A recent study performed by The Gallup Organization has shown that active members of the military are happier and healthier overall than other members of the American workforce. However, military veterans were shown to suffer much worse than a civilian retiree.
The study focused on veterans of all ages and revealed that in terms of emotional and physical health, work environment and access to basic necessities, war veterans were drowning.
Veterans like Justin Youse, identify with the study’s findings. At 29 years old, Youse is a young Veteran. After breaking his back in the Iraq War, he was discharged and sent home to a life he has found to be lonely and difficult. Experiencing sleepless nights, unemployment, addiction, divorce and frustration with the VA system, Youse fits the mold of many veterans who return home to a life riddled with pain and obstacles.
Its stories like Youse’s and results from new studies like the Gallup Organization, which have sparked a need for reform in the Veterans Association. VA secretary Eric Shinseki has a plan.
Shinseki has a long list of goals for war veterans, but topping his agenda is bettering mental health treatment and improving access to healthcare facilities
Those returning from war are often wounded in more ways than one. Many return with post-traumatic stress disorder; others find themselves filling prescriptions for hard-to-treat diseases.
One such disease is mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Veterans, especially those hailing from the Navy, are diagnosed with the fatal cancer years after completing their service, as it can take decades for the disease to manifest.
The Veterans Association aims to help those suffering from mesothelioma, and all other illnesses. Shinseki and other members of the VA are determined to take care of veterans the way they take care of the rest of the country.
