Health and Health Care Issues

The Quantum Age and Its Impacts on the Civil Justice System

The authors evaluate the future impacts of quantum computing for insurers, law firms, courts, and regulatory agencies in the civil justice system with regard to potential implications for cryptography, liability and insurance, and privacy.

James Dimarogonas, Michelle Grisé, Maya Buenaventura, Erik Silfversten, Andrew J. Lohn, James M. Anderson, Bethany Saunders-Medina

Demystifying the Department of Veterans Affairs Budget Process: An Explainer

This report presents an overview of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA’s) budget, its funding sources, and its flexible authorities. The authors describe VA’s budget process and some of the pressing VA-related issues that policymakers face.

Ryan Consaul, Reika Sophia Herman, Heather M. Salazar

A Research Agenda to Support Mental Health and Wellness Programs for Federal First Responders and Law Enforcement

This brief summarizes a report on mental health and wellness programs specific to law enforcement and first responders to help the U.S. Department of Homeland Security develop a research agenda for future wellness efforts.

Melissa M. Labriola, Jill Portnoy Donaghy, Tiffany Keyes, Sarah Junghee Kang

First Responder and Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Research Development

Authors conducted a literature review and interviews about mental health and wellness programs specific to law enforcement and first responders to help the U.S. Department of Homeland Security develop a research agenda for future wellness efforts.

Melissa M. Labriola, Jill Portnoy Donaghy, Tiffany Keyes, Sarah Junghee Kang

Differences in Cost of Living and Military Pay Growth for Army Personnel

The authors explore the extent to which military compensation growth has kept up with cost-of-living changes over time, across geographic areas, and across subgroups of soldiers, using data from 2018 to 2022.

Beth J. Asch, Jessie Wang

Preventing Veteran Suicide: A Landscape Analysis of Existing Programs, Their Evidence, and What the Next Generation of Programs May Look Like

In this report, the authors analyze current and emerging activities to prevent veteran suicide, introducing the RAND Suicide Prevention Activity Matrix, a framework that organizes current approaches and their evidence.

Rajeev Ramchand, Ben Senator, Jordan P. Davis, Wendy Hawkins, Lisa H. Jaycox, Julia Lejeune, Whitney S. Livingston, Alicia Revitsky Locker, Benjamin Trachik, Alison Athey

California's ACEs Aware Initiative Has Made Substantial Early Progress, but Sustained Investment Is Needed

California launched a historic effort to improve health by screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences. Almost 45,000 individuals have been trained, and several million Medi-Cal beneficiaries have been screened, but continued investment is needed.

Addressing Toxic Stress and Health Care Access in California Farmworker Communities: ACCESS Pilot Project Evaluation

The authors present evaluation findings from farmworker leader training, including knowledge of toxic stress and health care access. They also present findings from a farmworker health survey, revealing barriers to care for the population.

Ingrid Estrada-Darley, Alejandro Roa Contreras, Cristina Alvarez, Cristina Glave, Yoselín Mayoral, Elena Josway, Elvira Herrera, Yunuen Ibarra, Leslie Pech, Karen Lizarraga, Brandon Toji, Suguet López, Peter Mendel, Nicole K. Eberhart

Supporting Clinics Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences in California Farmworker Communities: NACES Pilot Project Evaluation, Phase II

The authors evaluated Phase II of a pilot project that aims to address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in clinics serving rural farmworker communities. Results show feasibility of a comprehensive ACE screening approach informed by farmworkers.

Ingrid Estrada-Darley, Yoselín Mayoral, Cristina Glave, Alejandro Roa Contreras, Cristina Alvarez, Peter Mendel, Nicole K. Eberhart

Evaluation of the Early Impact of the UCLA/UCSF ACEs Aware Family Resilience Network (UCAAN)

The authors evaluated the impact of the UCLA/UCSF ACEs Aware Family Resilience Network on its goals of promoting screening for adverse childhood experiences (such as abuse and neglect) and trauma-informed health care for Medi-Cal beneficiaries.

Joshua Breslau, Graham DiGuiseppi, Gabriela Alvarado, Avah Mousavi, Elizabeth Roth, Suzanne Perry, Priya Gandhi, Cristina Glave, Vanessa Miller, Nicole K. Eberhart

Understanding Trajectories of Screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Clinics Serving Medi-Cal Beneficiaries

The authors identify clinics with different trajectories of screening for adverse childhood experiences and conduct qualitative interviews with a subset of these clinics to explore the factors related to beginning and sustaining screening efforts.

Priya Gandhi, Joshua Breslau, Ryan K. McBain, Jonathan S. Levin, Avah Mousavi, Elizabeth Roth, Megan S. Schuler, Ben Senator, Danielle Schlang, Nicole K. Eberhart

Educator Turnover Continues Decline Toward Prepandemic Levels: Findings from the American School District Panel

The authors update prior work to investigate the open question of whether educator turnover rates will fully return to pre–COVID-19 pandemic levels. In this report, they add a fourth school year (2023–2024) to their annual tracking.

Melissa Kay Diliberti, Heather L. Schwartz