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VA denied Black veterans health benefits more often than white vets, data shows

The Department of Veterans Affairs was more likely to deny disability health benefits to Black veterans than their white counterparts, according to a new government data analysis.

By the numbers: In fiscal year 2023, 84.8% of Black veterans who applied for physical or mental health benefits were granted assistance, compared to 89.4% of white veterans, the VA found.


  • White veterans had a higher grant rate for every year between 2017 and 2023, according to the data the VA shared with Axios.
  • Black veterans apply for disability benefits at higher rates than their white counterparts (43% versus 31.7%), the VA added.
  • "We recognize that in the past there has been institutional discrimination that may have played a role in the adjudication of benefits," VA press secretary Terrence Hayes told Axios.

Driving the news: The VA announced a new initiative Friday that will aim to address disparities in who receives health benefits.

  • The Agency Equity Team will be responsible for helping the VA improve access and care for historically underserved veterans.
  • It will also aim to identify and eliminate disparities beyond race, including age, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, disability or sexual identity, the VA said.

Of note: The team was not created solely as a result of the data findings, Hayes said.

  • It's been a key area of focus for VA Secretary Denis McDonough since he took office in 2021, per Hayes.

What's next: Hayes said the new initiative is "unique opportunity" to go directly to veterans of different communities and demographics to inform them of their benefits and encourage them to apply — especially for those who may have been denied in the past.

  • But with the creation of the team, the VA hopes to "figure out a way to eliminate those barriers, eliminate those concerns so every single veteran" who requests benefits "gets it equally across the board," Hayes said.

Go deeper: Study finds Hispanic veterans wait longer for specialists

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