The Department of Veterans Affairs is releasing a draft of a strategic report focused on significant issues facing female veterans which outlines a plan to improve care and services for this fast-growing community.
Says Secretary Eric K. Shinseki, “Expanding care and services to women Veterans is too important to limit ourselves solely to the views within the department, so we are seeking feedback from all stakeholders, most importantly women Veterans themselves. The VA must be visionary and agile enough to anticipate and adjust not only to the coming increase in women Veterans, but also to the complexity and longevity of treatment needs.”
The number of women Veterans using VA has increased 83 percent in the last ten years (from 160,000 to over 292,000), compared with a 50 percent increase for men. In response to this huge increase, Secretary Shinseki formed a task force to develop an action plan for women.