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- Our Mission
- Our Goals
- What have we done?
- The Advisory Committee on Women Veterans
- VA Programs of Interest
- Women Veterans Comprehensive Health Centers
- Women in the Military
- VA Benefits and Services
- Want more Information?
MISSION
The mission of the Center for Women Veterans is:
- to ensure women veterans have access to VA benefits & services,
- to ensure that VA health care and benefits programs are responsive to the gender-specific needs of women veterans,
- to perform outreach to improve women veterans awareness of VA services, benefits and eligibility, and
- to act as the primary advisor to the Secretary for Veterans Affairs on all matters related to programs, issues, and initiatives for and affecting women veterans.
Our goals were developed to assess women veterans' services within and outside the Department on an ongoing basis, to assure that VA policy and planning practices address the needs of women veterans and foster VA participation in general Federal initiatives focusing on women's issues.
Specific Goals of the Center include:
- Identify policies, practices, programs, and related activities that are unresponsive or insensitive to the needs of women veterans and recommend changes, revisions or new initiatives designed to address these deficiencies.
- Foster communication between all elements of VA on these findings and assure that women veterans issues are incorporated into their strategic planning.
- Promote and providing educational activities on women's issues generally, and women veterans specifically for VA personnel and other appropriate individuals.
- Encourage collaborative activities on issues related to women with other Federal agencies.
- Create an informal forum for the open discussion of women veterans' issues for interested VA personnel.
- Develop an open dialog with the women veteran community to assess their perception of VA services for women.
- Promote research activities on women veterans' issues.
- Fulfill all other functions of the Center as outlined by Congress in Public Law 103-446. Top of the Document
What have we done?
- Created change through collaboration with federal and community partners,
- Provided VA and community service program staff education and training on issues related to and affecting women veterans,
- Strengthened inter-agency relationships,
- Enhanced access to and the dissemination of information for women veterans,
- Fostered women veterans research, and
- Incorporated women veterans' issues as part of the National Women’s Agenda
The Advisory Committee on Women Veterans
The members of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Women Veterans are actively involved in veterans' issues in their communities and are appointed by the Secretary for a three-year term. The Director for the Center for Women Veterans serves as the Executive Director for this Committee.
The Committee:
- Assesses the needs of women veterans with respect to VA benefit programs and healthcare services,
- Reviews the program administration of VA activities, research projects and other initiatives designed to address or meet the needs of women veterans,
- Makes recommendations to the Secretary to improve, modify and affect change in programs and services administration for women veterans and follows-up on all recommendations.
VA Programs of Interest
Based on the 1990 Census, some 1.2 million women are veterans, or about four percent of the total veteran population. Currently women make up 14 percent of the current active duty military force. By the year 2010, women will comprise well over 10 percent of the veteran population.
VA has designed services and programs to be responsive to the gender-specific needs of women veterans. VA offers comprehensive healthcare services for women including: counseling for sexual trauma; Pap smears, mammography and general reproductive health care; and full-time Women Veterans Coordinators at most VA medical centers.
Special Research Division VA established a division within the Health Science Division, which is the first of its kind in the country. Based at the Boston VA Medical Center, the center conducts clinical research addressing trauma-related problems of women veterans. For more information about this center, its research programs, and targeted areas of study write to:
VA Medical Center,
Women's Health Sciences Division,
150 South Huntington Avenue,
Boston, MA 02130
Their Web address is: http://www.dartmouth.edu/dms/ptsd/
Women Veterans Comprehensive Health Centers
Eight health centers have been established to develop new and enhance existing programs that focus on the gender-specific health care needs of women veterans. These centers, strategically located throughout the country, are structured under a primary care model that provides a coordinated approach to the provision of medical, surgical, and psychological care for women patients. These centers are located at the VA Medical Centers in: Minneapolis, Minnesota; Chicago, Illinois; Tampa, Florida; Durham, North Carolina; Los Angeles and San Francisco, California; Boston, Massachusetts; and Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Sexual Trauma/Personal Assault Counseling - A number of veterans have experienced sexual trauma or an incident of personal assault while serving on active military duty. While some these veterans have sought counseling and treatment for their trauma, many have never sought treatment for the aftereffects or discussed it with anyone. VA health care professionals are sensitive to the experience of sexual trauma and personal assault and the impact it can have on a person's physical and emotional health. They understand the feelings of fear, anxiety, shame, anger, and embarrassment those individuals who experienced sexual trauma or personal assault can have when they try to talk about it.
Women in the Military
Women have served in all of America's major conflicts. Beginning with the American Revolution -- when some women disguised themselves as men to join the Continental Army. Women were hired in medical service in the wars of 18th and 19th centuries and, during the Civil War, also were hired as foragers for supplies, cooks and seamstresses, as well as saboteurs, scouts and couriers. Dr. Mary Walker, an Army physician who served during the Civil War, was the first and only woman awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for contributions in treating patients.
In the Spanish-American War, a typhoid fever emergency forced the Army to recruit 1,500 women under a civilian contract. This led to creation of both the Army and Navy Nurse Corps in the first decade of the 20th century.
Women were first recruited as members of the armed services in World War I. More than 35,000 served in roles ranging from nurses to telephone operators to clerks. It was the first war in which American women served overseas. Some died of illnesses in the field hospitals. Many were decorated, including three who received the Distinguished Service Cross, the combat medals second only to the Medal of Honor.
More than 350,000 women served in World War II. This war saw the first female officers. More than 200 military women of the Women's Army Corps and Women Airforce Service Pilots died in action overseas or ferrying aircraft. Eighty-eight were held as prisoners of war.
The majority of women sent to Korea during the Korean Conflict and to Vietnam during the Vietnam War were nurses. From the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964 to the fall of Saigon in 1975, more than 265,000 women served as military nurses, physicians in intelligence, supply, administration, and air support. Eight military nurses died while serving in Vietnam.
By 1991, more than 11 percent of the active duty military and 13 percent of the reserve forces were women.
Approximately, 35,000 women served in the Persian Gulf. Women flew reconnaissance and search and rescue missions, drove convoys over the desert, close to enemy positions. Women were called upon to staff Patriot missile placements and demonstrated their effectiveness in war positions. Since the Gulf War, women have served in Operation Uphold/Support Democracy in Haiti and with the UN Forces in Operation Joint Endeavor to Bosnia. US military women are stationed throughout the world. Top of the Document
As a veteran, you may be entitled to one or more of the following benefits. Contact your local VA regional office, medical center or vet center for more information.
- Disability Compensation for service related disabilities
- Disability Pension for non service related disabilities
- Education Assistance Programs
- Work-Study Allowance
- Vocational Rehabilitation & Counseling
- Insurance
- Home Loan Benefits
- Medical Inpatient and Outpatient care
- Substance Abuse treatment and counseling
- Sexual Trauma and Assault Counseling
- Nursing Home care
- Burial Benefits
- Burial in a VA National Cemetery
- Employment Assistance
- Survivors’ Benefit Program
 | Call Toll Free at 1-800-827-1000 |
Addresses and phone numbers for VA benefits offices and health care facilities in your local community can be found at: The VA Facility and Leadership Directory
Do you have a specific concern or comment about VA programs and services for women veterans? Contact VA Women Veteran Program Officials.
Remember, most VA facilities have a Women Veterans Coordinator/Program Manager to assist you in applying for VA benefit programs and health care services. Contact your local Coordinator/Program Manager today.
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Reviewed/Updated: May 8, 2003