A Conversation About the Health Needs of Minority Veterans

Ethnic and racial minorities are projected to make up 37% of New York’s veteran population by 2040, and women are expected to comprise more than 10% of New York’s veteran population by 2025. In some ways, minority veterans have greater access to health care than their civilian counterparts; more than 90% of minority veterans have health insurance, for example. Yet the racial and ethnic health disparities that persist in the United States are largely mirrored in the veteran community.

A new NYHealth-funded needs assessment by the Center for a New American Security explores the disparities between the outcomes of minority veterans in New York State and their nonminority veteran peers. The report assesses the extent of those disparities for women; racial/ethnic minorities; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.

On February 26, 2020, NYHealth hosted a conversation with Kayla Williams, Senior Fellow and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security, to explore the findings and recommendations from the needs assessment. Ms. Williams also discussed her experience transitioning out of the military, her time working at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the research that is still needed to truly understand and meet the needs of minority veterans.