TY - JOUR
T1 - Equity in Veterans Affairs disability claims adjudication in a national sample of Veterans
AU - Grubaugh, Anouk L.
AU - Elhai, Jon D.
AU - Ruggiero, Kenneth J.
AU - Egede, Leonard E.
AU - Naifeh, James A.
AU - Frueh, B. Christopher
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2009/12
Y1 - 2009/12
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
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U2 - 10.7205/MILMED-D-09-00070
DO - 10.7205/MILMED-D-09-00070
M3 - Article
C2 - 20055063
AN - SCOPUS:77449136115
SN - 0026-4075
VL - 174
SP - 1241
EP - 1246
JO - Military medicine
JF - Military medicine
IS - 12
ER -