Rural Veterans and Access to Healthcare – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Veterans and Access to Healthcare.
VHA 2024 State of Innovation Report
Reports on innovative programs and services in the U.S. Veterans Health Administration. Highlights pilot projects, projects being planned, and projects already implemented at local VA facilities. Discusses rural projects related to physical therapy, telehealth for podiatry and dentistry, and social connection.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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Reports on innovative programs and services in the U.S. Veterans Health Administration. Highlights pilot projects, projects being planned, and projects already implemented at local VA facilities. Discusses rural projects related to physical therapy, telehealth for podiatry and dentistry, and social connection.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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Women Veterans: The Journey to Mental Wellness
Report discussing mental health for female veterans. Discusses topics including suicide prevention with a focus on rural issues, abuse and violence, substance use, eating disorders, social connectedness, maternity, and care coordination. Offers policy and research recommendations to the Veterans Health Administration.
Additional links: Quick Glance
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: Disabled American Veterans
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Report discussing mental health for female veterans. Discusses topics including suicide prevention with a focus on rural issues, abuse and violence, substance use, eating disorders, social connectedness, maternity, and care coordination. Offers policy and research recommendations to the Veterans Health Administration.
Additional links: Quick Glance
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: Disabled American Veterans
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Effectiveness of Syringe Services Programs
Presents a literature review of the studies evaluating SSP interventions across the country. Report aims to evaluate the overall efficacy of SSPs at reducing the transmission of HIV/HCV. Four of the 100 studies were conducted in completely rural settings, and 5 were conducted in both rural and urban settings. Makes recommendations for VA policy makers.
Additional links: Appendices, Executive Summary
Author(s): Katherine M. Mackey, Erin H. Beech, Beth E. Williams, et al.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Systems Research, Office of Research & Development
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Presents a literature review of the studies evaluating SSP interventions across the country. Report aims to evaluate the overall efficacy of SSPs at reducing the transmission of HIV/HCV. Four of the 100 studies were conducted in completely rural settings, and 5 were conducted in both rural and urban settings. Makes recommendations for VA policy makers.
Additional links: Appendices, Executive Summary
Author(s): Katherine M. Mackey, Erin H. Beech, Beth E. Williams, et al.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Systems Research, Office of Research & Development
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Improving the Maternity Care Safety Net: Establishing Maternal Mortality Surveillance for Non-Obstetric Providers and Institutions
Examines a quality improvement plan implemented by the Veterans Health Administration (VA) that utilizes system-level surveillance to monitor non-obstetric care for pregnant veterans. Examines maternal mortality of veterans using VA maternity care benefits, with 2011-2020 data broken down by age, race/ethnicity, and rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Joan L. Combellick, Bridget Basile Ibrahim, Aryan Esmaeili, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(1), 37
Date: 12/2023
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Examines a quality improvement plan implemented by the Veterans Health Administration (VA) that utilizes system-level surveillance to monitor non-obstetric care for pregnant veterans. Examines maternal mortality of veterans using VA maternity care benefits, with 2011-2020 data broken down by age, race/ethnicity, and rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Joan L. Combellick, Bridget Basile Ibrahim, Aryan Esmaeili, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(1), 37
Date: 12/2023
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Fact Sheet: How to Define Rurality
Fact sheet defines rural in the context of the Veterans Health Administration. Discusses RUCA codes, Census tracts, and how the VA assigns rurality.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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Fact sheet defines rural in the context of the Veterans Health Administration. Discusses RUCA codes, Census tracts, and how the VA assigns rurality.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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VA Health Care: Actions Needed to Improve Information Reported on Mobile Medical Units
Describes how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) utilizes mobile medical units to provide primary and specialty medical care to veterans in communities with veteran populations too small to support local facilities and in areas with limited access to specialty care, including rural areas. Examines VA's annual reports to Congress between 2018 and 2023 about mobile medical units' operations and performance. Offers recommendations to the VA to improve the reliability of the data and contextual information reported to Congress on mobile medical units.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Describes how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) utilizes mobile medical units to provide primary and specialty medical care to veterans in communities with veteran populations too small to support local facilities and in areas with limited access to specialty care, including rural areas. Examines VA's annual reports to Congress between 2018 and 2023 about mobile medical units' operations and performance. Offers recommendations to the VA to improve the reliability of the data and contextual information reported to Congress on mobile medical units.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Veterans With Blood Cancers: Clinical Trial Navigation and the Challenge of Rurality
Presents a study on the geographic barriers to accessing cancer trials faced by rural veterans. Explored the availability of cancer trials based on rurality and highlights clinical trial deserts. Breaks down demographic data by race, sex, cancer type, and rurality, among other measures.
Author(s): Daphne R. Friedman, Thomas D. Rodgers, Courtney Kovalick, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(1), 114-120
Date: 12/2023
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Presents a study on the geographic barriers to accessing cancer trials faced by rural veterans. Explored the availability of cancer trials based on rurality and highlights clinical trial deserts. Breaks down demographic data by race, sex, cancer type, and rurality, among other measures.
Author(s): Daphne R. Friedman, Thomas D. Rodgers, Courtney Kovalick, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(1), 114-120
Date: 12/2023
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VA Versus Non-VA Quality of Care: A Systematic Review
Presents a review of healthcare quality for veterans in VA and non-VA settings. Analyzes 42 studies of non-surgical care and 19 studies of surgical care. Highlights studies focusing on rural veterans and details rural veterans' reported satisfaction with the care they received.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Paul Shekelle, Melinda Maggard-Gibbons, Mariah Blegen, et al.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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Presents a review of healthcare quality for veterans in VA and non-VA settings. Analyzes 42 studies of non-surgical care and 19 studies of surgical care. Highlights studies focusing on rural veterans and details rural veterans' reported satisfaction with the care they received.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Paul Shekelle, Melinda Maggard-Gibbons, Mariah Blegen, et al.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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The Role of Department of Veterans Affairs Community-Based Outpatient Clinics in Enhancing Rural Access to Geriatrics Telemedicine Specialty Care
Presents a study on the barriers and facilitators for using geriatric telemedicine through community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) to provide specialty care to older rural veterans. Bases finding on interviews with clinicians and staff from 13 rural CBOCs and makes recommendations.
Author(s): Camilla B. Pimentel, Eileen M. Dryden, Kathryn A. Nearing, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 72(2), 520-528
Date: 11/2023
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Presents a study on the barriers and facilitators for using geriatric telemedicine through community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) to provide specialty care to older rural veterans. Bases finding on interviews with clinicians and staff from 13 rural CBOCs and makes recommendations.
Author(s): Camilla B. Pimentel, Eileen M. Dryden, Kathryn A. Nearing, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 72(2), 520-528
Date: 11/2023
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Understanding Rural-Urban Differences in Veterans' Internet Access Use, and Patient Preferences for Telemedicine
Report breaks down differences in internet access, use, and opinions about telehealth for rural and urban veterans. Bases findings on interviews with eligible veterans and highlights veterans' experiences with telehealth.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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Report breaks down differences in internet access, use, and opinions about telehealth for rural and urban veterans. Bases findings on interviews with eligible veterans and highlights veterans' experiences with telehealth.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:
Last Updated: 10/30/2025