who served, yet the support systems are ill-equipped to meet the unique needs of the brave women who have defended our country,” she said.

The DAV report closely tracks an Associated Press review in June that found serious shortcomings in how the VA cares for female veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, many of them of child-bearing age.

The AP review found that nearly one in four VA hospitals does not have a fulltime gynecologist on staff, and that 140 of the 920 community-based clinics serving veterans in rural areas do not have a designated women’s health provider, despite a goal that all clinics have one.

Female veterans of child-bearing age were far more likely to be given medications that can cause birth defects than were women being treated through a private doctor, the AP found.

The VA cared for about 390,000 female veterans last year at its hospitals and clinics — far fewer than the 5.3 million male veterans who used the VA system in fiscal year 2013. But the number of women receiving care at VA has more than doubled since 2000. The tens of thousands of predominantly young, female veterans returning home have dramatically changed the VA’s patient load, and the system has yet to fully catch up.

While the number of male veterans is expected to decline by 2020, the number of female veterans is expected to grow dramatically, to 11 percent of the veteran population, the report said.

Dr. Carolyn Clancy, the VA’s acting undersecretary for health, said the VA will consider all of the report’s 27 recommendations on topics including health care, education, job training and sexual assault.

The report will serve “as our road map for improvements,” Clancy told a gathering of female veterans and their supporters at the Capitol on Wednesday. The VA is working to ensure that all clinics and hospitals have a women’s health provider onsite, she said, adding the agency makes referrals to private providers in cases where none is available at the VA.

“We’ve made some great progress,” Clancy said in an interview. “Certainly the awareness (of women’s issues) is way up. It’s certainly a priority.”

The disabled veterans group released the report, entitled “Women Veterans: The Long Journey Home,” at a news conference, along with a screening of a documentary called “Journey to Normal,” which tells the story of female veterans returning home from deployments overseas.

Producer-director JulieHera DeStefano said the film is intended to tell personal stories, but also shows how women are integrated into all phases of the military, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We wanted to put a face on service,” she said.

When compared with men, women in the military are less likely overall to be married, more likely to be married to a fellow service member, more likely to be a single parent, more likely to be divorced, and more likely to be unemployed after their service, the report said. Female veterans also tend to be younger than their male counterparts and are less likely to use VA benefits, the report said.

About 1 in 5 female veterans have delayed or gone without needed medical care in the prior 12 months, the report said.

___

Follow Matthew Daly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote