Veterans in the Labor Force: 6 Stats

"November is National Veterans and Military Families Month, when we honor and recognize the service of U.S. veterans. Here are six stats about veterans in the labor force you may not know.

 

1. Four major occupational groups have higher concentrations of veterans than nonveterans.

Percent of veterans and nonveterans employed in selected occupational groups (plain text)

Following the Current Population Survey (CPS) occupational classification, out of the 10 major occupation groups, four have statistically higher concentrations of veterans than nonveterans (see Employment Situation of Veterans – 2020, Table 4).

For example, 11% of all veterans work in the transportation and material moving occupations group compared with 7% of nonveterans. 

 

2. Two occupational groups have a higher concentration of women veterans than men.

Percent of male and female veterans employed in major occupational groups (plain text)

Women veterans have a statistically higher concentration than men veterans in professional and related occupations as well as office and administrative support occupations (see Employment Situation of Veterans – 2020, Table 4).."
Veterans labor force 

Arthritis Help for Veterans

"Veterans can learn effective, drug-free ways to ease arthritis pain and improve their quality of life with physical activity programs and self-management education workshops. 

Over one in three veterans(or 35%) have arthritis, making it a common condition among those who served in the US military.

Arthritis is more common among veterans than nonveterans overall, and is a leading cause of work and physical disability. Though arthritis affects veterans more, about 1 in 4 (or 23.7%) of all US adults has arthritis.

Among veterans, arthritis is more widespread in older adults, men, and those who are significantly overweight.

Traumatic and overuse injuries, which commonly occur during active duty, are reasons veterans may develop arthritis. Fortunately, there are low-cost or free physical activity programs and educational workshops that can help veterans feel better.

Lifestyle Management Programs

There are several proven programs to help veterans and other adults with arthritis be healthier and live with less pain. Some of these programs offer at-home and self-directed options in addition to their regularly scheduled in-person classes.

Veterans can:

• Participate in physical activity classes that can teach them how to feel their best. These classes have been shown to safely reduce pain and disability related to arthritis and improve movement and mood.
• Join self-management education workshops designed to teach people with arthritis and other chronic conditions how to control their symptoms and to develop more confidence in managing health problems that affect their lives. Classes are led by people who have experience living with arthritis or other chronic conditions.

Visit Physical Activity for Arthritis to learn more about the benefits of physical activity for arthritis..."
Arthritis and veterans 

Epilepsy in Veterans

"November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month and November 11 is Veterans Day. Veterans are at higher risk of developing epilepsy. Learn more about resources to help veterans and families.

What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a broad term used for a brain disorder that causes reoccurring seizures. A seizure involves sudden, abnormal electrical activity in the brain that causes brief changes in how a person behaves, thinks, or feels.

How many veterans have epilepsy?

In 2015, about 3 million U.S. adults age 18 and older had active epilepsy (which means the person was diagnosed with epilepsy by a doctor and they were under treatment or had recent seizures).¹ Experts aren’t sure exactly how many veterans have epilepsy. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) estimated that the prevalence of veterans with epilepsy under treatment at VA facilities was 13.8 per 1000 in 2015.² Think of that number this way: if 100,000 veterans were in attendance at an event, almost 1,400 of them would be in treatment for epilepsy in VA facilities. The VHA data show that about 13% of veterans with seizures were less than 45 years old, 39% were between 45-65 years old, and about 8% were female..."
Epilepsy and veterans

Celebrate This Veteran's Day Tobacco Free

"This Veteran’s Day, CDC is supporting veterans by sharing free resources available to help them quit tobacco use. Cigarette smoking and other tobacco use are harmful to the health of any user, but for active-duty military personnel tobacco use can be especially problematic. As with all users, cigarette smoking increases risk for diseases among veterans and active-duty members, including lung cancer, heart disease, chronic bronchitis, and many others. Additionally, their strength and performance can be impaired by smoking, either through exposure to nicotine and other poisons in cigarettes, or through nicotine withdrawal. Tobacco use can also result in soldiers being absent from duty or being unable to perform necessary tasks. Further, service members who use tobacco are more likely to drop out of basic training and to experience accidents and injuries, which negatively impact troop readiness.

But the good news is that quitting significantly reduces your risk for heart attack, stroke, and some cancers. In addition to the health benefits, quitting smoking can also result in significant cost savings. The U.S. Department of Defense spends over $1.6 billion each year on tobacco-related medical care, increased hospitalization, and lost days of work..."
Veterans and tobacco

U.S. Census Bureau Releases Key Statistics on Our Nation’s Veterans

"Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary marking the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and November 11th became a national holiday beginning in 1938. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation in 1954 to change the name to Veterans Day, as a way to honor those who served in all American wars. Veterans Day honors military veterans with parades and speeches across the nation and a remembrance ceremony takes place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

 

The following are key economic and demographic statistics compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau on our nation’s veterans.

18.5 million

The number of military veterans in the United States in 2016.

9.2 million

The number of veterans age 65 and older in 2016. At the other end of the age spectrum, 1.6 million were younger than age 35.

6.7 million

The number of Vietnam Era veterans in 2016. Moreover, there were 7.1 million who served during the Gulf War (representing service from August 1990 to present); 768,263 who served in World War II; 1.6 million who served in the Korean War; and 2.4 million who served in peacetime only.

14.4 million

The number of veterans who voted in the 2016 presidential election. In that election, 69.6 percent of veterans cast a ballot, compared with 60.6 percent of nonveterans. These rates reflect the citizen voting-age population.

398,453

The number of all U.S. employer firms that are majority owned by veterans. Veteran-owned firms comprised 7.2 percent of the nation's 5.5 million employer businesses..."
Veterans Data

Epilepsy in Veterans

"What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a broad term used for a brain disorder that causes seizures. A seizure involves sudden, abnormal electrical activity in the brain that causes brief changes in how a person behaves, thinks, or feels.

How many Veterans have epilepsy?

Epilepsy affects about 2.4 million adults in the United States.¹ Experts aren't sure exactly how many veterans have epilepsy. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) estimated that the prevalence of veterans with epilepsy under treatment at VA facilities was 13.9 per 1000 in 2014.² Imagine a football stadium that could seat 100,000 veterans. That means almost 1,400 of them are treated for epilepsy in VA facilities. The VHA data show that about 13% of veterans with seizures were less than 45 years old, 39% were between 45-65 years old, and about 7% were female..."
Epilepsy and veterans

VA Conducts Nation’s Largest Analysis of Veteran Suicide

"The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has undertaken the most comprehensive analysis of Veteran suicide rates in the U.S., examining over 55 million Veteran records from 1979 to 2014 from every state in the nation. The effort extends VA’s knowledge from the previous report issued in 2010, which examined  three million  Veteran records from 20 states were available.  Based on the data from 2010, VA estimated the number of Veteran deaths by suicide averaged 22 per day.  The current analysis indicates that in 2014, an average of 20 Veterans a day died from suicide.

“One Veteran suicide is one too many, and this collaborative effort provides both updated and comprehensive data that allows us to make better informed decisions on how to prevent this national tragedy,” said VA Under Secretary for Health, Dr. David J. Shulkin. “We as a nation must focus on bringing the number of Veteran suicides to zero..."
Veterans suicide

Who Is a “Veteran”?—Basic Eligibility for Veterans’ Benefits

"The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers a broad range of benefits to U.S. Armed Forces veterans and certain members of their families. Among these benefits are various types of financial assistance, including monthly cash payments to disabled veterans, health care, education, and housing. Basic criteria must be met to be eligible to receive any of the benefits administered by the VA.

This report examines the basic eligibility criteria for VA administered veterans’ benefits, including the issue of eligibility of members of the National Guard and reserve components..:
Veteran benefits

Health Care for Veterans: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

"The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), operates the nation’s largest integrated health care delivery system, provides care to approximately 6.7 million unique veteran patients, and employs more than 311,000 full-time equivalent employees..."
Veteran's health

Veterans and Homelessness

"The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan brought renewed attention to the needs of veterans, including the needs of homeless veterans. Researchers have found both male and female veterans to be overrepresented in the homeless population, and, as the number of veterans increased due to these conflicts, there was concern that the number of homeless veterans could rise commensurately. The 2007-2009 recession and the subsequent slow economic recovery also raised concerns that homelessness could increase among all groups, including veterans.

Congress has created numerous programs that serve homeless veterans specifically, almost all of which are funded through the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). These programs provide health care and rehabilitation services for homeless veterans (the Health Care for Homeless Veterans and Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans programs), employment assistance (Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program—a Department of Labor program—and Compensated Work Therapy program), and transitional housing (Grant and Per Diem program) as well as supportive services (the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program). The VA also works with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide permanent supportive housing to homeless veterans through the HUD-VA Supported Housing Program (HUD-VASH). In the HUD-VASH program, HUD funds rental assistance through Section 8 vouchers while the VA provides supportive services. In addition, the VA and HUD have collaborated on a homelessness prevention demonstration program..."
Veterans

Employment Status and Occupations of Gulf War-Era Veterans

"The focus of this analysis is on veterans who served on  active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces only from August  1990 or later.
Gulf War-era veterans who served since 1990 are the  most recent cohort of wartime veterans and make up  about 35 percent of the current working-age veteran  population (see Figure 1).2 They are also a large and  growing segment of the veteran population, making  them a cohort of particular interest, but about which  minimal economic research has been done. Much of  the past research on post-military economic outcomes  of wartime veterans focused on Vietnam-era and  World War II veterans. Very few, if any, World War II and  Korean War veterans are still in the labor force—none  are in the working-age population defined here—and  the majority of the Vietnam-era veterans are nearing
retirement age..."
Veterans employment

A New Solar Energy Job-Training Pilot Program for Veterans

"The solar industry has long taken a leading role in hiring veterans, employing more service members than any other sector in the U.S.  Building on this tradition, the SunShot Initiative’s Solar Instructor Training Network -- which aims to train 50,000 new solar installers in total by 2020, some of who will be veterans -- is partnering with up to three military bases to create a veterans solar job training pilot project this fall..."
Solar Energy and Veterans

Training Veterans for Careers in Clean Energy

"Building on the University of Maryland’s Designing a Sustainable World course -- a class based on the Energy Department’s Energy 101 framework to provide undergraduates with an introduction to the fundamentals of energy -- the university teamed up with the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense’s Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative to create a similar course for veterans and transitioning service members. Maryland’s new online course, Designing Quantitative Solutions for Energy, pairs video lessons with virtual laboratories. The course encourages students to think critically and address complex energy challenges using core mathematical concepts -- including logarithms, derivatives and integrals -- used in the engineering fields. Students also receive mentorship opportunities to help them through both project work and energy career planning..."
Veterans careers in energy

Review of Alleged Patient Deaths, Patient Wait Times, and Scheduling Practices at the Phoenix VA Health Care System

"On May 28, 2014, we published a preliminary report, Review of Patient Wait Times, Scheduling

Practices, and Alleged Patient Deaths at the Phoenix Health Care System – Interim Report, to ensure all veterans received appropriate care and to provide VA leadership with recommendations for immediate implementation. This report updates the information previously provided in the Interim Report to reflect the final results of our review. We focused this report on the following five questions

and identified serious conditions at the PVAHCS and throughout the Veterans Health Administration (VHA)..."

Veterans, VA

Veterans’ Disability Compensation: Trends and Policy Options

"The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) oversees a disability program that makes payments through the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) to compensate U.S. veterans for medical cond

itions or injuries that are incurred or aggravated during active duty in the military,

although not necessarily during the performance of military duties. Compensable service-connected disabilities range widely in severity and type, including the loss of one or more limbs, migraines, scars, and hypertension. Payments are meant to offset the average earnings lost as a result of those conditions, whether or not a particular veteran’s condition has reduced his or her earnings or interfered with his or her daily functioning..."

Veterans disability compensation

A Releases Latest Nationwide Data on Access to Veterans Health Care

"Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) posted the second in a series of bi-monthly data updates showing progress on its efforts to accelerate access to quality health care for Veterans who have been waiting for appointments.

Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Sloan D. Gibson announced that VA has now contacted approximately 70,000 Veterans across the country to get them off of wait lists and into clinics for medical appointments. Gibson also announced the release of the latest updated, facility-level patient access data, which demonstrates that the number of appointments has increased by almost 200,000 from May 15 to June 1..."

Veterans, health care

VA Provides Guidance to Same-Sex Married Couples Seeking Benefits

"After close consultation with the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is providing guidance to same-sex married couples on the benefits and services to which they are entitled under current laws and regulations.

"VA worked closely with DOJ to develop guidance to process cases involving same-sex marriages and to implement necessary changes swiftly and smoothly in order to deliver the best services to all eligible Veterans," said Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Sloan D. Gibson.

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which governed the definitions of "marriage" and "spouse" for all federal agencies. However, there remain certain provisions of federal law governing Veterans' benefits and services that, like DOMA, define a spouse as a member of the opposite sex. In September 2013, the U.S. Attorney General announced President Obama's directive to cease enforcement of those VA-specific definitional provisions..."
Veterans, Same-Sex Marriages

Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors

"Veterans of the United States armed forces may be eligible for a broad range of benefits and services provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Some of these benefits may be utilized while on active duty. These benefits are codified in Title 38 of the United States Code. This booklet contains a summary of these benefits effective Jan. 1, 2013. For additional information, visit www.va.gov..."
veteran benefits

Veterans History Project:Helping tell the story of our Nation's veterans.

"Approximately 17 million American war veterans are living in the United States today.
Every one of them has a story.
For the past 13 years, the Veterans History Project (VHP) has been collecting the oral histories and personal documents of America’s war veterans, to ensure their stories are preserved in the Library of Congress so that future generations may better understand the realities of war..."
Veterans history project

FTC Poses Eight Questions to Ask When Choosing a College After Military Service

"
The Federal Trade Commission is advising servicemembers, veterans, and their families that some for-profit schools may be more interested in gaining access to their post 9/11 GI Bill benefits than helping them fulfill their education goals. To help servicemembers identify a school that will meet their needs as they transition to student status, the FTC released a new tip sheet. 
The guidance, 8 Questions to Ask When Choosing a College, encourages servicemembers, veterans and their families to carefully assess the schools they’re interested in attending, whether working toward a certificate or a higher degree..."veterans and college