Diverse Populations

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Find resources for diverse populations among service members, veterans, and their families.

Diverse Populations Directory

American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Veterans

Warrior tradition in Indian Country has contributed to the high rate of Native American enlistment and service in the military for over 200 years. AIAN people currently account for 1.7 percent of total troops, both enlisted and officer, though AIAN people account for just 1.4 percent of the United States population. Service and commitment continue beyond the military, as many tribal leaders and service providers are veterans. This large group of past and current service members continues to give to their communities and their country, even when they and their families are in need of service and/or support. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) “2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report (PDF | 2 MB),” in 2021, the highest suicide rate was among AIAN veterans at 46.3 suicides per 100,000 AIAN veterans.

Unique Challenges

According to Mission Roll Call, there are a number of unique challenges for Tribal veterans. Even though three-quarters (74.3%) of AIAN service members are enrolled in VA healthcare, Indigenous veterans living in rural areas often have trouble accessing care because VA facilities are backlogged or far away. Coupled with combat-related wounds or illness, this can lead to further health disparities among Indigenous veterans. Religious stigmas are another challenge, which can impact the well-being of Indigenous veterans. Native American service members have often described military experiences as “spiritually isolating” due to judgments or ignorance around their unique customs. In fact, they were not legally allowed to practice their religion until 1978 with the passage of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA), and limited faith services for Indigenous service members have persisted.

Resources for AIAN Veterans

SAMHSA’s Tribal Training and Technical Assistance Center
This Center provides training and technical assistance to tribes and tribal organizations that provide behavioral health services.

American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans: 2017 (PDF | 559 KB)
In May 2020, VA published a report on AIAN veterans using data from 2017. This report provides comprehensive statistics on AIAN veterans through an examination of demographic, socioeconomic, and health status statistics.

Association between Lifetime Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Past Year Alcohol Use Disorder among American Indians/Alaska Natives and Non-Hispanic Whites
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder disproportionately impact certain populations, including AIAN people. While PTSD and alcohol use disorder have been studied both separately and in tandem, less is known about the association in AIAN people. The objective of this study was to examine the association between lifetime PTSD and past-year alcohol use disorder among AIAN people and non-Hispanic White people. This article was published in 2017.

Native American Veterans Association
The Native American Veterans Association serves and honors men and women who have served active duty and their families through readjustment assistance, strengthening ties family ties, linkages to services, and career and educational training.

Office of Tribal Affairs and Policy
The Office of Tribal Affairs and Policy is an office within SAMHSA, which serves as the primary point of contact for tribal governments, tribal organizations, federal departments and agencies, and other governments and agencies on behavioral health issues facing AIAN people in the United States.

Rural Promising Practice Issue Brief: Telemental Health Clinics for Rural Native American Veterans (PDF | 486 KB)
The Promising Practices initiative is overseen by the VA Office of Rural Health as part of its targeted, solution-driven approach to increasing access to care for 3 million veterans living in rural communities who rely on VA for health care.

VA Office of Tribal Government Relations
Visit the Office of Tribal Government Relations webpage to explore resources for AIAN veterans. The website offers resources related to economic sustainability, the National Native American Veterans Memorial, access to care and benefits, and veterans’ resources at-a-glance.

Veterans and Suicide Prevention—Indian Health Service
The Indian Health Service and VA have partnered to improve access and service delivery to AIAN veterans. The webpage offers interactive resources, VA health benefit information, and publications and reports.

Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AA and NHPIs) Veterans

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) people have honorably served in the U.S. military since the War of 1812. Some of the most prestigious AANHPI military units of World War II include the 100th Infantry Battalion (composed of “Nisei,” or second-generation Japanese Americans); the Military Intelligence Service (Japanese American units of translators and interpreters); and 407th Air Service Squadron and 987th Signal Company (both composed of drafted Chinese Americans). AANHPI people also served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service. In total about 14,000 men served, earning 9,486 Purple Hearts, 21 Medals of Honor, and 8 Presidential Unit Citations.

Filipino service members played a key role as early as 1901, when the first Philippine Scout company was created. Their mission was to restore order and peace in troubled areas. In 1942, the first Filipino Battalion was formed. There were so many volunteers that a second Filipino Battalion was formed that same year (VA - Center for Minority Veterans, 2013 (PDF | 430 KB)). According to the VA’s 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report (PDF | 2 MB), in 2021 there were 31.6 suicides per 100,000 Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander veterans

Unique Challenges

When providing supports for Asian Americans it is important to consider the different cultures, languages, and ethnicities that fit within the Asian population. The pan-ethnic term “Asian American” describes the population of about 22 million people living in the United States who trace their roots to more than 20 countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent (Pew Research Center).

In Mental Health of Asian American and Pacific Islander Military Veterans: Brief Review of an Understudied Group, the authors report that AANHPI veterans face many challenges, one of which is, “[AANHPI] veterans have poorer mental health than other veterans and are not receiving needed mental health services.” The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) identified that “[AANHPI people] have the lowest help-seeking rate of any racial/ethnic group, with only 23.3 percent of [AANHPI] adults with a mental illness receiving treatment in 2019.” Some identified reasons for lower help seeking were systematic barriers for care, limited availability of quality treatment, and a lack of culturally competent care, such as providers who use a more holistic approach.

Resources for AANHPI Veterans

SAMHSA: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Behavioral Health Equity
Resources for AANHPI people include national survey reports, agency and federal initiatives, related behavioral health resources, and in-language resources.

Asian Mental Health Collective
The Asian Mental Health Collective’s (AMHC’s) mission is to normalize and de-stigmatize mental health within the Asian community. AMHC aspires to make mental health easily available, approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide.

Japanese American Veterans’ Association
The Japanese American Veterans' Association, Inc. (JAVA), is a fraternal and educational organization with many purposes. JAVA preserves and strengthens comradeship among its members; perpetuates the memory and history of our departed comrades; educates the American public on the Japanese American experience during WWII; and strives to obtain for veterans the full benefit of their entitlements as veterans.

Sikh American Veterans Alliance
The Sikh American Veterans Alliance (SAVA) seeks to mobilize community members and policymakers to promote the core values of loyalty, unity, and selfless service intrinsic to both Sikhism and military service; fight religious extremism and intolerance; and strengthen the military by promoting inclusion and fostering a diverse force. SAVA works to strengthen our military while supporting a larger American community of civil rights and religious freedom advocates.

Black Veterans

Black people have served in the U.S. military in every battle that has taken place. According to the National WWII Museum, more than one million African American men and women served during WWII. Of those who served were the Tuskegee Airmen. Before them, no African American had ever been a United States military pilot. The Jim Crow laws, a series of racist laws that enforced the “separate but equal” treatment of African Americans, were used as justification for blocking previous attempts by African American soldiers to become pilots (National WWII Museum (PDF | 145 KB)). It is important to acknowledge that although formal means of discrimination may no longer be in practice, the military, like many other large institutions, does not find itself isolated when it comes to dealing with ongoing racial and behavioral health disparities.

According to VA’s Office of Health Equity, from 2019 to 2045, the racial and ethnic makeup of veterans will change, and Black veterans will comprise 15 percent of the veteran population (currently making up 12 percent of the population). According to the 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report (PDF | 2 MB), in 2021 the suicide rate for Black or African American veterans was 17.4 per 100,000.

Unique Challenges

Although help-seeking behavior is improving, many Black people still do not seek treatment for behavioral health due not only to stigma, but also due to a perceived lack of trust in the mental health system. Additionally, some Black people tend to rely on the strength of extended family, close friends, and the role of their community and faith-based organizations for support.

Resources for Black Veterans

SAMHSA: Black/African American Behavioral Health Equity
Resources on this population include national survey reports, agency and federal initiatives, and related behavioral health resources.

African American Behavioral Health Center of Excellence
The African American Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (AABH-COE) is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, SAMHSA. AABH-COE’s mission is to help transform behavioral health services for African Americans, making them safer, more effective, more accessible, more inclusive, more welcoming, more engaging, and more culturally appropriate and responsive.

Black Veterans Project
The mission of the Black Veterans Project is to (1) acknowledge and amplify the unique achievements and contributions of Black veterans and to (2) lead a movement for racial inclusion and justice across the five branches of the U.S. military while ensuring the welfare of all black veterans who served.

Black Veterans for Social Justice
The mission of Black Veterans for Social Justice is to provide program services to assist military personnel with making a smooth transition from active duty to civilian life. Services are provided to SMVF in the areas of social readjustment, housing, employment, compensation, disability, substance abuse, medical treatment, post-traumatic stress syndrome, legal advocacy, discharge up-grade, and redress of grievances within and outside the military.

Hispanic and Latino Veterans

Members of the Hispanic and Latino communities have been a consistent force in the United States Military going back to the Revolutionary War with 59 individuals receiving the Medal of Honor. According to the 2022 Demographics: Profile of the Military Community, 18.4% of all active duty members identify as Hispanic or Latino, with the number being similar in the selected reserves with 15.4% self-identifying.

According to VA’s Office of Health Equity (OHE), from 2019 to 2045, the population of Hispanic veterans will increase from 8 percent to 12 percent. Much like Black veterans, the incidence of racial inequities in the military for Hispanic or Latino veterans is alarming. For example, according to VA’s 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report (PDF | 2 MB), from 2020 to 2021 there was a .5% increase in suicide rates for Hispanic veterans.

Unique Challenges

It is believed that members of the Hispanic population are grossly underserved by mental health programming. At the forefront of this may be race and ethnicity-based differences, including language, cultural norms regarding mental health-seeking behavior, and lack of provider diversity, among other barriers. Hispanic/Latino Veterans are often at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes (PDF | 795 KB). According to the Center for American Progress, Even when we control for factors like hazardous combat experience, Hispanic veterans have higher rates and severity of post-traumatic stress disorder than their white or African American counterparts.

Resources for Hispanic and Latino Veterans

SAMHSA: Hispanic/Latino Behavioral Health Equity
This page provides resources for Hispanic and Latino people, including national survey reports, agency and federal initiatives, and related behavioral health and Spanish-language resources.

American Latino Veterans Association
The American Latino Veterans Association is a registered 501c3 that exists to help American Latino veterans thrive after their military service, access the benefits they have earned, and enhance recognition of Latino contributions to our nation’s defense since before its inception.

Hispanic Veterans Leadership Alliance
The Hispanic Veterans Leadership Alliance is a non-profit organization composed of senior military and civilian leaders committed to overcoming the [limited] representation and inclusion of Hispanic and Latino people throughout the senior ranks of the U.S. Department of Defense. Their mission is to advance the inclusion of Latinos across all leadership levels in the U.S. Armed Forces, military and civilian.

League of United Latin American Citizens Veterans
The League of United Latin American Citizens is the nation’s oldest and largest Latino civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. This organization honors and empowers veterans. The website includes veteran visa resources.

National Latino Behavioral Health Association
The National Latino Behavioral Health Association was established to fill a need for a unified national voice for Latino populations in the behavioral health arena and to bring attention to the great disparities that exist in areas of access, utilization, practice-based research, and adequately trained personnel.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer + (LGBTQ+) Veterans

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) veterans have served throughout our history. In 2011 when “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was repealed, it became legal to be openly LGBTQ+ and serve in the military. On April 30, 2021, it became legal to be openly transgender and serve. The LGBTQ+ veteran and civilian community have experienced years of oppression. It is important to understand how policies and prejudicial attitudes have impacted the mental health of LGBTQ+ veterans so those serving LGBTQ+ veterans can best help them heal in an inclusive environment.

Unique Challenges

According to VA’s “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) Veteran Health Care Fact Sheet (PDF | 174 KB),” some challenges LGBT veterans might face include the following:

  • Lower overall health status
  • Lower rates of routine and preventive care
  • Higher rates of smoking, alcohol, and substance abuse
  • Higher rates of discrimination, stigma, and trauma experiences
  • Higher risk for mental health illnesses, such as anxiety and depression
  • Higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection
  • Increased incidence of some cancers

Resources for LGBTQ+ Veterans

SAMHSA: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) Behavioral Health Equity
This page provides resources for the LGBTQ+ population, including national survey reports, agency and federal initiatives, and related behavioral health resources.

Disabled American Veterans: LGBTQ+ Veterans
Disabled American Veterans is dedicated to a single purpose: empowering veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. They accomplish this by ensuring that veterans and their families can access the full range of benefits available to them; fighting for the interests of America’s injured heroes on Capitol Hill; and educating the public about the great sacrifices and needs of veterans transitioning back to civilian life.

The Center of Excellence on LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity
The Center of Excellence on LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity provides behavioral health practitioners with vital information on supporting people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, two-spirit, and other diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions.

Military Sexual Assault in Transgender Veterans: Results from a Nationwide Survey
This 2018 VA study used an online national survey of 221 transgender veterans to identify the prevalence of military sexual assault and to assess its association with demographic characteristics, past history of sexual victimization, and stigma-related factors.

Modern Military Association of America
Formed through the merger of the American Military Partner Association and OutServe-SLDN, the Modern Military Association of America is the nation’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to advancing fairness and equality for the LGBTQ military and veteran community. Through education, advocacy and support, the organization works to make a difference in the lives of LGBTQ+ SMVF.

Trans Lifeline: Resources for Military and Veterans
The Trans Lifeline has assembled a number of resources to assist transgender service members and veterans.

Transgender Veterans’ Satisfaction with Care and Unmet Health Needs
This 2020 VA study examined transgender veterans’ satisfaction with VA medical and mental health care, prevalence of delaying care, and correlates of these outcomes.

VHA LGBTQ+ Health Program
VA has health care services available that are specific to LGBTQ+ veterans. This website provides links to those resources and information for each LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator. There is an LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator at every facility to help LGBTQ+ veterans access needed care.

Older Veterans

According to the 2023 American Community Survey Report titled, “Aging Veterans: America’s Veteran Population in Later Life (PDF | 492 KB),” of the country’s 16.5 million living veterans, 8.1 million (or nearly 50 percent) are 65 years or older. The largest group of older veterans are male in the age group of 72–74 years old. In 1964, when the United States entered the Vietnam War, those in service were 18–20 years old and made up the core age group of draftees and enlistees. These older veterans have served in conflicts around the world, including World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and even in the Persian Gulf War (Veteran Affairs: Elderly Veterans).

Unique Challenges

According to the National Council on Aging, older veterans are in worse health than civilians in the same age group. In addition, while older veterans have higher incomes, they have less of a financial safety net in terms of savings and home equity. Eighty-one percent of older veterans have at least two chronic conditions, such as hypertension, arthritis, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer, compared with 70 percent of older civilians. Twenty-five percent of older veterans may have at least one functional limitation, such as trouble bathing, dressing, and walking, as compared to 17 percent of their civilian counterparts. Older veterans have somewhat higher rates of mental health issues. Twenty-two percent of older veterans report feelings of depression, as compared to 18 percent among their civilian counterparts. Additionally, the Future of Personal Health reports older veterans are more likely to have a limitation in activities of daily living and an increased level of dependence over time. Over 50% of older veterans report difficulty in functioning and rate their health status as fair or poor. Additionally, older African American and Hispanic veterans report worse health than non-Hispanic white veterans across most health indicators.

Resources for Older Veterans

SAMHSA: Resources for Older Adults
SAMHSA has several products for serving older adults with mental and substance use disorders that can be useful to clinicians, other service providers, older adults, and caregivers.

AARP: Veterans, Active Duty, and Military Families
AARP is well known for their support of the older community. This page is specific to SMVF and provides information and resources, including programs available from agencies such as VA, the U.S. Department of Defense, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Eldercare Locator
A public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging provides a service locator for older adults. Some of the local resources provided include area agencies on aging, state agencies on aging, elder abuse prevention, department of social services protective serves for adults, health insurance counseling, legal services, and more. Resources vary by location.

Elizabeth Dole Foundation
The Elizabeth Dole Foundation’s programs provide military and veteran caregivers the support they need at the local, state, and national levels. These programs engage individuals, organizations, and communities across the country to get involved and make a difference in the lives of military caregivers.

Operation Family Caregiver: Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers
Operation Family Caregiver is a program of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers (RCI). RCI supports caregivers—both family and professional—through advocacy, education, research, and service. It establishes local, state, national, and international partnerships committed to building quality, long-term home and community-based services.

VA Caregiver Support Program
VA has resources and benefits for caregivers in the SMVF community, including the VA’s Caregiver Support line, in-home support services, and much more.

Rural and Agricultural Veterans

According to VA’s Office of Rural Health, almost 25 percent of veterans in the United States returned from active duty to rural communities. That equates to about 4.4 million veterans in rural communities. There are a number of reasons why veterans choose to live in rural communities, such as closer proximity to family, friends and community; open space for recreation; more privacy; lower cost of living; or less crowded towns and schools. While there are many benefits to living in rural communities, there are also some challenges.

Unique Challenges

Rural veterans and their families, like other rural residents, often face difficulties in accessing health care and other services. Some of those challenges are fewer physician practices as well as hospitals and other health delivery resources, greater geographic distance barriers, limited broadband internet, and compared to urban areas, a larger population of older residents. In rural areas there are fewer housing, education, employment, and transportation options. All of these challenges create barriers for rural veterans and caregivers in receiving the health care and other services they need.

Resources for Rural and Agricultural Veterans

Farmer Veteran Coalition
Farmer Veteran Coalition cultivates a new generation of farmers and food leaders and develops viable employment and meaningful careers through the collaboration of the farming and military communities.

Reaching Rural Veterans | The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University
Reaching rural veterans is a collaboration with faith-based food pantries in rural areas, bringing communities together to provide resources and services that address the needs of military and veteran families.

The Rural Veteran Outreach Toolkit
Using the Rural Veteran Outreach Toolkit can increase partnerships between VA and rural communities and enhance VA’s ultimate goal of "improving the quality of life for veterans who live in rural communities."

USDA Supports America’s Heroes
USDA’s veterans website serves as a one-stop navigator for veterans looking to learn more about employment, education, and entrepreneurship on or beyond the farm.

Veterans to Farmers
Veterans to Farmers helps assist veterans to assimilate effectively, productively, and permanently into private citizenry through agricultural training and education. Veteran classmates work alongside each other, learning new skills and experiencing the grounding effects of the farm.

Veterans Health Administration’s Office of Rural Health
Congress established the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Rural Health (ORH) in 2006 (38 USC § 7308) to conduct, coordinate, promote and disseminate research on issues that affect the nearly five million veterans who reside in rural communities.

Women Veterans

Women have been serving in the military in one form or another for more than 200 years (USO). According to the 2020 Report of the Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Women Veterans (PDF | 6 MB), approximately two million women veterans have served in the Armed Forces. This number will continue to grow due to the increased presence of women in the active duty and reserve components. More than 300,000 women have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11 and more than 9,000 have earned Combat Action Badges. Over the past 7 years, over 100 women have graduated from Army Ranger School and others have completed Navy Seal Officer’s selection and assessment. According to VA’s 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report (PDF | 2 MB), the increase in veteran suicides seen in 2021, compared to 2020, was particularly seen in women veterans, for whom there was a 24.1% increase in the age-adjusted suicide rate, compared to an increase of 6.3% among male veterans. Today, women make up 16 percent of our nation’s Armed Forces, serving in every branch of the U.S. military (USO). As this population grows and continues to serve in critical roles, it is important that we ensure we are inclusive of women veterans.

Unique Challenges

Each year the Department of Veterans Affairs publishes an annual report (The Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Women Veterans 2022 (PDF | 2.7 MB)) to help policymakers better support women veterans. The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), also produces the Annual Warrior Survey. The data contained within the survey allows WWP to track and treat warriors’ most pressing needs. They share this data to inform the efforts of those who share and support their mission and to urge those with the power to make a difference. The VAs annual report and WWPs annual survey paint a comprehensive picture of the current environment that women must navigate when they leave military service, including the continued disparities between men and women veterans. WWP focused on five key areas of focus for women veterans that was outlined in the September 2023 press release, “New Report Highlights Unique Challenges Female Veterans Face After Service:”

  • Access to care
  • Financial wellness
  • Mental health
  • Military transition
  • Social health

Resources for Women Veterans

Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services
The Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services is one of the oldest federal advisory committees within the U.S. Department of Defense. The Committee is composed of civilian women and men appointed by the Secretary of Defense to provide advice and recommendations on matters and policies relating to the recruitment, retention, employment, integration, well-being, and treatment of service women in the Armed Forces.

Women Veterans Network
The Women Veterans Network mission is to provide a unique social network of women veterans to foster connections and build relationships in local communities and across the nation.

WomenVetsUSA
WomenVetsUSA provides a wealth of services and connections to resources for women veterans, such as education, employment, finances, healthcare, legal, and other resources.

Resources that Serve Multiple Diverse Populations

Webinars: SMVF Diverse Populations Series

  • SMVF: A Discussion About Mental Health, Substance Use, and Connectedness for Aging Veterans
  • SMVF: A Discussion About Healthcare Disparities & Strategies for Equitable Engagement w/LGBTQ+ Vets
  • SMVF: Healthcare Disparities and Strategies for Equitable Engagement with Black Veterans
  • SMVF: Supporting the Emotional Wellness of Hispanic and Latino SMVF
  • SMVF: American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans
  • SMVF: Mental Health and Women Veterans
  • SMVF: Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) 101, 201 and 301
  • SMVF: Supporting and Understanding the BH Needs of AANHPI SMVF

SAMHSA’s Office of Behavioral Health Equity
Behavioral health equity is the right of all individuals, regardless of race, age, ethnicity, gender, disability, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or geographical location, to access high-quality and affordable healthcare services and support. Resources are available for AIAN, AANHPI, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino and LGBTQ+ individuals.

Addressing Diversity in PTSD Treatment: Disparities in Treatment Engagement and Outcome among Patients of Color (PDF | 269 KB)
This 2020 study examines racial disparities in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment. PTSD is a prevalent mental disorder characterized by difficulty recovering from exposure to a traumatic event. The prevalence of PTSD varies by race/ethnicity, with studies in U.S. samples indicating higher prevalence and lower treatment use among some racial and ethnic minority groups compared with white people.

The Behavioral Health of Minority Active Duty Service Members
This RAND study examines whether minority-group service members are more likely to experience mental health and substance use problems relative to their majority counterparts in the military. The study also investigates whether minority–majority group differences in behavioral health in the military are similar to or different from those in the civilian population.

Department of Defense Board on Diversity and Inclusion Report (PDF | 13.6 MB)
This 2020 U.S. Department of Defense report provides recommendations to improve racial and ethnic diversity and inclusion in the U.S. military.

Department of Defense’s Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) is an organization aligned under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) that develops and executes diversity management and equal opportunity policies and programs affecting active duty and reserve component military personnel, and U.S. Department of Defense civilian employees.

Minority Veterans of America
Minority Veterans of America is a non-partisan, 501(c)3 non-profit organization designed to create belonging and advance equity for underrepresented veterans, including women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and religious minorities.

VA Center for Minority Veterans
The VA Center for Minority Veterans offers resources for veterans of color, including Black, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Hispanic veterans.

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