ABSTRACT
Many Veterans make big life decisions in conjunction with separating from service, as separation from the institution brings with it a newfound freedom over life direction, such as employment, geographic location, and lifestyle choices. Of about 21.6 million Veterans across the country, just over 8.5 million are enrolled for care from a Veterans Health Administration (VA) provider (“Department of Veterans Affairs”). Not only that, but data was only collected from VAs in 21 states, missing states with large, concentrated Veteran populations such as California and Texas. M. J. Kirchner noted Veterans experience a loss of both structure and community upon transitioning out of military service. S. J. Danish and B. J. Antonides argued that reintegration difficulties are closely tied to challenges of transitioning to a war environment and then back into the family rather than psychological or physical injuries from the war experience itself.
