Giving Compass' Take:

• At Brookings, John Hudak takes a look at successes and failures within the government's response to the veterans' opioid crisis.

• Why are veterans at an increased risk of opioid addiction? What can we do to call for accountability in dealing with the opioid crisis? What role can you play in assisting those impacted by the opioid epidemic in the U.S.?

• Read more about how opioids impact veterans in the United States.

Over the past two decades, opioid use and abuse have created a public health emergency in the United States. As hundreds of thousands of Americans have died from accidental overdoses or suicide, public health and elected officials have sought policy solutions. With the goals of reducing opioid-related deaths, overprescribing, and opioid use disorder (OUD), state and federal policymakers have enacted policies to improve funding, expand research, identify and expand best practices, and investigate the causes of the current crisis.

As part of the significant attention paid to this issue, policymakers often identify groups that are especially vulnerable to OUD. Veterans report higher rates of severe pain and chronic pain than the general population. Those realities create an environment where opioid therapies can become widespread and lasting. For veterans who are also disproportionately likely to experience mental health conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder, opioid use can present additional challenges such as dependence.

This paper will offer a policy analysis and status update on the opioid crisis among veterans. First, it will describe the scope and depth of the opioid crisis among the veteran population, with key attention paid to the unique risks that the veterans’ experiences pose. Second, it will review the major legislative achievements over the past five years that address the opioid crisis, with attention paid to the extent to which veterans’ issues were dealt with directly. Third, it will review the responses by VA and other federal departments and agencies to address opioid use disorder and opioid related deaths among veterans. Fourth, it will look ahead to additional changes that can be enacted to assist veterans dealing with OUD and to improve the ability of VA to reform to meet the needs of the opioid crisis.

Read the full article about the veterans' opioid crisis by John Hudak at Brookings.