The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is starting a new campaign to encourage all Kansas Veterans to enroll in VA health care, after new concerns about exposure to artillery blasts, missile launches and other activities involving blast exposure.
The VA is launching this campaign after reports of concerns from Veterans about health issues – including mental health challenges and thoughts of suicide – potentially related to repeated blasts and head trauma (low-level artillery blasts, IEDs, missile launches, heavy fire, and more). Since the first reporting about these concerns, VA researchers have been urgently studying this matter to learn more about the potential health impacts of blast exposure on Veterans.
The campaign will target around 13,900 unenrolled Kansas Veterans who served in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The effort will include text messages and emails directly to Veterans, public service announcements, paid advertising, and events.
Veterans enrolled in VA can access specialty screenings and services to address any health issues related to blast exposure. Importantly, Veterans who served in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and other specific locations are eligible for VA health care based on their deployments, and they do not need to have any health conditions specifically associated with their service to be eligible for care.
More information is available on the VA web site.
