The Department of Veterans Affairs will work in the coming months to ensure that all eligible veterans have equal access to health care services and benefits, particularly Black and other minority veterans who may have faced gaps in the past due to discrimination.
The department released a plan Wednesday to address racial and gender inequities in medical treatment and claims approval rates, which were determined by numerous internal audits and outside studies. The VA is facing a major lawsuit over those disparities.
As one of the first steps under the 2024 VA Equity Action Plan, its representatives will visit at least 15 military bases to educate transitioning service members on VA benefits and help them file claims and apply for health care.
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According to the findings of an internal review released Wednesday along with the action plan, the year following a service member’s transition to veteran status is critical for successfully filing disability claims at the VA, especially for Black veterans, who receive higher approval ratings during that period.
The internal review found that, between 2017 and 2023, Black veterans had higher rates of claims approvals than white veterans in that first year, 85%, compared with 83%. After that, however, Black veterans have lower rates than whites, 85% versus 83%.
The study also found that, while…
