‘Where are all the women?’ Recognition and representation – UK female veterans’ experiences of support in civilian life
This report highlights the limited research and recognition of UK female veterans and their unique experiences and needs. With only 13.6% of the total veteran population being women, there is a lack of understanding about their post-service requirements and whether existing services cater to them. The UK government, through the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, has commissioned this qualitative research to explore the experiences of female veterans and improve the support offered to them. This report details findings on the impact of military service on physical and mental health, accessing support services, key civilian life issues, and public perceptions of UK female veterans.
Abstract: Background: Enactment of the Veterans Choice Act (VCA) in 2014 and expansion of Medicaid programs led to greater options for Veterans to receive health care outside of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). However, little is known about how much care women Veterans receive in VA or non-VA settings paid by VA or other insurance types. We explore trends in inpatient care received by women Veterans before and after implementation of the VCA, focusing on hospitalizations, as these patients are often higher risk. Methods: Data for women Veterans were linked to hospital discharge data for 2013-2017 from 11 diverse states. Patient and hospital characteristics by VA and non-VA payer and age group (less than 65 years and 65 years and older) were compared for acute hospitalizations in Pearson's chi-square and analysis of variance tests. We compared the odds of a hospitalization occurring before and after VCA implementation for each specific setting/payer using separate logistic regressions. Results: Our sample included 117,177 acute medical/surgical hospitalizations. For younger women, the most common hospital setting/payer was VA hospitals (36%); older women most frequently received hospital care in non-VA hospitals covered by Medicare (61%). After the VCA, the probability of receiving VA-purchased care increased significantly for older women only. Younger women saw a significant decrease in VA hospitalizations post-VCA. Conclusions: We found that after multiple expansions in non-VA health care options, women Veterans sought more VA-purchased community hospital care.