Dataset Information

Reversals in initially denied Department of Veterans Affairs' PTSD disability claims after 17 years: a cohort study of gender differences.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In 2011, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) strengthened its disability claims processes for military sexual trauma, hoping to reduce gender differences in initial posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) disability awards. These process improvements should also have helped women reverse previously denied claims and, potentially, diminished gender discrepancies in appealed claims' outcomes. Our objectives were to examine gender differences in reversals of denied PTSD claims' outcomes after 2011, determine whether disability awards (also known as "service connection") for other disorders offset any PTSD gender discrepancy, and identify mediating confounders that could explain any persisting discrepancy.

Methods

From a nationally representative cohort created in 1998, we examined service connection outcomes in 253 men and 663 women whose initial PTSD claims were denied. The primary outcome was PTSD service connection as of August 24, 2016. Secondary outcomes were service connection for any disorder and total disability rating. The total disability rating determines the generosity of Veterans' benefits.

Results

51.4% of men and 31.3% of women were service connected for PTSD by study's end (p?ConclusionEven after 2011, cohort men were more likely than the women to reverse initially denied PTSD claims, and military sexual assault history accounted for much of this difference. Service connection for other disorders initially offset women's lower rate of PTSD service connection, but, ultimately, men's total disability ratings exceeded women's. Gender discrepancies in service connection should be monitored beyond the initial claims period.

SUBMITTER: Murdoch M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7885341 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Reversals in initially denied Department of Veterans Affairs' PTSD disability claims after 17 years: a cohort study of gender differences.

Murdoch Maureen M Spoont Michele Roxanne MR Sayer Nina Aileen NA Kehle-Forbes Shannon Marie SM Noorbaloochi Siamak S

BMC women's health 20210216 1

<h4>Background</h4>In 2011, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) strengthened its disability claims processes for military sexual trauma, hoping to reduce gender differences in initial posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) disability awards. These process improvements should also have helped women reverse previously denied claims and, potentially, diminished gender discrepancies in appealed claims' outcomes. Our objectives were to examine gender differences in reversals of denied PTSD claims' ...[more]

PMID: 33593337

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Dataset Information

Reversals in initially denied Department of Veterans Affairs' PTSD disability claims after 17 years: a cohort study of gender differences.

Background

Methods

Results

Publications

Reversals in initially denied Department of Veterans Affairs' PTSD disability claims after 17 years: a cohort study of gender differences.

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