Black Veterans Denied VA Health Benefits More Often Than White Veterans, New Data Shows

New data from the Veterans Benefits Administration shows wide disparities among veterans applying for disability benefits, and the Department of Veterans Affairs has rejected more claims from black veterans than white veterans every year since 2002.

NBC obtained 17.6 million records of all VA disability claims since 2002 through a Freedom of Information Act request, including records of each race, gender and location.

The largest disparity occurred among veterans seeking military disability benefits for a PTSD diagnosis. The Veterans Benefits Administration denied 40 percent of black claims, compared to 30.7 percent of white claimants.

This disparity reflects data from a 2017 Internal Veterans Affairs report, with 57% of black veterans seeking disability benefits for PTSD, compared to 43% of white veterans. In the year The report, which analyzed claims from fiscal years 2011 to 2016, was released earlier this year as part of a lawsuit filed by a black veterans advocacy group.

"When the Department of Veterans Affairs started paying attention to this issue and the administration started paying attention to this issue, we identified a number of disparities where black veterans were less likely to receive benefits than black veterans," said Deanna Love, a retired U.S. Army commander and director of the Cook County, Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.

Based on the most recent data, almost all states show a strong tendency to oppose African Americans, except for Rhode Island, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. foreign possessions in the Pacific Ocean.

Elimination of racial differences

For all conditions, not just PTSD, for applications filed between 2002 and September 2023, 23.9% of black veterans were denied, compared to 19.1% of white veterans. In the past two years alone, 13.9% of white veterans' claims have been denied. 18.1% of black veterans' claims were denied.

A racial discrimination lawsuit filed by Conley Monk Jr. is pending in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, Hamden, Connecticut. Monk's Department of Veterans Affairs and Yale University's legal team sued earlier this month as the government tried to dismiss the lawsuit.

"I can't get the education benefits, I can't get the housing benefits and it's my family that's hurting the most," Monk told NBC. "My children are not getting the educational benefits they deserve."

Earlier this year, the VA announced the creation of a new task force dedicated to investigating and eliminating racial disparities in the agency's veterans benefits program.

The VBA denied PTSD claims filed by women at a significantly higher rate than men in the early 2000s, but the rate remained the same in 2015.

In the year In 2002, VBA rejected 61.3% of PTSD cases and 46.7% of men. In the year In 2023, women were denied entry in 17.1% of cases. Men were denied entry in 21.8% of cases.

VBA disability claims increased dramatically when the Iraq War began in 2003 and have increased almost every year since. Eligibility under the PACT Act, the proliferation of online disability support services, and the pandemic, VBA has struggled in recent years to manage the growing number of new requests.

The PACT Act expands VA health services and benefits to cover exposure to burns, Agent Orange and other toxic substances.

For years, black veterans have not received disability benefits at higher rates than their white counterparts. NBC News and NBC Networks are investigating the allegations in this particular report. The relationship has borne fruit.

Prepare more agents to help you

Veterans service organizations make up the largest percentage of accredited agencies that help veterans apply for benefits. In the year The number of cases in 2020 has decreased.

At the same time, the bills of government and private offices have increased. In the year In 2021, the number of claims filed by unlicensed or self-filed veterans increased nearly 50% from 210,115 to 301,498. This number was 327,440 more than the following year. Overall, more than a million veterans filed compensation claims last year alone.

In Chicago, Emanuel Johnson, former president of the city's Veterans Affairs Advisory Council, is part of a campaign to get more African Americans and more women veterans service workers. Some veterans may feel more comfortable working with someone who looks like them, especially if their military experience wasn't entirely positive, he said. Johnson, who served as a shipboard information systems technician for six and a half years in the U.S. Navy, said they may not feel the support they need when they get it. . USS Vella Bay.

"Whether they feel like they have the full support of the government or what they're getting from the VA, we see that they're still proud despite the hardships. There's a lot of pride in the black community in their service. The military." he said.

Veterans Service Officers are trained and certified by the VA and other organizations to provide free care to veterans and their families. They can file claims for benefits, represent veterans at VA hearings, and answer questions about available benefits.

Illinois has it. One of the highest levels of inequality in the country. In the past two years, 34.6% of black veterans had their PTSD claims denied, compared to 19.3% of white veterans.

Cook County, including Chicago, launched a veterans service officer corps this year with full-time certified officers. Love said they hope to reach six countries by the end of this year and will work with partners to add more. The program is funded by the US Rescue Plan for Covid-19 and has received approximately $400,000 over the next three years.

Cook County has more than 148,000 veterans, 35 percent of whom served in Vietnam, Love said. Chicago has 66,000 veterans. Vietnam veterans had a high rate of denial of VA benefits, he said.

When Love became the department's chief in 2021, the need for veterans service officers became apparent.

"We need more soldiers on the ground, our VSOs, these veteran service officers, so we can help the veterans here so they're not alone in the fight," Love said.

America's Veterans: Benefits, Race, and Inequality