VA Benefits for Women Veterans

Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) June 18, 2021 – The growing number of women in the United States military requires a focused effort by lawmakers to ensure Veterans’ programs provide benefits to all Service Members.

The number of women Veterans has grown significantly over recent years and is expected to reach 16 percent of the United States Veteran population by 2043. Women are the fastest growing group within the Veteran population. However, historically, women comprised only a small portion of the Veteran population, and it was not until 1948 that a law was passed making women a permanent fixture in the United States military. It was not until that same year that women were eligible for Veterans benefits.

While VA benefits have come a long way since then, there is still ground to be made up. While women Veterans are currently eligible for all VA benefits, including disability compensation, pension, education and training, health care, home loans, insurance, vocational rehabilitation and employment, and burial, VA healthcare benefits have failed to cater to the needs and preferences of what has historically been a male-dominated institution. As a result, only six percent of the VA patient population are women. Experts believe this is due, in large part, to the lack of women’s services offered by the VA.  

For example, it was not until recently that the Office of Women’s Health at the Department of Veterans Affairs was created. This same law mandates that all VA centers hire a dedicated women’s healthcare provider and that all facilities implement an anti-harassment and anti-sexual assault policy.

Given the recent move towards expanding women’s Veterans benefits, it seems the VA is taking steps in the right direction. For example, the VA now has a Center for Women Veterans and provides women-specific services at every VA facility, like birth control, preconception counseling, and menopausal support (hormone replacement therapy). Women can also get screened for cervical cancer and breast cancer. The VA also offers mental health treatment to women Veterans, including inpatient and outpatient treatment options.

Of course, there is still a long road ahead. For example, much of the research on post-traumatic stress syndrome has been conducted on men, and there is evidence to believe that women’s brains may experience different physiological effects after experiencing severe trauma. Thus, the VA will need to continue to increase its efforts in truly obtaining equal benefits for all Veterans.

Attorney David Magann is a Florida veterans’ benefits attorney with extensive experience helping veterans and service members confront the legal issues they face. As a Marine Corps Veteran, attorney Magann understands the unique issues many veterans deal with once they leave their respective service and has overcome many of those issues himself. Attorney Magann handles social security disability, estate planning, veterans’ law and personal injury law out of his Brandon and Tampa offices. He can be reached at http://www.floridasocialsecurity.com/.

Learn more at http://www.tampaveteranslawyer.com/ David W. Magann, P.A. Main Office: 156 West Robertson Street Brandon, FL 33511 Call: (813) 657-9175 Tampa Office: 18715 N Dale Mabry Hwy Lutz, FL 33548