Death certificates for decedents aged 18-64 in Massachusetts (2014-2021) and Minnesota (2014-2022) were linked to military personnel files; 9.5% of the 176,719 decedents were former service members. Age- and sex-standardised proportionate mortality ratios for deaths of despair were 111.9 in Massachusetts and 106.7 in Minnesota, driven by suicide in both states and by drug-related deaths in Massachusetts, and such deaths occurred a median of 20 to 30 years after separation from service.
Why it is interesting: Puts a measured size on the veteran excess in alcohol, drug and suicide deaths, and places it two to three decades after leaving service rather than immediately after.