EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was first published by RACmonitor on Monday, Nov. 11 in honor of Veteran’s Day.
As a proud granddaughter of the Army, daughter of the Navy, and spouse and aunt of the Air Force, I’m humbled by the dedication of those who have served and continue to serve.
However, I am horrified at how veterans are identified as a rapidly growing face of the social determinants of health (SDoH). The stark realities are abundant and cover each of the SDoH domains.
Housing Insufficiency
Beginning with housing makes sense, as it has been the most-reported SDoH in 2019. The national point-in-time count conducted annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development yielded 38,000 veterans without a home, with 23,000 unsheltered or living on the street.
Roughly 11 percent of the total adult homeless population are veterans: 91 percent are men, 9 percent women. The age demographics speak volumes:
For those veterans forced to deal with homelessness, more than half struggle with a diagnosed mental illness. Over 70 percent have substance abuse challenges.
The Social Determinants of Mental Health (SDoMH)
Veterans deal with considerable behavioral health issues and severe mental health diagnoses. At least:
Women veterans deal with more intense mental health challenges, often related to trauma:
Food Insecurity
Too many veterans and their families deal daily with food insecurity: over 1.5 million, to be precise. The rates of food insecurity among veterans of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is almost twice as high as rates among the general population. At this time, having sufficient and healthy food is an issue for:
Healthcare Access
Among the SDoH domains, the one arguably most surprising is how 2 million veterans lack health insurance, along with 3.8 million members of their households. Many of these individuals are members of working families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid or care at the VA, yet insufficient amounts to afford private insurance. The first years of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act prompted a shift in these numbers, though at the time of this writing, up to 40 percent of all veterans still lack coverage.
Among uninsured veterans:
An Unfortunate Reality
Veterans are an unfortunate face of the SDoH and SDoMH. Our listeners on Monitor Mondays reaffirmed the SDoH-related challenges faced by their veteran patient populations.
{advpoll id=’109′ view_result=’1′ width=’0′ position=’center’}
To all veterans and their families, we are indebted to your service. As a society, there is no doubt, that we can and must do better. Follow this ongoing story and the State of the Social Determinants, weekly on Monitor Mondays.
In a sweeping policy shift, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed significant rollbacks to Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) and equity-related
On American Diabetes Association Alert Day, observed annually on the fourth Tuesday in March, we are reminded of the critical role that early detection and
Please log in to your account to comment on this article.
Stop revenue leakage and boost hospital performance by mastering risk adjustment and HCCs. This essential webcast with expert Cheryl Ericson, RN, MS, CCDS, CDIP, will reveal how inaccurate patient acuity documentation leads to lost reimbursements through penalties from poor quality scores. Learn the critical differences between HCCs and traditional CCs/MCCs, adapt your CDI workflows, and ensure accurate payments in Medicare Advantage and value-based care models. Perfect for HIM leaders, coders, and CDI professionals. Don’t miss this chance to protect your hospital’s revenue and reputation!
Struggling with ICD-10-CM coding for diabetes and complications? This expert-led webcast clarifies complex combination codes, documentation gaps, and sequencing rules to reduce denials and ensure compliance. Dr. Angela Comfort will provide actionable strategies to accurately link diabetes to complications, improve provider documentation, and optimize reimbursement—helping coders, CDI specialists, and HIM leaders minimize audit risks and strengthen revenue integrity. Don’t miss this chance to master diabetes coding with real-world case studies, key takeaways, and live Q&A!
Uncover critical guidance. Kay Piper provides an interactive review on coding guidelines and more in the AHA’s fourth quarter 2025 ICD-10-CM/PCS Coding Clinic in an easy to access on-demand webcast.
Uncover critical guidance. Kay Piper provides an interactive review on coding guidelines and more in the AHA’s third quarter 2025 ICD-10-CM/PCS Coding Clinic in an easy to access on-demand webcast.
Struggling with CMS’s 3-Day Payment Window? Join compliance expert Michael G. Calahan, PA, MBA, CCO, to master billing restrictions for pre-admission and inter-facility services. Learn how to avoid audit risks, optimize revenue cycle workflows, and ensure compliance across departments. Critical for C-suite leaders, providers, coders, revenue cycle teams, and compliance teams—this webcast delivers actionable strategies to protect reimbursements and meet federal regulations.
Providers face increasing Medicare audits when using skin substitute grafts, leaving many unprepared for claim denials and financial liabilities. Join veteran healthcare attorney Andrew B. Wachler, Esq., in this essential webcast and master the Medicare audit process, learn best practices for compliant billing and documentation, and mitigate fraud and abuse risks. With actionable insights and a live Q&A session, you’ll gain the tools to defend your practice and ensure compliance in this rapidly evolving landscape.
Dr. Ronald Hirsch dives into the basics of Medicare for clinicians to be successful as utilization review professionals. He’ll break down what Medicare does and doesn’t pay for, what services it provides and how hospitals get paid for providing those services – including both inpatient and outpatient. Learn how claims are prepared and how much patients must pay for their care. By attending our webcast, you will gain a new understanding of these issues and be better equipped to talk to patients, to their medical staff, and to their administrative team.
Hospitals face growing challenges in measuring observation metrics due to inconsistencies in classification, payer policies, and benchmarking practices. Join Tiffany Ferguson, LMSW, CMAC, ACM, and Anuja Mohla, DO, FACP, MBA, ACPA-C, CHCQM-PHYADV as they provide critical insights into refining observation metrics. This webcast will address key issues affecting observation data integrity and offer strategies for improving consistency in reporting. You will learn how to define meaningful metrics, clarify commonly misinterpreted terms, and apply best practices for benchmarking, and gain actionable strategies to enhance observation data reliability, mitigate financial risk, and drive better decision-making.
Copyright © 2025 ICD10monitor. Powered by MedLearn Media.
Happy National Doctor’s Day! Learn how to get a complimentary webcast on ‘Decoding Social Admissions’ as a token of our heartfelt appreciation! Click here to learn more →
CYBER WEEK IS HERE! Don’t miss your chance to get 20% off now until Dec. 2 with code CYBER24
