Noteboom The Law Firm

VA Gives Female Veterans Needed Gender-Specific Care

March 17, 2011 - More female veterans enlisting in the military means more being injured, and more female veterans needing veteran services. More than that, however, these female veterans need gender specific services. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has extensive plans to advance and progress the medical care they will offer female veterans in the coming years.

A long history of service in the military does not equate to distinguished recognition. Instead, many women are faced with being continually stereotyped as mothers and wives as opposed to being considered veterans. The attitude women do not, or cannot, serve their country permeates into the benefits and services, or lack thereof, offered to female veterans.

Today's VA is working to change that attitude at every level, from the veterans themselves to the staff filling the VA hospitals and medical centers. The number of female veterans in the U.S. military has doubled since the Vietnam war. It is believed that number will likely doublewithin the next 5-10 years.

In 2011, the VA will spend somewhere around $241 million for care specifically geared toward female veterans. In 2010, the VA spent $210 million on gender-specific care. The need for the additional $31 million is completely reflective of the increased amount of women seeking care through the VA system. The cultural change the VA is attempting to accomplish will take time and attention, but will be worth the effort for the number of female veterans who serve their country.