Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Preface -- Contents -- Figures -- Tables -- Summary -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- CHAPTER ONE Introduction -- A Social Ecological Framework of Military Caregiving -- Terms and Definitions -- Organization of This Report -- Study Overview -- Cornerstones of Support: A Review -- Past Surveys of Military Caregivers -- RAND Survey of Military Caregivers -- Limitations of Our Survey Approach -- Past Environmental Scans of Caregiver Support Programs -- RAND's Environmental Scan of Caregiver Support Programs -- Limitations of Our Approach to the Environmental Scan -- Review of Federal and State Policies to Support Caregivers -- CHAPTER TWO Critical Lifelines: The Role and Contributions of Military Caregivers -- Introduction -- Estimating the Number of Caregivers in the United States -- Care Recipients' Era of Service -- Impact of Era of Service on Program Eligibility -- Characteristics of Military Caregivers -- Relationship of Caregivers to Care Recipients -- The Impact of Relationship Status on Program Eligibility -- Demographics and Military Characteristics of Caregivers -- Duration of Caregiving -- Caregiving Network -- The People Military Caregivers Care For -- Demographics -- VA Disability Rating -- Veteran Characteristics That Affect Program Eligibility -- Types of Conditions and Relation to Military Service -- Disease-Specific Programs -- Functional Impairment -- What Military Caregivers Do -- The Tasks Military Caregivers Perform -- Programs and Resources for Training Caregivers -- The Time Military Caregiving Takes -- Summary -- CHAPTER THREE Understanding and Addressing Caregiver Needs: The Risks and Consequences of Caregiving and Programs to Mitigate Them -- Introduction -- Health and Well-Being of Military Caregivers -- Physical Health -- Health Care Coverage and Utilization.

Programs That Offer Nonstandard Health Care for Caregivers -- Mental Health -- Mental Health Care Utilization -- Programs That Offer Nonstandard Mental Health Care for Caregivers -- Self-Reported Effects of Caregiving -- Other Programs to Address Caregiver Health and Well-Being -- Family Relationships and Roles of Military Caregivers -- Relationship Quality -- Parenting -- Programs to Address Caregiver Family Well-Being -- Employment and Financial Well-Being of Military Caregivers -- Financial Strain -- Work Absenteeism -- Programs to Address Income Loss -- Service and Resource Utilization Among Caregivers -- Sources of Help Specifically for Military Caregivers -- Governmental and Nongovernmental Programs Supporting All Caregivers -- Formal and Informal Social Network Sources of Help -- Summary -- CHAPTER FOUR Evolving Needs: Sustaining Caregiver and Care Recipient Well-Being Now and in the Future -- Aging Parents and Fragile Marriages -- Future Planning for Caregivers -- Sustainability for Programs Serving Caregivers -- Potential Benefits and Costs to Society -- Summary -- CHAPTER FIVE Closing Gaps: Conclusions and Recommendations -- Conclusions -- 1. Relative to Non-Caregivers, Caregivers Have Consistently Worse Health Outcomes and More Strained Family Relationships -- 2. Military Caregivers Caring for Service Members and Veterans Who Served After September 11, 2001, Differ Systematically from Caregivers for Those Who Served in Prior Eras, as Well as from Civilian Caregivers -- 3. Though They Serve Military Caregivers, Most Programs for This Group Serve Them Incidentally-The Focus Is Typically on the Ill, Injured, or Wounded Service Member or His or Her Family.

4. Noticeably Lacking in the Array of Services Offered to Military Caregivers Are Both Standard and Nonstandard Health Care Coverage and Programs to Offset the Income Loss Associated with Caregiving -- 5. The Need for Military Caregivers Is Not Going Away, and This Demand May Actually Increase Over Time, and Have an Economic Impact on Society -- 6. While Notable Federal Policies Have Been Expanded or Created to Cater to Post-9/11 Military Caregivers, State-Run and State-Level Policies Focus Caregiving Resources on Those Providing Care to the Elderly -- Recommendations -- Objective 1: Empower Caregivers -- Objective 2: Create Caregiver-Friendly Environments -- Objective 3: Fill Gaps in Programs and Services to Meet Needs -- Objective 4: Plan for the Future -- Final Thoughts -- APPENDIXES -- A. Survey Methods -- B. Survey Analysis -- C. Enumeration of Military Caregivers -- D. Environmental Scan Methods -- E. Environmental Scan Organizational Characteristics -- F. Federal and State Policies and Programs to Support Military Caregivers -- G. Programs and Organizations Excluded from the Environmental Scan -- H. Military Support Programs and Organizations Included in the Environmental Scan -- References.