Equity in Veterans Affairs disability claims adjudication in a national sample of veterans. Mil Med 2009 Dec;174(12):1241-6
Date
01/09/2010Pubmed ID
20055063Pubmed Central ID
PMC2891765DOI
10.7205/milmed-d-09-00070Scopus ID
2-s2.0-77449136115 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 7 CitationsAbstract
OBJECTIVES: To address potential equity concerns about the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) process for adjudicating military service-related disability claims.
METHODS: Participants were a nationally representative sample of 20,048 veterans completing the 2001 National Survey of Veterans. Sociodemographic, access, and illness correlates of both the award and rate of general disability benefits awarded by the VA were examined using an established theoretical framework.
RESULTS: Sociodemographic, access, and illness variables were associated with both the award ("yes/no") and rate of benefits (0-100%) awarded, with combat exposure, unemployment, and physical impairment accounting for the strongest model effects.
CONCLUSIONS: Veterans' needs were not overshadowed by factors related to demographic background or access (e.g., race, gender, insurance), reducing concerns about disparities in general VA disability disbursements. These data are timely as disability claims/payments will likely increase dramatically in the near future because of current conflicts in the Middle East.
Author List
Grubaugh AL, Elhai JD, Ruggiero KJ, Egede LE, Naifeh JA, Frueh BCAuthor
Leonard E. Egede MD Center Director, Chief, Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Combat DisordersDemography
Disabled Persons
Female
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Male
Middle Aged
Military Personnel
Multivariate Analysis
United States
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans
Veterans Disability Claims
