Inequities in access to VA'S aid and attendance enhanced pension benefit to help Veterans pay for long-term care.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

OBJECTIVE: To examine characteristics that are associated with receipt of Aid and Attendance (A&A), an enhanced pension benefit for Veterans who qualify on the basis of needing daily assistance, among Veterans who receive pensions. DATA SOURCES: Secondary data analysis of 2016-2017 national VA administrative data linked with Medicare claims. STUDY DESIGN: Observational study examining sociodemographic, medical, and healthcare utilization characteristics associated with receipt of A&A among Veterans receiving pension. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In 2017, 9.7% of Veterans with pension newly received the A&A benefit. The probability of receiving A&A among black and Hispanic pensioners was 4.6 percentage points lower than for white pensioners (95%CI = -0.051, -0.042). Married Veterans receiving pension had a 4.4-percentage point higher probability of receiving A&A (95%CI = 0.039, 0.048). Most indicators of need for assistance (eg, home health utilization, dementia, stroke) were associated with significantly higher probabilities of receiving A&A, with notable exceptions: pensioners with a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (marginal effect = -0.029 95%CI = -0.037, -0.021) or enrolled in Medicaid (marginal effect = -0.053, 95%CI = -0.057, -0.050) had lower probabilities of receiving A&A. Unadjusted and adjusted rates of receiving A&A among Veterans receiving pension varied by VA medical center. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified potential inequities in receipt of the A&A enhanced pension among a sample of Veterans receiving pension. Increased Veteran outreach, provider education, and VA office coordination can potentially reduce inequities in access to this benefit.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Thomas, KS; Corneau, E; H Van Houtven, C; Cornell, P; Aron, D; M Dosa, D; M Allen, S

Published Date

  • June 2021

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 56 / 3

Start / End Page

  • 389 - 399

PubMed ID

  • 33634467

Pubmed Central ID

  • PMC8143693

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1475-6773

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1111/1475-6773.13636

Language

  • eng

Conference Location

  • United States