The Department of Veterans Affairs has formed a leadership panel to understand why veterans who belong to racial minorities are granted disability benefits at lower rates than white veterans.
VA Secretary Denis McDonough said Thursday that, although the department has several offices that oversee diversity initiatives, such as an Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans and Center for Minority Veterans that provides support and services, the new Equity Team will specifically look at grant rate differences and establish policies to ensure that all veterans are treated fairly in the decision process.
“I expect that team to consider policies across VA to address these concerns, including changes in structure, training, quality control, outreach and more,” McDonough said during a press conference in Washington, D.C.
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The announcement follows a suit filed in November by Vietnam veteran Conley Monk Jr., a former Marine who said he was unfairly denied claims for disability benefits, housing assistance and his GI Bill education benefits for decades before he finally received compensation in 2020.
Records obtained by Monk, who is Black, showed statistically significant differences in VA claims decisions for Black veterans compared with whites — discrimination he said dates back decades.
VA data shows that, from 2002 to 2020, nearly…
