By: Lindsay Marcal, Director, Membership 

The National Health Council (NHC) hosted Veteran, patient, and caregiver organizations for a meeting on September 17, 2024. Representatives from these organizations presented insights into the latest issues affecting the men, women, and families who currently serve or who have served in the U.S. military and discussed their policy priorities. Staff from the NHC also shared how our advocacy efforts on behalf of people living with chronic diseases and disabilities and their family caregivers align with the missions of Veteran, patient, and caregiver organizations.

Some issues that were top of mind at the meeting included coordination and consistency of care, disparities in women’s care, resources for caregivers, access to care for Veterans in rural communities, and support for mental health. The group also discussed the potential impacts of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) budget shortfall this year and into FY25.

Participants also shared helpful resources for the group and others who work in this area, such as a report released earlier this year by the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Women Veterans: The Journey to Mental Wellness. 

Beyond policy, several participants in the meeting shared with the group their personal experiences with physical and mental health challenges during and following their service and the effects of these experiences on their families.  

The NHC is a leader in addressing health system issues that are aligned with those of the military and Veteran communities:

• • Ensuring consistency of care across the health care systems to enable patients to have access to a baseline of care and services. 

• • Centering patient perspective in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in health care. 

• • Applying the lens of health equity on every aspect of this work and understanding what the policy issues are within this broader area of focus that organization can be engaging on to make a real impact.

The NHC looks forward to exploring future discussion and collaboration with these organizations and others in this field, including organizations representing active military, to advance our shared priorities on patient engagement and access to affordable and equitable health care.