California is home to nearly 1.8 million veterans, with more than 325,000 living in Los Angeles. But as troops leave the nation's longest-running wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and service members complete their tours of duty, another 12,000 new veterans are expected to be added to our local population annually.

What can these veterans expect when they return home? A study by the Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families (CIR) at the USC School of Social Work found that veterans are woefully unprepared for the transition from military to civilian life. Nearly 80 percent report not having a job lined up; more than 40 percent don't know where they'll live. More than half report a physical or mental health issue for which they aren't receiving care. What's worse is that nearly two-thirds report not knowing where to go for help.

Our findings confirm what we had long believed to be the case. Our separating service members are not getting the help and services they need -- and deserve.

Until now, comprehensive data on a large veteran population in an urban area like Los Angeles was simply not available. We didn't have the quantitative information needed to drive better policies and improve services. But now we do.

Read more in Huffington Post.