Washington State Doesn’t Offer Much To Veterans In This Regard

It says a lot about someone who decides to volunteer to serve their Country with the understanding it could put their life at risk.  As we approach Memorial Day, it brings to mind a quote that sums up those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and those faced life threatening situations.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13

Veterans have been respected for their service for most of our history.  For those of us of a certain age, we remember when that wasn't always the case (as the following video lays out).

Now, it seems there are more options than ever for veterans in need of services.  Just because that may seem like the case doesn't mean all veterans have the ability to receive the same amount or level of services.  The Federal Government has technically been providing services (believe it or not) since one month before the Civil War ended.

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At the State level it really is all over the board.  Some states are really dialed in on the issue while other leave a lot to be desired when it comes to serving those who have served.  Unfortunately, Washington State is one of the absolute worst when it comes to options for veterans, especially if they are looking to retire here.

Wallethub.com took a look at the best & worst states for military retirees and it is not a good look for the Evergreen State as we come in 50th out of all states and Washington D.C.

Their methodology weighed three categories equally

• Economic Environment (e.g. income, tax, and other monetary factors)
• Quality of Life (e.g. homelessness, education, social options, benefits)
• Health Care (e.g. care options, suicide rate, treatment courts)

So Why Did Washington State Fare So Poorly?

The high water mark came in the economic environment category.  There we ranked 39th overall.  After that it was all downhill.  We are 48th when it comes to quality of life for veterans and 50th when it comes to health care.  We finished with an overall score of 37.79, which was 3/100ths of a point higher than Oregon who is dead last at 51 for military retirees.

It Might Even Be Worse Than It Looks

One major area of concern is the amount of veterans that are part of our state's homeless population.

You might be thinking that here in Tri-Cities, and other areas in the eastern part of the state, we have a lot of services and treat our veterans well.  This is a statewide look, not a community oriented focus.  To dive in to more data from Wallethub.com's study, and to look over all the factors in their methodology, click here.