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Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1971-9573

Date Available

11-13-2023

Year of Publication

2023

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Doctor of Social Work (DSW)

Faculty

Laura Escobar-Ratliff

Abstract

The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) operates the largest integrated health care system in the country. The VA dates back to 1865, when President Lincoln signed legislature establishing a network for caring for the nation’s wounded after the Civil War. Many see this system as a safety net for the nation’s military veterans. Research shows veterans have reported several factors that interfere with them receiving needed mental health treatment from the VA. The majority of veterans are males however the number of females is quickly growing. Currently, females make up 11% of the veteran population and are projected to reach 18% by the year 2046. Research shows that female veterans are a heterogenous group. Forty-three percent of female veterans identify as a member of a racial/ethnic group. The largest individual racial group is Black females at 19%. This capstone project seeks to answer the question, is the VA meeting the needs of all of those it is trusted to care for. Three different products are used is this capstone project all focusing on answering that question. The first product is a systematic literature review that identifies barriers Black female veterans encounters to mental health treatment from the VA. The second product is a conceptual paper that highlights the mental health needs of Black females while also evaluating current VA processes and their theoretical underpinnings. The conceptual paper investigates how this theoretical approach influences the interactions between Black female veterans and VA providers. It examines if this theory is helping to reinforce an environment that is unwelcoming to this veteran subpopulation. A new theoretical approach is presented. The final product is a practice application paper. The practice application paper provides an example of how to implement the new approach presented in the conceptual paper through the use of a case example.

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