IVMF COVID-19 Survey

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, a survey found that women veterans need more help in key resource areas than their male counterparts. 

That's according to the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University, which released its second in a series of reports that examines the impact of the pandemic on the military and veteran community.

“When COVID-19 hit, we wanted to get a sense of what the climate was, what the needs of veterans are,” said Rosalinda Maury, director of applied research and analytics at IVMF.

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The report analyzes resource needs among both veterans and active-duty service members in such areas as employment, education, childcare, mental and physical health and caregiving resources, explained Linda Euto, IVMF associate director of research and evaluation. 

The survey was taken in March and April, when the nation was locked down due to the pandemic. Women veterans may need more help in those areas because of their household responsibilities, Euto said.  

“Women veterans wanted medical care, specifically in the areas of mental and behavioral health,” she added.

In addition, 76 percent of veterans between the ages of 18 and 34 reported post-secondary education and training was their primary resource need. 

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Seventy-seven percent of veterans and 69 percent of active-duty respondents said medical care was their primary resource need, while minority veterans reported higher resource needs in every category when compared to non-minority veterans.

Knowing which resources are needed is just half the battle as findings indicate that navigating those services is also a challenge, Maury said.

Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.

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