Supporting older military veterans in the rural US

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of rural older veterans in the USA and discuss how the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is increasing access to health care for older veterans in rural areas. Design/methodology/approach - This is a descriptive paper summarizing population and program data about rural veterans. Findings - VA provides a variety of health care services and benefits for older veterans to support health, independence, and quality of life. With the creation of the Veterans Health Administration Office of Rural Health (ORH) in 2006, the needs of rural veterans, who are on average older than urban veterans, are receiving greater attention and support. ORH and VA have implemented several programs to specifically improve access to health care for rural veterans and to improve quality of care for older veterans in rural areas. Originality/value - This paper is one of the first to describe how VA is addressing the health care needs of older, rural veterans.