New York State Health Foundation Commissions First Statewide Needs Assessment of Returning Veterans and Their Families

February 13, 2009

Study to Provide State and Local Leaders with Information Critical to Providing Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans and their Families with Effective Health, Mental Health, and Social Services

The New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth) announced today that it has commissioned the RAND Corporation, an international nonprofit research institution, to conduct the first comprehensive needs assessment of the health, mental health, and social service needs of returning veterans and their families in New York State.

Nationally, there is growing consensus that veterans returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are at high risk of suffering from a multitude of health, mental health, and social issues that can adversely affect the quality of their lives and their ability to successfully reintegrate into their communities. Yet, a lack of data and understanding of the scope of these problems has prevented New York, as well as other states across the country, from making informed decisions and effectively allocating resources to address these issues.

“Addressing the health needs of returning veterans is a public health imperative for New York State,” said NYSHealth President and CEO James R. Knickman. “There are Federal, State, and local resources available. We in New York State must ensure that these resources are used wisely to give our returning veterans and their families the care they need and deserve.”

The study will determine the health, mental health, and social services needs of returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and their families, and will provide the tools to better understand how these needs vary by geographic region, demographics, and socio-economic factors. Specifically, the needs assessment will:

identify existing sources of data on returning veterans’ health, mental health, socioeconomic status, and other relevant demographic factors;
collect and analyze data related to the health, mental health, and social needs of returning veterans and their families in New York State;
catalogue existing resources in New York State for veterans and their families; and
identify model strategies for addressing the reintegration needs of returning veterans and their families.

“New York currently lacks comprehensive information about the health and well-being of its returning veterans,” said Terri Tanielian, Co-director of the RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research. “This needs assessment will extend our earlier Invisible Wounds of War report, which did not address state level needs and resources. By focusing on New York State's veteran population, the new study will provide State and local organizations with the information they need to develop targeted strategies.”

“New York is home to thousands of soldiers – and families - who have served or are currently serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. New York is also home to Fort Drum, one of the largest departure and arrival points for service members in these wars,” said Jim McDonough, Director of the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs and Chairman of the newly created New York State Council on Returning Veterans and Their Families. “We are pleased that NYSHealth has invested in creating this unique opportunity to gather concrete data on the needs of returning veterans and their families. The information we gain through this needs assessment will play a pivotal role in helping us address reintegration needs of our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families.”

The study is part of the NYSHealth Initiative for Returning Veterans and Their Families. This two-year funding initiative aims to advance solutions to address the needs of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families and is part of the Foundation’s broader Integration of Substance Use and Mental Health Services priority area. The goal of this initiative is to demonstrate that the health, mental health, and substance use issues experienced by veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and their families are important public health issues that require immediate attention by public and private organizations in communities across the State.