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Veterans Are Better Off Than Non-Veterans, but VA Patients Are Older and Sicker Than the Veteran Population Overall

• Veterans are older, have higher levels of education, and are less likely to be unemployed and live below the poverty line than non-veterans. Homelessness among veterans is also declining.
• Veterans have a higher prevalence of many common heath conditions than non-veterans. VA patients are older and less healthy than veterans who do not use VA health care, and the prevalence of many health conditions is expected to increase among VA patients over the next decade.

The Veteran and VA Patient Populations Will Shift in the Next Decade

• The veteran population is projected to decrease by 19 percent over the next ten years, barring a major policy change or large-scale conflict. The number of veterans who rely on VA health care is expected to increase over the next five years and then level off after that period.
• The geographic distribution of veterans will change, with more veterans concentrated in urban areas. There will also be modest changes in the demographics of the veteran population.

VA Faces a Number of Challenges in Predicting Veterans' Health Care Needs

• Most veterans who are eligible for VA health care have other sources of health coverage and rely on VA to meet only some of their health care needs. Predicting reliance on VA health care is difficult due to limitations in available data on veterans' health care use.
• Significant policy and eligibility changes and economic trends could affect the number of veterans who rely on VA health care.