A report just released by the Disabled American Veterans highlights the lack of services available that are geared toward female servicemembers.
According to Military Times, the amount of female veterans in the U.S. has more than doubled in the past 14 years. Numbers are expected to increase by as much as 11 percent by the year 2020. Veterans Affairs has done little to keep up with this gender shift – the source reported that almost a quarter of VA medical facilities do not have a full-time gynecologist. Many institutions helping rural veterans don't even have a designated provider for women's health care.
The Wall Street Journal noted that many women face obstacles that men will never experience, such as the need for adjusted prosthetics during pregnancy. Female soldiers are also more likely to require care for mental health issues post-war, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. The source noted that female veterans have a higher unemployment rate than male veterans, and are therefore more likely to seek medical services through the VA.
Military Times noted that female veterans are also more likely to be single parents, be divorced and be younger in their life after service than male veterans, all factors that need to be taken into account when figuring out how to move forward with adapting veteran care. The DAV report makes numerous suggestions on how the VA can begin this adaptation.