Helping Our Veterans
“ While we can never truly repay the debt we owe our heroes, the least we should do for our brave veterans is to ensure that the government takes a proactive approach to delivering the service and benefits they have earned, so they need and so richly deserve.” This quotation by Kristin Gillibrand shows that the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs(DOVA) needs to do more to address adequate treatment for returning veterans. Many of the veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan are diagnosed with PTSD. DOVA has not provided adequate treatment or support for the soldiers, this is evident by homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, mental disorders and unemployment.
The effects of PTSD can be found in the novel All The…show more content… It is just starting.” This quotation by Karl Marlantes describes the difficult life that returning soldiers face when returning from combat. Unemployment is an epidemic that hurts both veterans and their families. After fighting in war, soldiers have to fight unemployment. Many soldiers struggle with interviewing and booking jobs when returning home. Research shows that employers have a stigma towards veterans coming back from combat. They believe that they automatically struggle with mental disorders, have alcohol and drug problems and have symptoms of PTSD. Not being able to find a job is detrimental towards a soldier and his family. The unemployment rate for male veterans was lower than the rate for female veterans in 2015(PTSD VA). Younger veterans are most likely to be unemployed than their non veteran peers. One of the causes of unemployment in the community is Congress passes new benefits for veterans and redefines what military personnel qualify for the benefits. Job assessment, training and placement assessments would help to employ veterans. The inability to find a job helps to contribute to homelessness in the veteran
