Women Veterans

in Florida

National Resources for Women

Veterans
VA Hotline on Health Care and
Benefits for Women Veterans
1-855-VA-WOMEN

Florida has the third largest state population of women veterans, after California and Texas. In the nation, there are 1.9
million female veterans. There are currently more than 166,000 women who have served in our military living in Florida.
Women are the largest growing group of military veterans who, like their male counterparts, are in need of assistance and
recognition.
Of the 22 million veterans in the nation, 1.9 million of them are women

10% of the nations veterans population are women

5% of VA healthcare services are used by women veterans1

VA Center for Women Veterans

http://www.va.gov/womenvet
U.S. Department of Labor Website for Women Veterans
http://www.dol.gov/vets/
womenveterans
The Womens Memorial
http://www.womensmemorial.org
U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs
https://www.va.gov/womenvet
Sources

Veterans can have a hard time coming back into civilian society and face many difficult challenges: health problems, PTSD,
MST, high divorce rates, and homelessness. Unfortunately, women coming back from service have to deal with some
problems that many men do not.2 These issues include:

Women veterans are twice as likely to be homeless than women who did not serve. This is even more alarming when
considering they are more likely to be a single parent.

The military culture results in high rates of sexual assault and a lack of reporting rates. 1 in 5 women who use the VA
health care suffer from Military Sexual Trauma (MST). MST is undertreated, with 1/3 of the VA medical centers unable
to attend to the needs of those suffering from MST.
Disabilities and prosthetics offer a particular challenge to women veterans, as they are less likely to receive a prosthetic
and have issues with wear during pregnancies.

Florida Department of Veteran

Affairs. floridavets.org/ourveterans/women-veterans
2

Women Veterans Resource.

www.womenveteransresources.or
g/our-mission

Only 1/3 of the VA medical centers provide a gynecologist, even though the need for preventative screenings, breast
care, prenatal and obstetrical care, neonatal care, and infertility services is growing as more women join the veteran
population.
PTSD affects many women veterans but there is a lack of gender-specific help from the VA and DOD currently3

We are in an era with a growing number of female veterans and a majority of the women are under respected and struggling
in their transition into civilians. In one study, 70% of the women veterans surveyed said they struggled with forming strong
relationships in their civilian life, and two-thirds of the women responding that they were not respected and valued as
veterans.4

3.

Disabled American Veterans.

www.dav.org/learn-more/
news/2014/new-report-revealsnation-still-fully-equipped-support
-women-veterans

President Obama pushed for fairness in the military, listening to

commanders as we ended Don't Ask Don't Tell, and on how to
allow women to officially serve in more combat jobs. Because
America's daughters are just as capable of defending liberty as her
sons!
-Sen. Tammy Duckworth

4.

Military Times.
www.militarytimes.com
5.

Senator Duckworth lost both her legs in the Iraq war and is an
advocate for veterans in Congress.5

People Magazine. people.com/

politics/tammy-duckworth-winssenate-seat
KATHERINE FREY/THE WASHINGTON POST VIA GETTY

Office of the Attorney General

The Capitol, PL-01
Tallahassee, FL
32399-1050
Phone: (850) 414-330
Fax: (850) 82104131
www.fcsw.net

The Florida Department of Veterans Affairs

There is a veteran claim examiner in the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs (FDVA) whose role is specifically to help
female veterans. The FDVA helps with claims from veterans, outreach, raising funds to support outreach, and hosting the
Florida Statewide Annual Women Veterans Conference.
Contact Darlene Scully, Womens Veterans Coordinator at scullyd@fdva.state.fl.us or visit their website, http://floridavets.org.
Veterans Florida
www.veteransflorida.org
A dedicated non-profit supporting Women Veterans and their transition into the civilian culture in Florida.
Special thanks to the Editing Intern Jordan Bolan for her assistance in creating this factsheet