Veteran Social Welfare Policy and Human Services

Introduction

The 20s began with a pandemic and continued with a local yet major military conflict in Eastern Europe. The likelihood of new high-intensity and violent armed confrontations between nations is exceptionally high; one should expect the number of veterans to increase globally. For American human services workers to be productive and successful in their efforts in future years, they must know the history, recent events, and shortcomings of the country’s veteran social welfare policy.

History of Social Welfare Policy

In the United States (US), the government branch that develops and provides social welfare programs and human services for veterans is called Veterans Affairs. American social welfare policy for war participants and survivors is an ideological continuation of the European tradition of preferential treatment of former soldiers. It is as old as the early colonies such as Plymouth (Burtin, 2020). Historically, the main types of human services that US veterans received were pensions and preferential status in the labor market.

Their number and variety gradually increased with every significant domestic or foreign military confrontation. Nowadays, it includes “not only healthcare benefits … but also disability and death pensions, education benefits, job search services, and life insurance, among other programs” (Burtin, 2020, p. 240). Interestingly, until the presidency of Roosevelt, social welfare policy for veterans as a socio-political phenomenon was institutionally and structurally very distant from other societal assistance initiatives. It was also very unstructured, as the government approached each generation of ex-soldiers differently.

As one can see, veterans are a relatively privileged group both in American society and among marginalized and minority communities who also receive human services. However, they also have a history of experiencing discrimination and suffering from a lack of specific programs. The Vietnam veterans were the first generation of ex-militaries subject to discrimination and widespread criticism from US civilians and the media, which led to their wide ostracization. The general public perceived the next generations less harshly, with most of the critique going to politicians and military leaders. Almost half of today’s veterans have experienced mental trauma associated with military service (Igielnik, 2019). A third actively seek ways to alleviate their mental condition, and another third admit to having post-traumatic stress (Igielnik, 2019). This problem has become prevalent in post-9/11 veterans.

Laws, Programs, Attitudes, Perspectives, and Resources Available

The history of protective and supportive legislation for veterans in America can be divided into two periods, before the establishment of the Veterans Affairs and after. During the first one, US policymakers introduced the essential elements of a veteran welfare policy, such as disability pensions and land grants for retired soldiers (Burtin, 2020). These spontaneously developed and covered all age and social categories of former soldiers, mainly because of new wars. In 1930, the Veterans Administration systematized all veteran welfare policies (House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Republicans, n.d.). This state organization has undergone many transformations and implemented such important initiatives as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefits Administration, and the National Cemetery System (House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Republicans, n.d.). These have greatly helped many of America’s ex-military reintegrate into civilian life after their military experience. The most important recent legislation in veteran welfare policy is The PACT Act (The PACT Act and your VA benefits, 2022). It addresses current generations of military personnel with hard-to-treat physical injuries such as chemical and toxic burns.

The continued favorable attitude towards veterans from the state and the general public is due to the generally successful US military history. From the very beginning of the independent statehood of America, former soldiers were perceived “as symbols of the new nation” (Burtin, 2020, p. 244). Such a glorifying viewpoint and a grateful attitude intensified in the civilian population with each new conflict for about two centuries. Most of the conflicts were foreign, with relatively low losses (Burtin, 2020). As noted above, only the Vietnam conflict changed the perception of veterans, but even this was a temporary phenomenon and did not lead to institutional marginalization.

Federal and local government organizations provide human services and essential resources to veterans in the Greensboro community. These are Veterans Affairs, Guilford County Veterans Services, and Greensboro Vet Center. The wide range of services provided by the first two covers almost all the needs of veterans and varies from adaptive equipment to vocational rehabilitation (Guilford County, n.d.). Numerous veteran benefits include diverse programs ranging from disability compensation to housing for the homeless. Greensboro Vet Center provides consultations for ex-militaries with mental and psychiatric disorders and illnesses (U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs, n.d.). The city has all the critical resources for all the locals who were on active duty.

Personal Experiences Relating to the Population

I have yet to gain experience in communication with ex-militaries. My perception of them is based on historical and sociological literature. Video games like Call of Duty and military-themed action movies also influenced my viewpoint on them during my childhood and adolescence. The prevailing part of them consists of sincerely positive and willing people. I believe that the military experience left some mark on the psyche of each of them. For some, it turned out to be damaging, while others did not feel anything or even became more motivated towards a military career.

Types of Roles Human Service Workers Perform

Several types of professional roles are available for human service workers willing to help those who wish to help veterans reintegrate and adapt to a civilian setting. Institutional areas in which they can positively contribute include healthcare, law, and social work. According to Ogono (2022), many human services and social workers perform “in VA hospitals, emergency departments, and other veteran centers” (para. 16). They serve as health and law consultants, caregivers, various assistants, managers, and administrators in facilities dedicated to helping veterans. To understand responsibilities and perform effectively, one must possess such personal qualities as compassion, empathy, and insight.

Types of Beneficial Interventions or Strategies

When trying to help suffering veterans professionally, one must remember that even simple social interventions would be enough to achieve an objective positive impact. For example, basic structural social support reduces suicidal tendencies in veterans and prevents psychiatric disorders (Na et al., 2022). Animal-focused, music-related, and adventure-activity interventions and yoga are also helpful for ex-soldiers (Gettings et al., 2022). They relieve PTSD symptoms and reduce their feelings of loneliness and social isolation.

How to Better Serve the Selected Population

For several decades, psychiatric and mental disorders have been an acute and widespread problem in veterans. Human service workers can effectively combat the PTSD and depression crisis in the American Veterans Community by educating ex-soldiers while taking care of or consulting them. The recent passage of the PACT Act is a window of opportunity for social workers to begin advocating for federal governments to adopt new welfare policies for veterans with traumatized physiological and mental health.

Conclusion

This paper explores veteran welfare policy in the US and the options for human services workers on how they can make a difference there. Support for former military personnel is a very efficient and well-structured system capable of providing those who served the country with their own lives and weapons with almost all critical resources. Veterans have a positive image in society despite societal controversies and scandals around the latest high-scale conflicts. Areas that lack attention from responsible institutions and human services workers include mental health and successful long-term reintegration.

References

Burtin, O. (2020). The history of veterans’ policy in the United States. Historical Social Research, 45(2), 239–260. Web.

Gettings, R. D., Kirtley, J., Wilson-Menzfeld, G., Oxburgh, G. E., Farrell, D., & Kiernan, M. D. (2022). Exploring the role of social connection in interventions with military veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder: Systematic narrative review. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(873885), pp. 1–12. Web.

Guilford County. (n.d.). Services. Web.

House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Republicans. (n.d.). History. Web.

Igielnik, R. (2019). Key findings about America’s military veterans. Web.

Na, P. J., Tsai, J., Southwick, S. M., & Pietrzak, R. H. (2022). Provision of social support and mental health in US military veterans. NPJ Mental Health Research, 1(4), 1-8. Web.

Ogono, U. (2022). Top companies hiring social workers in 2022. Web.

U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (n.d.). Greensboro vet center. Web.

U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2022). The PACT Act and your VA benefits. Web.