Caring for Our Veterans' Mental Health: The Availability of Community-Based Services and Supports
Research Data Brief
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Associated Project
National Surveys of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facilities
Prepared for:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Key Findings
- The availability of community-based mental health services increased from 2010 to 2020.
- More than 80 percent of all facilities provide core mental health treatments such as individual, group, or family therapy.
- VA-operated facilities are more likely to provide support services (including care coordination services, physical health services, and social services) than facilities that accept VA funding.
- The availability of employment supports, psychiatric emergency services, and services specifically for people with traumatic brain injury was low.
Caring for our veterans’ mental health is a national priority. About 4 million veterans served in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2001 and 2014. Many veterans returned from deployment with complex care needs and an increased risk for mental health and substance use problems, suicide, and homelessness. An estimated 41 percent potentially need mental health services, and almost 20 percent have post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. Community-based mental health services, which include outpatient services, day treatment, and partial hospitalization programs, are critical to help veterans live independently and avoid disability.
In this study, we used data from the National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS) from 2010 to 2020 to examine the availability of community-based mental health services to veterans. We present information on the mental health services and supports offered through U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities and, because some veterans choose to seek care outside of the VA, through mental health facilities that accept VA funding.
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