To support the U.S. Department of Defense in expanding its capacity for social media analysis, this report reviews the analytic approaches that will be most valuable for information operations and considerations for implementation.

The National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) provides specialized services for troops suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI). RAND evaluated interactions between the NICoE and providers referring patients and implementing treatment plans.

Women's military experiences and post-service needs often differ from those of men, and women frequently report barriers to accessing physical and mental health care and other types of support after they leave the military. More research focused on this population will help ensure that policies and programs adequately support veteran women's transitions from military to civilian life.

An integrated approach to purchasing health care for U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs could have important implications for access, quality, and costs but could face legislative, policy, or contractual challenges.

The Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) Reform asked the RAND Corporation for an independent analysis of PPBE-like functions in selected countries and non-Department of Defense federal agencies. This executive summary distills key insights from nine case studies of budgeting processes across comparative organizations, as detailed in three companion volumes.

The Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 addressed the need for access to timely, high-quality health care for veterans. Section 201 of the legislation called for an independent assessment of various aspects of veterans’ health care. The RAND Corporation was tasked with an assessment of the authorities and mechanisms by which the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pays for health care services from non-VA providers. Purchased care accounted for 10 percent, or around $5.6 billion, of VA’s health care budget in fiscal year 2014, and the amount of care purchased from outside VA is growing rapidly. VA purchases non-VA care through an array of programs, each with different payment processes and eligibility requirements for veterans and outside providers. A review and analysis of statutes, regulations, legislation, and literature on VA purchased care, along with interviews with expert stakeholders, a survey of VA medical facilities, and an evaluation of local-level policy documents revealed that VA’s purchased care system is complex and decentralized. Inconsistencies in procedures, unclear goals, and a lack of cohesive strategy for purchased care could have ramifications for veterans’ access to care. Adding to the complexity of VA’s purchased care system is a lack of systematic data collection on access to and quality of care provided through VA’s purchased care programs. The analysis also explored concepts of "episodes of care" and their implications for purchased care by the VA.

The Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) Reform asked RAND for an independent analysis of PPBE-like functions in selected countries and other U.S. federal agencies comparable to the U.S. Department of Defense. This executive summary distills key insights from seven case studies of budgeting processes, as detailed in two companion volumes, and compiles findings from all 16 case studies in the seven-volume series.

This handbook compiles strong assessment practices and examples from a range of sectors in an easy-to-navigate format for personnel responsible for planning and assessing inform, influence, and persuade efforts in the U.S. Department of Defense.

Veterans who have served in the military since September 11, 2001, are at particularly high risk for co-occurring substance use disorders (SUDs) and mental health disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. Many treatment facilities require abstinence from substances prior to admission for mental health care, but the combination of symptoms that these disorders present makes them difficult to treat separately. Thus, integrated care—in which both SUDs and mental health problems are addressed concurrently—is a recommended form of treatment for these veterans. To help improve access to effective treatment for these veterans, the authors review the literature on efficacious approaches to treating SUDs alone and alongside mental health disorders. They also present findings from an analysis of the availability of treatment centers that offer SUD care for veterans and from a series of interviews and site visits with treatment providers. The authors conclude with guidance and recommendations to support the delivery of quality care for veterans with SUDs and, ultimately, to help expand and enhance treatment opportunities for veterans with co-occurring SUDs and mental health disorders.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) System is a key enabler for DoD to fulfill its mission. But in light of a dynamic threat environment, increasingly capable adversaries, and rapid technological changes, there has been increasing concern that DoD's resource planning processes are too slow and inflexible to meet warfighter needs. As a result, Congress mandated the formation of a legislative commission to (1) examine the effectiveness of the PPBE process and adjacent DoD practices, particularly with respect to defense modernization; (2) consider potential alternatives to these processes and practices to maximize DoD's ability to respond in a timely manner to current and future threats; and (3) make legislative and policy recommendations to improve such processes and practices for the purposes of fielding the operational capabilities necessary to outpace near-peer competitors, providing data and analytical insight, and supporting an integrated budget that is aligned with strategic defense objectives. The Commission on PPBE Reform asked RAND to provide an independent analysis of PPBE-like functions in selected countries and other non-DoD federal agencies. This report, part of a seven-volume set, presents case studies of PPBE functions in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to provide additional insights for improving DoD's PPBE processes.