Our Veterans Deserve Better

[pixel-pools-e8bf71a]www.ozy.com [OZY]() The newsletter to fuel — and thrill — your mind. Read for deep dives into the unmissable ideas and topics shaping our world. Nov 11, 2021 TODAY America’s longest war is over. Yet the thousands of U.S. soldiers who served in Afghanistan that have returned home in recent months are returning to conflicts of another sort. Today’s Daily Dose explores the challenges our troops face at home, the unlikely fixes that could help them, and the soldiers fighting for change. Suffering in Silence 1 - Not Enough to Eat About [27% of veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq]( are food insecure — more than double the rate of the general U.S. population. While soldiers of recent wars are the most likely to struggle to put food on the table, it's merely a magnification of what many vets face. Overall, between 6% and 24% — the numbers vary across different studies — of U.S. vets combat food insecurity. A part of the problem is the way eligibility is designed for food stamps under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), according to MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, a national nonprofit fighting to end hunger. Service members get what’s called a basic allowance for housing. But that allowance — which must go toward housing — is [considered income when determining SNAP eligibility](. That prevents many military families from accessing this “critically important — and often lifesaving — federal benefit,” the organization says. 2 - Nowhere to Sleep Not that the housing allowance is enough to avoid homelessness either. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), more than 37,000 veterans were living on the streets at the start of 2020. And that was before the pandemic. With the eviction moratorium set to expire at the end of July, the Department of Veterans Affairs is [cautioning that the number could skyrocket](. To make matters worse, we may not know how many more vets consequently became homeless until well into 2022. That’s when HUD is slated to take its next survey on homelessness in America. Fortunately, the Department of Veterans Affairs is stepping up its efforts. In July, the agency [awarded]( roughly $418 million in grants to help address the problem. 3 - Left on Their Own But the VA itself is part of the problem. As of April, it [reportedly]( denied more than 70% of claims related to respiratory and other health problems as a result of toxin exposure at burn pits (the military often disposes of waste through large fires). That may change thanks to a new piece of legislation called [The True Cost of War Recognition Act](, championed by Montana Sen. Jon Tester. If it becomes law, the bill could provide nearly 3.5 million vets exposed to burn pits with lifelong coverage. 4 - Wallowing in Debt For many, the struggles over housing, hunger and health care are accompanied by a basic challenge: debt. A study from [Pew Research]( reveals that a third of all veterans struggle to pay the bills. According to the [FINRA Foundation](, veterans are 33% more likely to be a part of the gig economy than their civilian counterparts. And things are getting worse. FINRA found that between 2015 and 2018, the percentage of veterans likely to report [poor credit habits had risen by 11%](. According to a [2020 report]( from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, recent vets are also 10 times more likely to have delinquency or credit defaults than before they entered the service. Who's Helping, and How 1 - From Shelter to Home Post-traumatic stress makes it hard for many of America’s [37,000 homeless veterans]( to adjust to living with civilians in traditional shelters. Now [“villages” of tiny furnished homes](, each one measuring 240 square feet, are emerging as transitional housing solutions for former soldiers. The veterans are guaranteed a roof over their heads, basic social services, training to rebuild a professional career outside the military and most importantly, a sense of community with other veterans to whom they can relate. 2 - Psychedelics Tame PTSD Texas recently [passed]( groundbreaking new legislation that will fund research into using psychedelic drugs like MDMA, ketamine and psilocybin to address mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder. The bipartisan legislation was signed into law last month and includes more than [$1 million]( in funding to study the effects of psychedelics over a two-year period. The law is backed by groups that advocate for the mental health of former soldiers and believe it could [help cut suicide rates among vets](. 3 - Love is the Drug Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco studied the effects of oxytocin, otherwise known as the “love hormone,” and its impact on active soldiers with PTSD. OZY reported on the study first in 2017, and on its completion last year [the results were promising](, suggesting that oxytocin could suppress the urge to turn to drugs and alcohol. Now a [larger study]( is underway. Perhaps love — or at least a dose of the love hormone — is what vets really need. [READ MORE ON OZY]( WATCH ​​HR McMaster Ex National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster Talks Trump, Obama, and Racism in the Military Well-Being Warriors 1 - Peace Games Video games can be a great distraction from the pressures of society, and for vets, there are quite a few. For the wounded vet who may have lost a hand, using a game controller may not be so easy. Maryland-based mechanical engineer Ken Jones figured out another way. He’s using his skills to adapt controllers so wounded vets can use them. That’s not all. He’s also designing parts that allow the ex-soldiers to configure their own controllers based on their injuries. [READ MORE ON OZY]( 2 - Food on the Table Abby Leibman is on a mission to [convince Congress]( to step up and change policies — including bringing more vets under the umbrella of SNAP — so that members of the military no longer need to worry about hunger. The president and CEO of [MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger]( has been at it for a decade. A former civil rights attorney, Leibman recently testified on Capitol Hill about the issue and is [cautiously optimistic](. “I think the pandemic may have changed things for a lot of people — not only individuals who are struggling … but also for policymakers who saw things that were revealing to them,” Leibman tells OZY. “All the words in the world won’t necessarily persuade policymakers until they see it for themselves.” 3 - Reaching Out According to the VA,[1.7 million]( vets received some kind of mental health care in 2020. And research by the [National Institutes for Health]( shows that risk factors for suicide are significantly higher among vets than in the civilian population. Yet [70% of vets do not reach out for help]( before taking their lives. Col. Michael Hudson, a [former scuba diving instructor]( who had a three-decade career with the U.S. Marines, is flipping that equation. Instead of expecting vets to reach out, his firm Clear Force proactively connects with [ex-soldiers who may need help](. “Veterans specifically have been taught to solve the riddle, push forward and try and get there by themselves,” Colonel Hudson tells OZY. Using data, Clear Force tracks financial and social risk patterns — such as large bank loans and frequent job changes — and helps the VA and other veterans’ support groups reach out to former military personnel with timely interventions. Quote of the Day “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” — John F. Kennedy Community Corner How do you think we should be helping our veterans? Share your thoughts, send us an email at ozycommunity@ozy.com! 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