Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care Experiences Among US Veterans

Key Takeaways:

• A study found that in both US Veterans Affairs (VA) and non-VA settings, White veterans were more likely to report positive provider experiences than Black or Hispanic veterans.
• Provider knowledge of patient medical history was significantly higher among White veterans than Black and Hispanic veterans, 77.9% vs 62.0% and 61.1%, respectively.
• White veterans had higher rates of completed medical records compared to Black and Hispanic veterans, a gap which is further exacerbated in non-VA settings.

Researchers conducted a study to determine any racial or ethnic disparities in health care experiences among veterans in both VA and non-VA settings.

The study was a cross-sectional analysis of the 2018-2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Veteran Self-Administered Questionnaire, which included 1885 individual veterans and 2568 responses. The main outcomes were provider knowledge of medical history, maintenance of complete health records, and provider awareness of cross-system care.

Differences in Experiences Based on Race and Ethnicity

In the survey, provider knowledge was highest among White veterans compared to Black and Hispanic veterans, 77.9% vs 62.0% and 61.1%, respectively. White veterans also had the highest rates of record completeness compared to Black and Hispanic veterans, 86.6% vs 72.9% and 67.2%, respectively. All racial and ethnic groups had low rates of cross-system awareness.

Non-VA settings had more reported disparities than VA settings. Regarding record completeness, the gap between Black and White veterans was 15.5% larger in non-VA settings than VA systems.

These findings illustrate ongoing disparities in health care experiences among US veterans, with traditionally underserved racial groups reporting fewer positive experiences than White veterans.

The authors said, “Targeted interventions to improve care coordination and information sharing, especially in non-VA settings, are needed as community care expands.”

Reference

Roberts IA, Resnik LJ. Racial and ethnic differences in healthcare experiences for veterans receiving care from VA and non-VA providers. J Gen Intern Med. 2026. doi:10.1007/s11606-026-10375-w