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The Weak Link in Veterans’ Medical Care: An Expanded Role for Community Healthcare Providers

Jeffrey L Brown

Eighty percent of military veterans receive most of their medical care from non-VA community providers. These providers do not identify them as veterans. The result is that service-related medical and psychological conditions are underdiagnosed, proper referrals are not made, and veterans do not receive services to which they are entitled. Community healthcare providers should know why and how to identify veterans and how to take a basic military health history.

Background: Many articles have appeared in the news that describe the problems that military veterans have when obtaining medical care at Veterans Administration (VA) facilities, but little attention has been focused on the quality of care that veterans receive from community providers. The reason for this is that most providers do not know which of their patients have served in the military.