WASHINGTON — The nation needs to do a better job when it comes to how it cares for women veterans, according to the Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
More than 3 million women have served in the U.S. military since the Revolutionary War.
Defense Department data from 2021 showed that women made up 17.3% of the active-duty force, totaling more than 231,000 members.
But women veterans -- especially those with lingering military injuries -- struggle with loneliness, anxiety, and reintegration into civilian life more than their male peers, according to research released in 2023 by the Wounded Warrior Project.
Nancy Espinosa, the National Commander of the DAV, told a joint meeting of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees on Thursday that the Department of Veterans Affairs needs to do a better job in how it cares for female patients.
"Women veterans have historically been overlooked and underserved. While VA has made tremendous progress in recent decades in caring for women veterans, there is still much to be done," she said.
Espinosa continued: "With more women than ever serving in the military, we must ensure that VA has the resources and expertise to meet all the physical and mental health care needs of women veterans."
Espinosa called on Congress to provide "sufficient funding" to reduce "significant staffing shortages" at the VA so that the department can provide "timely, convenient and high-quality care."
The DAV has established six key policy goals for 2024. They include ensuring full implementation of the "PACT Act" and addressing gaps in toxic exposure benefits.