Our Neglect of Millions of Veterans
While flags fly and politicians preach patriotism, millions of our veterans remain neglected. Here are seven examples.
20 – Twenty veterans die by suicide each day. In fact, the risk for suicide is 22 percent higher among veterans than the non-veteran population, according to the Veterans Administration.
24 – Twenty-four percent of all veterans, about 4.9 million people, have a service-connected disability. Hundreds of thousands more are trying to appeal denials of disability benefits.
40,065 – On a single night in January 2017, over 40,000 veterans were homeless, according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Three in five homeless veterans were staying in emergency shelters or transitional housing. Over 15,000 homeless veterans were staying in places not suitable for human habitation.
318,000 – The Veterans Administration estimated there are over 318,000 appeals of veteran benefits pending nationwide, with an average wait time for appeals of 935 days.
370,000 – Over 370,000 veterans are unemployed according to the US Department of Labor. Unemployment is higher for younger veterans between the ages of 22 and 34 than civilians.
1,465,807 – The Census Bureau reports that 1,465,807 veterans live under the official US poverty line.
1,500,000 – Almost 1.5 million veterans live in households with low enough incomes that they receive benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly food stamps).
Bill Quigley is Associate Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights and a law professor at Loyola University New Orleans. He is a Katrina survivor and has been active in human rights in Haiti for years. He volunteers with the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) and the Bureau de Avocats Internationaux (BAI).