There is heart-satisfying news – a light amid the darkness of conflict. On September 25, the United States House of Representatives Committee on Veterans Affairs heard some extraordinary stories, the kind of which Americans are truly made. Testimony before the Committee lauded the caregivers dedicated to nurturing and helping their fellow citizens, those who served their country in the military and have been left broken in some way. We hear a lot about the Department of Veterans Affairs not living up to its charter, but we seldom hear about those self-sacrificing neighbors, family, and friends who fill in the gaps.
RAND Reveals the Selfless Work of Americans
Standard network and cable news hours are filled with the carnage of fighting in Ukraine or the raging conflict between Israel and the terrorist fighters that surround it. It's hard to imagine good news stories. However, a recent RAND Corporation report titled "America's Military and Veteran Caregivers, Hidden Heroes Emerging from the Shadows" describes the variety of challenges caregivers face working with the wounded, ill, and injured military veterans. The study also looked at the characteristics of those caregivers.
The RAND analysis was the centerpiece for the Veterans Affairs Committee's information-gathering hearing to determine where best to apply legislation to improve support to the nation's veterans and their caregivers. As committee Chairman Michael Bost explained in his opening statement:
"Veterans caregivers play an unseen role in supporting their loved ones, the men and women who serve our country. Caregivers include veterans, spouses, children, parents making countless sacrifices to care for loved ones. Many of these caregivers face emotional, financial, and physical hardships because of the care they have to deliver to their veterans ... We are even hearing now from caregivers the VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] has slowed down services and new programs since disclosing its budget shortfall."
Whatever the problems with the VA might be, the RAND study revealed the magnitude of the non-government caregiver services. Furthermore, the study's findings showed the enormous cost to the individual caregiver. "There are 14.3 million military and veteran caregivers, representing 5.5 percent of the US adult population," the report found. Additionally, more than 91 million civilians provide some level of care to veterans suffering from wounds or illness. That represents "35% of US adults," RAND explained. But those are just the numbers of people who dedicate a portion of their day to caring for veterans. RAND discovered that the time these folks commit to that care varies between "one and 30 hours per week." However, only 10% of the caregivers dedicate "less than one hour per week, and 11 to 16 percent spend 31 hours or more per week caregiving," RAND reported. Most of these volunteer caregivers are not compensated. They give freely of their time, yet it costs them. According to RAND, it costs between $119 billion and $485 billion every year to care for the nation’s veterans. “Military/veteran caregivers incur an estimated $8,583 in annual out-of-pocket costs,” the report highlighted.
As Chairman Bost noted, there is a personal cost: "One of the major concerns in the report … is the lack of access to mental health resources. Caregivers are often isolate[d] and experienced high levels of stress and burnout." Caregivers are dealing with everything from traumatic injuries where the veteran needs constant attention to mobility issues requiring less intensive help. "One of the primary things we learned in our new study is that many military and veteran caregivers are caring for individuals with cognitive, mental health, and substance use diagnoses," Dr. Rajeev Ramchand, one of RAND's study researchers, offered in his written testimony.
Study's Recommendations Help Support Caregivers
For many, providing care for veterans is a full-time job in addition to regular employment. The first recommendation of the study was that the VA should make more available mental health and substance use treatment and services to caregivers and their children. Often, the absence of the caregiver from their family while they volunteer takes its toll. RAND also recommends financial support for the care provided to the veterans.
The problems the American society faces are manifest – but people willing to sacrifice for others in need are not one of them. RAND and its researchers have provided a much-needed window into the daily selfless work many Americans do. When it seems like the chaos in the world is overwhelming, we should remember that.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.
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