{"id":117015,"date":"2018-12-24T12:00:25","date_gmt":"2018-12-24T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/12\/24\/richer-smarter-better-off-things-are-looking-up-for-wounded-warriors\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T13:23:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T13:23:07","slug":"richer-smarter-better-off-things-are-looking-up-for-wounded-warriors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2018\/12\/24\/richer-smarter-better-off-things-are-looking-up-for-wounded-warriors\/","title":{"rendered":"Richer, smarter, better off: Things are looking up for wounded warriors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Many disabled veterans are better off financially than they were four years ago, according to a recent Wounded Warrior Project survey of post-9\/11 veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite multiple service-connected injuries or health problems, more disabled vets have their own homes, jobs and college degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re continuing to see that positive momentum and realizing that when they transition, it\u2019s not the end of the road, but it\u2019s the beginning of a new journey,\u201d said Melanie Mousseau, metrics director for Wounded Warrior Project, which conducted the 33,000-person survey with research partner Westat this year. \u201cThat\u2019s really promising seeing that coming out of the data.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, 36 percent of warriors said they had earned a bachelor\u2019s degree or higher, compared to 25 percent of respondents in 2014. The percentage of homeowners in this group grew from 46 to 60 percent in that time frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And since 2014, the unemployment rate for disabled veterans has trended downward, as has unemployment among post-9\/11 veterans<\/a> as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the first time in the survey\u2019s recent history, more respondents said their financial condition has improved from one year ago than said it has gotten worse. In this year\u2019s survey, 27 percent said their financial status is better now than it was a year ago and 25 percent said it is worse, with 43 percent saying it\u2019s the same. By comparison, in 2016 24 percent said their finances were better and 30 percent said they were worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obstacles remain<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though trends are improving, many of the veterans who participated in the latest annual Wounded Warrior Project survey, which included a small percentage of service members still on active-duty, still encounter obstacles in these areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\t