About
10 percent of veterans are women, but as a group, they're too often forgotten about or left out of aid and outreach for veterans. In fact, they often leave themselves out:
Unlike their male counterparts, women often don’t view themselves as veterans, experts say. They don’t realize they may qualify for government-sponsored psychological, medical and other benefits intended to ease their transition back to the civilian world.
And the government has not always done well at reaching out and ensuring that women know about the veterans benefits they qualify for. That's changing, but right now:
In many ways, coming back from service is tougher for female veterans than their male counterparts, according to a federal profile of women who have served. They’re more likely than men to be uninsured, unemployed and divorced, and to suffer from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder – many times the result of sexual harassment or sexual assault.
Women veterans are unemployed at higher rates—6.9 percent nationally, compared with an overall unemployment rate of 5.9 percent, and at much higher rates in some states. The good news is, the Department of Veterans Affairs is starting to catch up:
The administration used to build facilities that catered to single men. Newer facilities have separate wings for women and children, she said. The VA also has a women’s health care advisory committee that reports to VA Secretary Robert McDonald. It also set up a hotline for women veterans, (855) 829-6636.
Women’s health clinics separate from VA hospitals are sprouting around the country, including one that opened last year at the former Mather Air Force Base. Officials say the facility was sorely needed, since the number of women using VA medical and mental health services is growing by nearly 9 percent annually.
Women's service should be as respected and rewarded as men's. It's as simple as that. Women themselves should understand that, the government should offer care and assistance tailored to their needs just as to men's, and employers need to remember that hiring veterans doesn't just mean hiring men.