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

The VA has launched a new initiative to determine why benefits are doled out at different rates and try to level the playing field for Blacks, women and LGBTQ+ veterans.

Black veterans who ask the Department of Veterans Affairs for physical or mental health benefits are less likely to get them than their white counterparts, according to new data compiled by the VA.

In fiscal year 2023, 84.8% of all Black veterans who applied for physical or mental health benefits were given assistance by the VA, compared to 89.4% of their white counterparts who applied. The VA data includes information dating back to fiscal year 2017, which shows that white veterans have had a higher grant rate than their Black counterparts every year. 

On Thursday, the VA launched a new Agency Equity Team to try to figure out why health and other benefits are doled out at different rates and whether the VA can level the playing field for Blacks, women and LGBTQ+ veterans... https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/black-veterans-are-denied-va-health-benefits-often-white-veterans-new-rcna90799