Military Health Care » Gina Harkins http://hiddensurge.nationalsecurityzone.org Fri, 19 Oct 2012 16:48:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.4 Rural Veterans Face Long Drives to Access Post-War Health Care http://hiddensurge.nationalsecurityzone.org/nsjihs_special_pages/same-wars-different-benefits-guard-and-reserves-come-home-to-limited-care/ http://hiddensurge.nationalsecurityzone.org/nsjihs_special_pages/same-wars-different-benefits-guard-and-reserves-come-home-to-limited-care/#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:14:23 +0000 http://nationalsecurityzone.medill.northwestern.edu/militaryhealth/?post_type=nsjihs_special_pages&p=421

For the National Guard and Reserves, deployment to war has become a way of life, as it has for active-duty troops. But when they return, the benefits for the reserve component aren’t the same. And accessing post-deployment care is especially difficult for those who live in rural communities.

Aubrey Tapley and Michael Pyatt served in the Army Reserves in Iraq. Both came home wounded, and both have to travel long distances to access Veterans Affairs care.

“We’ve got guys that are doing four or five deployments who are back there every year,” Tapley said. “The face of the Reserves and National Guard has completely changed, but the benefits aren’t keeping up with how it’s changed.”

See the trek these reservists continue to make because of the wounds that they brought home.

Survey responses

When I was on active duty, I got exactly what was due, but on Reserve, we are put in what I'd describe as a second class category much of the time.
- Respondent who served in the Reserves
If wounded in theater, Guard and Reserve with family far away are at a disadvantage when their service member returns to the States. If there is not a caregiver to advocate for them, invisible injuries are often neglected or ignored.
- Respondent who works with those in the Guard and Reserves
There is not always a Veterans Affairs hospital in your immediate area, but they do reimburse you well for mileage and they do have shuttle buses that you can ride, which travel many hours out of the hospital area.
- Respondent who served in the National Guard
The whole process takes too long. Because of this a lot of soldiers do not go and get care.
- Respondent who served in the National Guard
During my time in the Reserves, we were expected to maintain full readiness for deployment, but were offered only limited access to Tricare, for which we were required to pay a monthly premium. That doesn't make sense. If Reservists deploy under current conditions as active duty personnel, why shouldn't they receive the same health care benefits?
- Respondent who served in the Reserves
I feel the VA is trying to do more outreach in rural areas, but it has a long way to go. We are often denied fee-basis services locally because it's cheaper for the VA to have us travel six hours round trip for the same service.
- Respondent who served in the Reserves

Share your story

Have story about accessing care for National Guard and Reserves? Share your story here.

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