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Veterans who have served in the military since September 11, 2001, are at particularly high risk for co-occurring substance use disorders (SUDs) and mental health disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. Many treatment facilities require abstinence from substances prior to admission for mental health care, but the combination of symptoms that these disorders present makes them difficult to treat separately. Thus, integrated care—in which both SUDs and mental health problems are addressed concurrently—is a recommended form of treatment for these veterans. To help improve access to effective treatment for these veterans, the authors review the literature on efficacious approaches to treating SUDs alone and alongside mental health disorders. They also present findings from an analysis of the availability of treatment centers that offer SUD care for veterans and from a series of interviews and site visits with treatment providers. The authors conclude with guidance and recommendations to support the delivery of quality care for veterans with SUDs and, ultimately, to help expand and enhance treatment opportunities for veterans with co-occurring SUDs and mental health disorders.

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From Coverage to Care (C2C) launched in 2014 with the dual goals of helping consumers understand their health insurance coverage and connect to care and supporting organizations in the community as they assist consumers at various points in this process. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services asked a team of RAND researchers to evaluate the effectiveness of C2C in meeting these goals. The authors present the results of their mixed-methods analysis, which included secondary analyses of product-ordering and other data, a survey of organizations placing C2C product orders, a survey of consumers who had and had not reported C2C, and four case studies in communities using C2C products tailored to meet their language or cultural needs. The authors detected a positive association between C2C dissemination and flu vaccination but did not detect associations between C2C and six other measures of primary care and emergency care utilization. Findings from the consumer survey, which asked individuals whether they had ever seen C2C materials, suggest that those who were exposed to C2C were more likely to have high health insurance literacy, routine checkups, regular blood pressure monitoring, and flu vaccinations. Findings from the survey of organizations, which asked about dissemination channels, suggest that most organizations shared C2C materials with others in their community through distribution at events, talking to colleagues informally, or presenting C2C in a meeting or at an event. However, it is unclear how many of these efforts resulted in uptake by other organizations. RAND recommends a strategic planning approach to guide future dissemination efforts.

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Between 2000 and 2021, the U.S. Department of Defense diagnosed more than 444,300 service members as experiencing at least one traumatic brain injury (TBI) during their military service. The number of TBIs experienced, and their severity, can affect the trajectory of and prognosis for recovery. Much progress has been made in developing, implementing, and disseminating effective treatments for TBI, yet gaps remain in understanding the long-term care and support needs for veterans who have sustained one or more TBIs during their military service. This report presents the findings from a study commissioned by Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) and conducted by the RAND Corporation to identify the long-term outcomes of TBI for veterans serving since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; the future needs of this population; effective treatments for TBI; and the availability of community-based resources. The information in this report can be used to better understand which approaches may offer the best care for veterans with TBI, as well as help inform the care and support offered to veterans and their caregivers.

Brain damage --- Brain damage --- Disabled veterans --- Veterans --- Patients --- Care --- Patients --- Rehabilitation --- Medical care --- Medical care