Digital Beat

Meeting Veterans’ Digital Equity Needs

On Monday, November 11th, to commemorate Veterans Day, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society released Veterans and Digital Equity: Planning for Success, a collaborative research effort with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Offices of Connected Care and Rural Engagement. We reviewed state digital equity plans to better understand what states' strategies are for connecting Veterans. My coauthors, Dr. Leonie Heyworth, Lesly Roose, and DeAsia Nichols, and I identified five key strategies taken by states to address the digital divide experienced by Veterans:

Link needs assessments to their implementation strategies,
Leverage other state and federal agencies,
Identify specific standout partners,
Design a workforce strategy for Veterans, and
Prioritize access to health care.

On November 12th, the Benton Institute convened four experts to discuss Veteran’s digital equity. The panel, which I had the honor of moderating, included:

Dr. Leonie Heyworth, Deputy Director for Clinical Services, Telehealth Services, Office of Connected Care, Digital Health Office, VHA, Department of Veterans Affairs,
Dr. Lindsey Thurgood, Digital Access Program Manager, Utah Broadband Center,
Mark Casper, President and CEO, Tech For Troops, and
Walter Prescher, Digital Navigator, BridgingApps Rep, Easter Seals Greater Houston

The Department of Veterans Affairs and Telehealth

The panel discussion was preceded by an overview of the Department of Veterans Affairs Telehealth Services given by Dr. Heyworth. As cited in the report, many states recognize telehealth access as a need for Veterans. Dr. Heyworth discussed three programs at VA that provide telehealth skills and resources to Veterans:

The Digital Divide Consult connects Veterans who don’t have internet access or a video-capable device (like a tablet) with resources that provide internet service or technology needed for VA video visits.
Accessing Telehealth Through Local Area Stations (ATLAS) provides locations that offer a private appointment space equipped for telehealth appointments for Veterans who face long travel times to a VA facility and/or have limited internet access at home.
Virtual Health Resource Centers (VHRCs) offer support for Veterans, Veteran families, caregivers, and VA healthcare providers interested in using VA virtual care tools and technologies.

Telemental Health is Life-saving for Veterans

Dr. Heyworth's remarks on access to telehealth sparked a discussion on telemental health for Veterans. In 2014, researchers found that one in four Veterans meet the diagnostic criteria for a mental health issue, with one in 10 struggling with multiple conditions. VA has repeatedly found that telemental health treatment is just as effective when compared to in-person treatment. In fact, a recent study found that recipients of VA tablets through the Digital Divide Consult program who were at risk for suicide had a 36 percent reduction in suicide-related emergency department visits.

Mr. Prescher, an Army Veteran, offered an anecdote that supported the research findings. He recalled his 54-mile drives to VA therapy sessions during which he often experienced stress triggers because he was “used to scanning the roadway for IEDs” during his service in Iraq. Had telehealth resources been available to him, Prescher could have avoided some of these triggers.

Mark Casper’s organization, Tech For Troops, provides informal virtual support for Veterans experiencing mental health crises through Game Corps. The initiative provides peer-to-peer Veteran support as mental health triage via Twitch, Discord, and YouTube.

Workforce Development to Bridge the Digital Divide Among Veterans

Utah’s Digital Access Plan includes a digital workforce development plan for Veterans through coordination with other state government agencies. Dr. Thurgood noted that “no one agency can do it all.” The Department of Workforce Services in Utah has an extensive catalog of resources for job-seeking Veterans. Dr. Thurgood and her team at the Utah Broadband Center effectively leveraged these resources into the plan. She noted that effective coordination creates more sustainable programs since responsibility is shared across agencies.

Following the discussion about intergovernmental coordination to create effective workforce development strategies, Casper answered a question regarding Veterans’ value for the cybersecurity workforce. Younger Veterans could potentially be a valuable talent pool for the field. Casper noted that many Veterans acquired IT skills during their service and could quickly fit into one of the many roles in the cybersecurity field. Tech For Troops provides free digital skills and workforce training courses to Veterans, including programs in cybersecurity.

Some state digital equity plans note that Veterans have real concerns about privacy and security on the internet. Casper agrees. He doesn’t see Veterans as any more or less susceptible to security threats than the rest of the population; we all are vulnerable as scams become increasingly sophisticated. But Veterans do appear to be more concerned about these risks so digital inclusion efforts should address these concerns when working with Veterans.

Holistic Digital Skills Training

Prescher addressed digital skills training for Veterans who have disabilities from injuries sustained during their service. Easter Seals provides these Veterans with devices equipped with assistive technology. The organization also trains Vets to use the devices and make tasks that would otherwise be difficult or impossible much easier.

Prescher described Easter Seals’ approach to service delivery as holistic. The organization serves a variety of populations, which have a wide variety of needs. For Veterans, Easter Seals addresses not just baseline digital skills needs, but also provides financial literacy resources, access to assistive technology, and family counseling services.

Dr. Heyworth echoed the importance of making no assumptions about the digital literacy levels of Veterans when providing service. In 2021, VA began requiring every one of its facilities to have a video test-call program so that step-by-step instructions for how to connect to a virtual appointment were given well in advance of an appointment.

Conclusion

Our discussion concluded with an agreement that coordination between government agencies and Veteran service organizations is vital to meeting Veterans’ digital equity needs. Digital Equity Act programs will be most impactful for Veterans when Veteran-serving organizations are involved in implementation as much as possible.

See a replay of the webinar on YouTube.

Reid Sharkey is a Community Broadband Specialist & Research Associate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. He completed a year of Americorps service in 2023 which was his introduction to working in broadband and digital equity policy. Sharkey first worked with the Benton Institute during his service term. He assisted in administering the Benton Institute's Accelerate community engagement and broadband infrastructure planning program in Tennessee, where he was serving as an American Connection Corps Fellow at the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Reid received a Masters of Public Policy from George Mason University in 2022.

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all people in the U.S. have access to competitive, High-Performance Broadband regardless of where they live or who they are. We believe communication policy - rooted in the values of access, equity, and diversity - has the power to deliver new opportunities and strengthen communities.

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