An Assessment of the Health Needs of Maine Veterans and Their Access to Veterans Administration Health Care Services

On a state level, only a few assessments have been conducted, which indicate that Maine veterans are also experiencing similar mental and physical health issues; however, it does not appear that the adequacy of Maine’s VHA services to meet the needs of Maine’s veterans has been comprehensively evaluated. It is unknown whether the physical and mental health needs of Maine’s veterans are currently being met. Therefore, this project proposes to determine if there is a similar problem among Maine’s veterans in regard to health issues and lack of access to VHA health services, as has been reported at the national level. To assess the health needs of Maine’s veterans and the adequacy of VHA services to meet those needs, this project involved analysis of a survey data set provided by the Maine Army National Guard regarding soldiers’ perceptions of the quality and accessibility of VHA services and key informant interviews with veteran advocacy groups, VHA officials and VHA providers, as well as a statewide geographic inventory of VHA health services locations. The results of this project provide valuable information to Maine VA officials and state government policymakers to identify and address potential issues with Maine’s VHA services and ensure that the physical and mental health needs of Maine’s veterans are being adequately addressed