This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Veterans and Access to Healthcare – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Veterans and Access to Healthcare.

Sustainment Stories: A Qualitative Analysis of Barriers to Sustainment of the National Rural Transitions of Care Nurse Program
Explores a study evaluating the VA's Transitions Nurse Program (TNP) and its efficacy in rural areas. Details some of the program's early outcomes, barriers, and perceptions.
Author(s): Mary Ava Nunnery, Heather Gilmartin, Michaela McCarthy, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 22, 119
Date: 01/2022
view details
Optimizing Care Coordination to Address Social Determinants of Health Needs for Dual-Use Veterans
Explores a study evaluating a care coordination program that aims to address social determinants of health (SDOH) for veterans who use both Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities and non-VA hospitals. Highlights the social worker-led program to help address SDOH factors, such as connecting veterans with transportation, homelessness resources, and financial assistance, among others. Discusses the role rurality plays in veterans' ability to access services and care.
Author(s): Heidi Sjoberg, Wenhui Liu, Carly Rohs, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 22(59)
Date: 01/2022
view details
Benefits of a Telehealth Approach to Treating Mental Illness among Veterans in Rural Settings
Details a study on the VA's use of telemedicine to provide mental healthcare to rural veterans. Focuses on underserved veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), especially women with military sexual trauma (MST). Includes feedback from veterans on their experience with tele-mental health treatment.
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Systems Research, Office of Research & Development
view details
Tobacco Where You Live: Native Communities
Report focuses on tobacco use in American tribal communities. Differentiates traditional uses of tobacco from commercial use and highlights strategies for highlighting this difference to reduce rates of commercial tobacco use.
Date: 2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
The Regional Distribution of Psychiatric Residency Positions Funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Its Relationship to Rural Veteran Populations
Details a study on the geographic distribution of psychiatry residency positions funded by the VA from 2014-2020. Breaks down data by residency locations, positions available, and rural versus urban areas served, among other measures.
Author(s): Matthew Vincenti, Anthony Albanese, Edward Bope, Bradley V. Watts
Citation: Academic Psychiatry, 46, 435-440
Date: 2022
view details
Evidence Map: Implementation Factors Influencing the Transition from Emergency to Outpatient Care Settings
Summarizes available research on interventions to improve transitions from emergency department to outpatient care settings across health systems and identifies key findings. Discusses common intervention barriers, including rural residence and transportation, and facilitators.
Additional links: Supplemental Materials
Author(s): Karli Kondo, Johanna Anderson, Sarah Young, Rachel Ward
Date: 12/2021
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Systems Research, Office of Research & Development
view details
Growing Rural Outreach through Veteran Engagement (GROVE)
Describes the Center for Growing Rural Outreach through Veteran Engagement (GROVE) program, which develops capacity and resources for Veterans Affairs researchers and staff to be more inclusive of rural Veteran populations. GROVE also serves as a resource center to support projects interested in including veteran engagement in their methods and promotes veteran engagement in Health Services Research & Development (HSR&D) via the HSR&D Veteran Engagement Workgroup, at the Center of Innovation level, and by incorporating Veteran engagement methods in their own HSR&D-funded research.
Date: 12/2021
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Systems Research, Office of Research & Development
view details
Veteran Oral Health: Expanding Access and Equity
Report discusses the oral health disparities and barriers to access for veterans. Features data pertaining to the oral health status of rural veterans and explores oral health coverage among veterans.
Author(s): Annaliese Cothron, Sean Boynes, Chelsea Chokas, et al.
Date: 12/2021
Sponsoring organizations: American Institute of Dental Public Health, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health
view details
Evidence Brief: Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence/Sexual Assault Among Veterans
Report details a study on the prevalence of intimate partner violence and sexual assault experienced by veterans. Breaks down data by type of abuse suffered and rurality, among other measures.
Additional links: Supplemental Materials
Author(s): Nicholas J. Parr, Sarah Young, Rachel Ward, Katherine Mackey
Date: 12/2021
Sponsoring organizations: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
view details
Changes in the Associations of Race and Rurality with SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Mortality, and Case Fatality in the United States from February 2020 to March 2021: A Population-based Cohort Study
Examines the associations of ethnicity, urban or rural residence, and clinical risk factors on COVID-19 infection and mortality among U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health system enrollees between February 2020 and March 2021. Describes how these associations changed during this period.
Author(s): George N. Ioannou, Jacqueline M. Ferguson, Ann M. O'Hare, et al.
Citation: PLoS Medicine, 18(10)
Date: 10/2021
view details

Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:


Last Updated: 3/18/2025