Post 9/11 wounded warriors face increasing financial hardship according to the latest annual survey from Wounded Warrior Project.
More than 6 out of 10 WWP-registered alumni said they could not make ends meet at some point in the last 12 months, said WWP’s Chief Program Officer Jen Silva.
“That is not a surprise,” she continued. “We have seen big jumps in requests for emergency financial assistance from warriors and their families.”
Wounded Warrior Project spent five times more on emergency financial assistance for WWP warriors in 2022 than in 2021, Silva said.
The 13th annual survey was conducted between June 15 and Aug. 24, 2022. More than 8 in 10 of the respondents said the soaring cost of goods was the top cause of financial strain. Over 26.8% said they worked but didn’t earn enough.
“The findings of the annual Warrior Survey remind us that wounded, ill, and injured warriors often have unique needs after military service – and the challenging economy can intensify those needs,” said WWP CEO retired Army Lt. Gen. Mike Linnington.
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The unemployment rate for WWP warriors was 6.8% in 2022, down from 13.4% in 2021, but still higher than the general veteran (2.4%) and U.S. population (3.7%) at the time of the survey, said Silva.
“Wounded Warrior Project offers WWP warriors and their families financial education, career counseling and job placement support, benefits filing assistance, and more,” added Linnington. “Our goal is to empower WWP warriors and see them achieve the best possible quality of life.”
WWP warriors continue to deal with mental health issues. According to the survey, the top self-reported, service-related mental health concerns WWP warriors experience are PTSD (75.9%), anxiety (75.7%), and depression (74.3%). Over 28.3% had suicidal thoughts in the past 12 months, and 72% had them in the last two weeks.
However, Silva said that 66.3% of WWP warriors visited a professional at least once in the past 12 months to help with issues such as stress, emotional, substance use, or family problems, and most said they were likely to talk with another veteran for support when dealing with stress, emotional challenges, or mental health concerns.
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Silva said results from the survey will help guide WWP’s future advocacy efforts.
To read the full survey, visit here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.