As a result of our ever-changing female veteran’s population, it is of the utmost importance that VA have the capabilities and programs in place to treat the complex physical and mental of our women veterans population.

I. Population Facts-

- In 2008, 281,000 female veterans were treated in the VA health care system. This was an increase of 12% over the previous year and over the next five years; this number is expected to grow by 30%.

-As of October 2008 there were over 1.8 million women veterans in the United States. This represents about 7.7% of the total veteran population.

-Nearly 112,000 of the total female veterans’ population are Operation Enduring Freedom & Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans.

- 86% of all OEF/OIF women veterans are under the age of 40, with nearly half being between the ages of 20 and 29.

- As of 2007, the estimated median age of women veterans was 47, while their male counterpart was 61.

     While VA estimates that the total number of veterans will decline by 37% between 2008 and 2033, the number of women veterans will increase by nearly 20% during the same time period.

      Current VA data shows that as of 2008 over 20% of women veterans who served in OEF/OIF had been diagnosed with PTSD. Alarmingly, a large number of these cases were a result of sexual trauma while serving in the military.

II. Obstacles in Utilization of Benefits:

In 2007 only 15% of women veterans used VA services, compared to almost 30% of all male veterans.

In congressional testimony given on July 16, 2009, VA stated that this under utilization of VA health care by female veterans was most likely the result of the numerous barriers that the current care models at many VA facilities present to women.

Population Facts:

While most male veterans can receive the full spectrum of primary and preventative care services in one visit, most female veterans must schedule multiple visits to receive the same gender-specific care. This includes, but is not limited to, breast exams, cervical cancer screenings, and menopause management.

      Most women veterans work full time jobs and/or have childcare responsibilities. Multiple visits are problematic, especially when most VA Medical Centers do not offer these services at night or on weekends. Typically, these appointments are only available from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm on weekdays, and often many smaller facilities have even more limited periods of availability.

      Most VA Medical Centers (VAMC) and Community Based Outreach Centers(CBOCs) still have not implemented the most basic requirements to treat women veterans. This encompasses everything from simple privacy assurance to specialized gender specific healthcare and mental healthcare services and qualified providers.