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A national nonprofit has launched a financial assistance program to help military and veteran caregivers cover unexpected expenses. The Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation provided a $500,000 gift to the Elizabeth Dole Foundation to launch The Hope Fund for Critical Financial Assistance. The organization wants to fill a gap for veteran caregivers. For one, the caregiver is the one who benefits from the grant instead of the veteran or service member. Caregivers do not have to be part of the VA's Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers program or any VA [...]

Ways To Help Veterans Since 2009, veteran homelessness has decreased by 50%—an incredible milestone, but one that still leaves room for the estimated 40,000 veterans that remain homeless each night. In spite of the improvements in the lives of many veterans in recent years, many veterans still face significant difficulties around housing, employment, mental health, and access to health care.  Although most people can agree that veterans deserve our help and support, it can be difficult to know how to best support them in everyday life. Fortunately, helping veterans doesn't [...]

Veterans and Civilian Life While returning to their families and homes can be a cause for celebrations, for many veterans, it's also a difficult process—and one that can have serious consequences for their health and well-being. In fact, according to a 2019 survey, 47% of post-9/11 veterans rated their transition from military to civilian life as being "somewhat difficult" or "very difficult."  Causes of Re-entry Difficulty Veterans adjusting to civilian life may experience a variety of difficulties in their personal, professional, and social lives, such as: Feelings of disconnect from [...]

Veterans and Disability Disability amongst veterans is a complex topic, and one that can have extensive implications for veterans' employment prospects, ability to find housing, and overall well-being. According to research released by the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) National Network, 3.5 million (or 29.6%) of veterans aged 21-64 live with a disability, and just under 1.5 million (or 12.4%) have a service-connected (SC) disability.  Service-connected disabilities among disabled veterans include physical disability as a result of injury, but they can also encompass things like disease, hearing loss, chemical exposure, [...]

Veterans and Substance Abuse Substance abuse is a serious problem in any context; however, for veterans, it's an especially complicated issue. Around 11% (or just over one in ten) of veterans who seek first-time treatment at VA facilities have a substance use disorder, a number that is slightly higher than the national average. And in many of these cases, veterans' substance abuse can be linked to their experiences in the military.  Substance Abuse in Veteran Populations Research indicates that the most common type of substance abuse among veterans is alcohol [...]

Veterans and Mental Illness Veterans experience a unique set of challenges, stressors, and traumas, from deployment and combat to the often-difficult process of reintegrating into civilian life after leaving the military—all of which can have significant and long-lasting impact on their mental health and well-being. Research indicates that the prevalence of veterans with mental illness is higher than the national average: just over 25%, or 1 in 4, veterans struggle with mental illness, as opposed to the national average of 1 in 5. In particular, mental health disorders such as [...]

Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs | Connecting veterans to federal and state benefits they have earned. You are NOT alone! For 24-hour counsel, call the National Veteran Crisis Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. Veterans in Florida, call the Florida Veterans Support Line at 1-844-MyFLVet (693-5838) or 2-1-1. 2020 FDVA Training Manual: 2021 Florida Veterans’ Benefits Guide: Click HERE for the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs website:  

Veterans and Poverty Talking about poverty is difficult—and not just because the topic itself is often a painful one. Poverty is a complex issue that exists within an interconnected web of other factors, including housing availability and affordability, employment, disability, race, and mental health. Further, many of these factors operate in a cyclical manner, meaning that a change in one can cause a corresponding change in another, each which worsens the other. As a result, it's often hard to determine where poverty starts and another issue ends, and which one [...]