Fact Sheet: The Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 on New York State Veterans

New York State is home to more than 700,000 military veterans. Prior to the pandemic, veterans in New York State were 8 times more likely to experience post-traumatic stress disorder and 2–4 times more likely to experience major depression than their civilian counterparts. The COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate mental health and substance use issues that too often bring veterans in contact with the criminal justice system.

See a fact sheet on how COVID-19 has impacted the mental health of New York State’s veterans.

Full list of references

1. New York State Division of Veterans’ Services, “2019 Annual Report,” https://veterans.ny.gov/sites/default/files/annual-report-2019.pdf.
2. Mike Richman, “Veterans and the criminal justice system,” U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, September 8, 2018, https://www.research.va.gov/currents/0918-VA-researcher-examines-Vets-who-collide-with-criminal-justice-system.cfm.
3. Wounded Warrior Project and Westat, “2020 Annual Warrior Survey,” 2020, https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/media/zojlzv53/2020-annual-warrior-survey.pdf.
4. N. Leigh-Hunt et al., “An Overview of Systematic Reviews on the Public Health Consequences of Social Isolation and Loneliness,” Public Health 152 (November 2017): 157–71, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2017.07.035.
5. “Unemployment Rates for People 18 Years and Older by Veteran Status, Period of Service, and Sex, Not Seasonally Adjusted,” accessed November 13, 2020, https://www.bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/unemployment-rates-for-persons-18-years-and-older-by-veteran-status.htm.
6. Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, “Effects of COVID-Induced Economic Recession on Veteran Suicide and Substance Use Disorder,” June 18, 2020, http://mmhpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/COVID-MHSUDImpactsVeterans.pdf.
7. Wounded Warrior Project and Westat, “2020 Annual Warrior Survey,” 2020, https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/media/zojlzv53/2020-annual-warrior-survey.pdf.
8. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “SNAP Helps 1.3 Million Low-Income Veterans, Including Thousands in Every State,” January 2020, https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/snap-helps-13-million-low-income-veterans-including-thousands-in-every
9. Christina M. Marini et al., “Aging Veterans’ Mental Health and Well-Being in the Context of COVID-19: The Importance of Social Ties during Physical Distancing.,” Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy 12, no. S1 (20200611): S217, https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000736.
10. New York State Division of Veterans’ Services, “2019 Annual Report,” https://veterans.ny.gov/sites/default/files/annual-report-2019.pdf.