Veterans’ Health Care Has Evolved With The Times, Medical Director Says

Population younger, more female

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ medical system has had to evolve with the changing population of veterans, from aging World War II-era soldiers to a new influx of veterans from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and to more female veterans than ever.

About 90,000 veterans are enrolled with the Washington, D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center, which also oversees clinics in suburban and Southern Maryland, said the center’s medical director, Brian A. Hawkins.

An estimated 425,000 veterans live in Maryland, 15.5 percent of whom served in the Afghanistan and Iraq war periods after 2001, according to 2011 U.S. Census Bureau data. The largest segment is Vietnam War-era veterans, who account for 33 percent of the state’s veteran population. Eleven percent of Maryland’s veterans now are women...