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WalletHub: Nevada Ranks 43rd For Military Retirees

U.S. Airmen walk the flight line at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., May 21, 2013,
By SrA Daniel Hughes [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

U.S. Airmen walk the flight line at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., May 21, 2013,

Ah, retirement –- a time to sit back, relax, and maybe brush off that old guitar -- right? For many retiring from the military, however, the picture is not quite so idyllic.

In the wake of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, many vets are finding it very difficult to return to civilian life.

Analyst firm Wallethub sought to identify which states are the best and worst for military retirees.

Nevada didn’t do well. The state ranked  43rd overall, and dead last in health care.

Jill Gonzalez is an analyst from WalletHub, and said three overall categories were researched: Health care, quality of life and economic environment. 

Nevada's low score in the health care category, Gonzalez said, has more to do with quantity rather than quality. 

"There's just not many hospitals to go around," she explained. "With the sheer number of physicians per capita, both civilian and military, Nevada ranked 49th." 

One of Nevada's redeeming qualities included its economic environment for veterans which scored 13th. 

"First of all, there's no state tax on military pensions, and also just tax-wise it's a pretty good state to live in," Gonzalez said. "The reason that it's not top 5 or 10 is that we're still looking at these veteran job opportunities." 

With an average retirement age of 47, Gonzalez continued, most military retirees need a second job. 

"Utilizing those military skill sets that already exist and transitioning them into the private sector is, I think, not only for the future of each state what we need to do but for the future of the country as well," Gonzalez said. 

 

Jill Gonzalez, analyst, WalletHub

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Prior to taking on the role of Broadcast Operations Manager in January 2021, Rachel was the senior producer of KNPR's State of Nevada program for 6 years. She helped compile newscasts and provided coverage for and about the people of Southern Nevada, as well as major events such as the October 1 shooting on the Las Vegas strip, protests of racial injustice, elections and more. Rachel graduated with a bachelor's degree of journalism and mass communications from New Mexico State University.