Who We Serve

Who We Serve

Almost half of all veterans, for several reasons, are not eligible for treatment in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system; or, by choice, they decide not to seek care from the Veterans Health Administration. These veterans therefore rely on the civilian community healthcare system, as do all their family members.

Since 2016, America’s Health Rankings has examined important differences in the health of those who have served in the U.S. military compared with those who have not. The Health of Those Who Have Served Report continues to identify profound differences between those who have and have not served across health behaviors, social and economic factors, clinical care and health outcomes. Our goal is to bring the health of those who have served to the same level of care as treatment is for those who have not served (we include families of servicemembers as those who serve).

Active Duty
Active duty personnel work for the military full time, may live on a military base, and can be deployed at any time. Persons in the Reserve or National Guard are not full-time, active-duty military personnel, although they can be deployed at any time should the need arise.

Soldiers inside a military plane are seated, wearing combat gear and backpacks inside.

National Guard

The National Guard consists of the Army National Guard and the Air Force's Air National Guard. While federally funded, the National Guard is organized and controlled by each respective state and the chain of command is under each state’s governor. However, in times of war, the National Guard can become federalized and deployed. The National Guard engages in several activities. During local emergencies, National Guard units assist communities endangered by storms, floods, fires, and other disasters. National Guard companies deployed overseas are often assigned to support combat units, but they also may be assigned specific missions such as civil engineering in building schools and hospitals, or training local peacekeepers, or teaching local farmers more efficient farming techniques. As with the Reserve, the National Guard requires training drills one weekend a month and two weeks per year. National Guard members are given veteran status if they have served for 30 consecutive days in a war zone.

Soldiers move boxes in a warehouse with an American flag

The Reserve

Each branch of the military has a Reserve component under the branch's federal command. The Reserve maintains trained units to be available for active duty when needed. This may be in times of war, in a national emergency, or as the need occurs from threats to national security. They can be called upon to serve either stateside or overseas. The primary job of the Reserve is to fill the gaps in stateside service positions when active-duty forces ship overseas. Members of the Reserve are required to participate in training drills one weekend per month and two weeks per year.

To read more on the reasons to screen all patients/clients for military service, see our list of Published Articles.

To explore current academic research on veterans and military families, see our list of Research Centers.

For service agencies that provide organizations with in-service training, see our list of Educational/Training Courses.

For local and national support agencies, see our list of Veteran & Military Family Service Organizations.