VA raises the bar on care for Women Veterans

The Barriers for Women Veterans to VA Health Care 2024 report examines the input of over 7,000 women Veterans and shows that women are happier with VA health care than ever before. This comprehensive study provides crucial insights into your experiences, and it highlights both our successes and areas where we can do better.

Key highlights from the survey results

• Safety and comfort: 83% of women Veterans who use VA feel safe and comfortable at VA facilities.
  • Since 2014, we’ve made notable strides to improve VA facilities, resulting in a significant satisfaction increase from women Veterans: facility cleanliness and equipment are up by 10%, accessible parking by 17%, safe parking by 8%, privacy at check-in by 8%, and welcoming waiting areas by 9%.
• Provider satisfaction: 82% of women Veterans who use VA are pleased with their VA provider and feel respected by their primary care providers, specialists, nurses and office staff.
  • Most notably, satisfaction with general medical knowledge has risen from 79% in 2014 to 86% in 2024, likely due to the success of our VA Women’s Health Mini-Residency Program. VA has trained over 11,500 VA providers specifically in women Veteran’s care. Through this training, providers are able to better serve women Veterans with gender-specific care, including reproductive health, gynecology, breast health and cancer screening, maternity care and more.
• Sense of belonging: 74% of women Veterans who use VA feel a strong sense of belonging at VA.
  • Women Veterans’ strong sense of belonging is a positive reflection of VA’s commitment to creating an inclusive environment and increasing women-specific communications over the past 10 years. VA women’s health care-related campaigns and materials consider the diverse needs of women Veterans and emphasize that VA provides personalized health care to meet each woman’s individual needs. This includes access to trauma-informed care and options in how they receive their care, such as requesting a provider of a certain gender, private waiting rooms, telehealth options, chaperones during appointments and more.
  • Additionally, communications continue to include culture change campaigns to highlight VA’s approach and services around topics important to women Veterans, including gender-based harassment, suicide prevention, diversity and inclusion, Women’s History Month and more.

While these results are encouraging, we recognize that there are still areas where we need to focus our efforts. You identified several barriers to care, which we are actively addressing and improving.

• Understanding benefits and health care: 37% reported not understanding benefits and 27% reported not having enough information on how to use VA health care.
  • VA is committed to empowering you with information regarding your health care options. Our monthly health and culture change campaigns, Women Veterans Call Center, and the Center for Women Veterans‘ newsletters are designed to keep you informed and engaged. Additionally, local VA facilities offer specialized support through Women Veterans Program Managers, Maternity Care Coordinators and LGBTQ+ Care Coordinators.
• Expanded access to care: About one in four women have switched to a non-VA provider due to limited hours, and over half of those of you who use VA say extended hours would be helpful.
  • We understand the importance of convenient care options. Many VA facilities have extended weekday and weekend hours. For added flexibility, we encourage the use of telehealth appointments to make it easier to receive care without the need for travel.
• Family needs: For those of you with children needing care, 40% said it was difficult to find childcare and 46% had canceled a medical appointment in the past 12 months because of this.
  • Recognizing the challenges of balancing childcare with medical appointments, VA is enhancing support through the Deborah Sampson Act of 2021, ensuring additional childcare support to help you manage family responsibilities while accessing essential health care services.

Our commitment to you

We are committed to making significant improvements to ensure that you have the support you need and more options than ever before. Our services and resources continually expand each year. Enhanced women Veterans’ health care includes:

• Expanded services: Increased availability of extended hours, childcare, telehealth, home care, medical equipment, mail-order prescriptions and transportation.
• Comprehensive care: Access to personalized services, such as primary care, gynecology, reproductive health, maternity care, mental health, specialty care and cancer screenings.
• Women providers: Enhanced access to women’s health providers and women-only clinics, with options to request a specific gendered provider.
• Safety and respect: A respectful environment with practices like medical chaperones and accommodating specific requests to ensure safety and comfort.
• Mental Health support: Access to Women’s Mental Health Champions, counseling, support groups and 24/7 confidential support through the Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 and press 1).
• Increased communication: Improved access to information via the Women Veterans Call Center (1-855-VA-WOMEN), the Center for Women Veterans‘ newsletters, womenshealth.va.gov, Veteran Service Organizations, and direct messaging with VA health care teams.

Thank you to the thousands of women Veterans who provided feedback. You are helping VA shape the future of women’s health care. Visit the Women’s Health webpage or call 1-855-VA-WOMEN for personalized assistance with eligibility, enrollment and VA women’s health care and benefits.