The VA’s Center for Women Veterans celebrated its 20th anniversary today at the Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“Our Nation has 359,000 women serving right now – about 16 percent of the Active, Guard, and Reserve force,” said VA Secretary Bob McDonald during the ceremony. “Women Veterans represent 10.5 percent of all Veterans in the United States. They have earned the title of Veteran and we’re proud to honor them all.”
VA’s Center for Women Veterans team is led by women Veterans, who understand the needs of Veterans and are working day in, and day out, on their behalf.
Women are the fastest growing group within the Veterans population. According to the 2011 Veteran Population Projection Model, in 2014, women comprised 11 percent of the total Veteran population in the United States. By 2040, women are projected to comprise 18 percent of all living U.S. Veterans, with 58 percent of women Veterans coming from the Gulf War era (Source: Veteran Population Projection Model, 2011).
“Those estimates mean we have a lot of work to do,” McDonald said. “We have to ensure VA serves all Veterans in the way they want and need to be served – so every Veteran can call it MyVA. “
Women Veterans are a diverse and ever-changing group. In 2014, according to the 2011 Veteran Population Project Model, 34 percent of the women Veterans population is non-white and Hispanic; 83 percent of women Veterans are 35 years of age or older.
Congress created the Center for Women Veterans in 1994 to ensure that women have access to VA benefits and services on par with male Veterans, and to monitor VA’s administration of benefits and services to women Veterans.
For more information about women Veterans, visit www.va.gov/womenvet.
Topics in this story
More Stories
Over the five-year program, more than 14,000 VET TEC beneficiaries completed their program and nearly half have reported finding meaningful employment with an average starting annual salary of $65,000.
VA is calling for applicants for the 2024 Specially Adapted Housing Assistive Technology grant.
Updated COVID vaccines are available free of charge to Veterans receiving care at VA .
Having a Center for Women Veterans in the VA is critical and I appreciate it enormously. A great deal of important work to improve the services to women veterans has occurred over the last 20 years.
I suspect those who were not around when there were virtually no services for women veterans with injuries and disabilities and we were seldom in the corridors, have trouble appreciating the immense improvements.
There is a long way to go. The systems are as varied as the regions in which they reside and this Center will continue to be important toward insuring safety, security, access, transparency and effective communication for a long time to come.
Thank you for the work that has been accomplished.
I am truly disappointed by the lack of response by female veterans to this article. I saw so many complaints about the article on female veterans not being representedin the graphics arts article, yet there are very few comments about this one. No disrespect intended, maybe they just haven’t been back on the website.
Thank you Mr. McDonald. I joined the WAC in 1966 and have always been proud to have been a member. I was proud to serve my country when women were not always looked upon with respect, but we have come a long way. We still have a way to go though
I have applied for an Honor Flight and hope to be able to visit the any and all memorials to the military women.
I wish everyone realized just how lucky we are to have been born in the USA.
Thank you again for recognizing all the military women.
Janet Appling
CPT, WAC, Retired
U ladies it took va 20 year to stay thanks why, it cover up u ladies need join veteran in this rally too ! Let hope we can decided when a rally can help get those government offices off their sit help the everyone heath care, and make us have no bs thing pop up they need to help all veterans just not a few. Equal treatment for all men women and future veteran.
I am very happy to leave the first comment regarding this article! I’ve seen the comments from the female veterans and now I’m happy to see that the Veterans Administration is paying attention to these blogs! The one name that comes right off my head is Stephanie, here you go my sister! I read it now you read it and I hope you get a smile just as big as the one that is on my face! God bless all my sisters in arms!
Why did u wait so long, it like we 1 women help too. Fight war.
what in the world – I have been retired 20 years – what did the VA do for female veterans prior to 1990s? WAC was disbanded in 1978? there is a little laps in time here fellas?
This explains a lot ! WOW
As usual the VA pats themselves on the back celebrating a false intent to justify their existence. What about the Viet Nam vets? How about all the vets male and female that served more honorable than what the VA have treated them.
Please listen I know how to reduce or possibly eliminate Veterans from committing suicide. I have written the white house every single week telling them I have a answer to this problem however I am ignored. I was a veteran that tried to commit suicide. This is ridicules that no one calls to find out what this is that will save lives. I feel so strongly about stopping and preventing veterans from committing suicide! I am and will make my ideas a reality. 22 veterans are going to commit suicide today and this is sinking because we have a way to prevent it. However no one will give me the time to show this simple program. This is crazy! How many people say they can stop suicides? Well I am! Please find someone to meet with me and we will protect our veterans. We have to stop waiting for more deaths before we make a decision to try out my idea that will save lives. Pleas someone reach out it will save many lives.
Sincerely,
Brian Drey (602) 377 6368
hey Brian, thank you for your concern over the suicide rate among veterans! I too have attempted suicide on two occasions. I have recently become involved in a program called horses with heart. This program teaches proper horsemanship and helps veterans primarily those with PTSD. Among all the statistics, I would be interested and knowing how many female veterans commit suicide each year. This article is dedicated to female veterans, yet so many are using it to voice their own complaints. my brothers, let’s give our sisters in arms the pat on the back that they have been denied for so many years! My sisters, you are now being put in positions of what for so many years were thought to be only those for men, don’t get upset with me, I said THOUGHT to be. the time is coming when we proud American Veterans will be required to once again defend our great country, and I will stand beside any man or woman that is willing to stand beside me and defend Her!