7\. VETERAN BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION PROGRAMS

The Veteran Benefits Administration (VBA) continues a tradition of
providing benefits and services to the veteran population that began
with the establishment of the first pension program for veterans in
1789.[^1] Currently, VBA provides a wide range of education and income
benefits and services to veterans through 58 VA regional offices.
Benefits and services are provided by VBA in the following areas:
disability compensation and pension, education, home loans, vocational
rehabilitation and employment, and life insurance.

These five program areas are the focus of this chapter. For each area,
survey data about program use, helpfulness of these programs from the
veterans' perspectives, and veteran awareness and understanding of the
programs are reported.

# 7.1 VA Disability Compensation and Pension Programs

In general, eligible veterans may receive two types of monetary benefits
for disability, which include service-connected disability compensation
and pension funds. Disability compensation is a monetary benefit paid to
veterans with service-connected disabilities. VA pension programs
provide income support to veterans and survivors (with wartime service)
for a nonservice-connected disability or death. Disability pension
programs, which serve veterans and survivors who are experiencing
financial hardship, are means tested.[^2]

**Applying for Disability Benefits.** Veterans who said they had a
disabling condition were asked whether they had ever applied for
disability benefits from VA. Those who said they had applied were asked
the status of their most recent claim application. If they had not
applied for benefits, veterans were asked the main reasons why they had
not. Self-reported disabled veterans were also asked whether they agreed
with the statement that getting VA disability benefits was easy. These
results are displayed in Tables 7-1 though 7-6. This analysis is
restricted to veterans who indicated they had a disabling condition or
who refused or did not know the answer to that question. Veterans
without a disabling condition who indicated they had a service-connected
disability rating (or who refused or did not know the answer to that
question) were also asked these questions but their responses are not
included in these tables.

More than 8 million veterans reported having a disabling condition (32.1
percent of the veteran population), as Table 7-1 displays. Table 7-2
illustrates that, among veterans with disabling conditions, 43.1 percent
(3.5 million) indicated the condition was service-related. An additional
5.4 percent were unsure whether their condition was service-related.
Almost 14 percent, or roughly 3.5 million veterans, reported they had
received a service-connected disability rating. This latter number
includes veterans who did not report that they had a disabling condition
as well as those who did.

Table 7-1. Percent distribution of veterans with self-reported
disabilities and disability ratings

  --------------------------------------------- -------------------------
                                                Total

  Disabling condition                           32.1

  Disability rating                             13.8

  Number of veterans†                           25,196,000
  --------------------------------------------- -------------------------

† Estimate of number of veterans is rounded to the nearest hundred.

Table 7-2. Percent distribution of veterans with self-reported
disabilities by self-reported service-related disabilities

  --------------------------------------------- -------------------------
                                                Total

  Service-related                               43.1

  Not service-related                           51.5

  Unsure                                        5.4

  Total                                         100.0

  Number of veterans†                           8,089,000
  --------------------------------------------- -------------------------

† Estimate of number of veterans is rounded to the nearest hundred.

NOTE: This table only includes responses of those who indicated they had
a disabling condition.

Table 7-3 indicates that, among the approximately 8.1 million veterans
with a self-reported disabling condition, 43.5 percent stated that they
had applied for VA disability benefits. Of those who had applied, 61
percent said that their most recent application had been approved (Table
7-4). The youngest cohort of veterans was most likely to be in process
with their applications (25.4 percent) while the oldest cohort of
veterans was most likely to have had their most recent application
denied (24.8 percent).

Table 7-3. Percent distribution of veterans with self-reported
disabilities by application for disability benefits and age

+-------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
|             | Total | Less  | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65-74 | 75    |
|             |       | than  |       |       |       |       | years |
|             |       |       | years | years | years | years |       |
|             |       | 35    |       |       |       |       | or    |
|             |       | years |       |       |       |       | older |
+-------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| Applied     | 43.5  | 65.7  | 55.6  | 58.2  | 40.4  | 31.5  | 34.7  |
+-------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| Never       | 56.1  | 34.3  | 44.2  | 41.5  | 59.2  | 68.0  | 64.6  |
| applied     |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
+-------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| Unknown     | 0.4   | 0.0   | 0.2\* | 0.3\* | 0.4\* | 0.5\* | 0.7\* |
+-------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| Total       | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
+-------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| Number of   | 8,08  | 39    | 72    | 1,73  | 1,50  | 1,78  | 1,90  |
| veterans†   | 9,000 | 2,100 | 7,200 | 9,400 | 7,300 | 5,000 | 4,600 |
+-------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is larger than the sum of the groups because some
veterans did not provide their age.

NOTE: This table only includes responses from those veterans who
indicated they had a disabling condition.

Table 7-4. Percent distribution of veterans by status of most recent
claim application and age group among those who have applied for
disability benefits

+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
|                | T    | Less | 3    | 4    | 5    | 6    | 75   |
|                | otal | than | 5-44 | 5-54 | 5-64 | 5-74 | y    |
|                |      |      |      |      |      |      | ears |
|                |      | 35   | y    | y    | y    | y    |      |
|                |      | Y    | ears | ears | ears | ears | or   |
|                |      | ears |      |      |      |      | o    |
|                |      |      |      |      |      |      | lder |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Approved       | 61.0 | 54.9 | 64.7 | 62.3 | 61.6 | 59.4 | 60.6 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Waiting for    | 12.6 | 19.3 | 13.2 | 12.2 | 13.9 | 12.5 | 8.9  |
| decision from  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| VA regional    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| office         |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Waiting for    | 4.0  | 6.1  | 5.0  | 4.5  | 5.0  | 3.1  | 1    |
| decision about |      |      |      |      |      |      | .5\* |
| appeal         |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Denied         | 18.8 | 16.2 | 14.3 | 17.4 | 15.6 | 22.3 | 24.8 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Unknown        | 3.6  | 3    | 2    | 3.6  | 3.9  | 2.7  | 4.2  |
|                |      | .5\* | .8\* |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Total          | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    |
|                | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Number of      | 3    | 257  | 404  | 1    | 608  | 562  | 661  |
| veterans†      | ,520 | ,500 | ,300 | ,011 | ,700 | ,600 | ,100 |
|                | ,400 |      |      | ,400 |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is larger than the sum of the groups because some
veterans did not provide their age.

NOTE: This table only includes responses of those who indicated they had
applied for VA disability benefits and who indicated they had a
disabling condition.

Veterans with a self-reported disabling condition who did not apply for
disability benefits most frequently gave the following reasons for not
applying:

-   Didn't think was entitled or eligible (40.6 percent);

-   Didn't need the assistance (22.7 percent); and

-   Not aware of VA service-connected disability program (12.7 percent).

Table 7-5. Percent distribution of veterans by reasons veterans did not
apply for VA disability benefits and age group

  ------------------- ----------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----------- -----------
                      Total       Less      35-44\    45-54\    55-64\    65-74\      75 years\
                                  than\     years     years     years     years       or older
                                  35 years                                            

  Not aware of VA     12.7        24.2      16.2      12.8      15.9      10.4        10.4
  service-connected                                                                   
  disability program                                                                  

  Didn't think was    40.6        38.1      42.4      41.2      43.8      40.9        37.3
  entitled or                                                                         
  eligible                                                                            

  Getting military    0.9         0.5\*     1.2\*     1.3\*     0.4\*     0.3         1.6
  disability pay                                                                      

  Getting disability  2.1         0.2\*     0.8\*     1.9\*     2.7       2.8         1.6\*
  income from another                                                                 
  source                                                                              

  Didn't think        5.1         1.6\*     3.3\*     7.8       4.8       5.3         4.4
  disability severe                                                                   
  enough                                                                              

  Didn't know how to  3.2         16.1      4.5\*     3.3       4.7       2.0         1.3\*
  apply                                                                               

  Didn't want any     3.1         3.5\*     1.8\*     2.2\*     2.0\*     4.2         3.8
  assistance                                                                          

  Didn't need         22.7        15.4      17.5      14.2      20.1      27.2        27.4
  assistance                                                                          

  Applying too much   4.8         8.2\*     8.8       7.6       3.2       4.0         3.5
  trouble or red tape                                                                 

  Never thought about 7.1         5.2\*     5.7\*     5.0       7.0       7.4         8.9
  it                                                                                  

  Other\*\*           17.0        11.7\*    19.3      22.7      15.4      14.6        17.2

  Unknown             1.5         2.7\*     0.3\*     1.1\*     1.3\*     1.0\*       2.3

  Number of veterans† 4,534,500   134,600   321,600   722,000   892,100   1,214,400   1,231,100
  ------------------- ----------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----------- -----------

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

\*\*Reasons for not applying for benefits was asked as an open-ended
question with ten pre-established categories for interviewer coding of
responses. When interviewers could not readily code responses into one
of the pre-established categories, responses were transcribed and coded
as "other." The "other" category contains a variety of responses,
including: disability not service-related; lost records; inconvenience;
and bad treatment by VA in past. None of the themes in the
"other-specify" comments were frequent enough to permit analysis across
groups.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is larger than the sum of the groups because some
veterans did not provide their age; percent estimates will not sum to
100 because veterans could indicate more than one reason.

NOTE: This table only includes responses of those who indicated they had
a disabling condition but had not applied for VA disability benefits.

Table 7-5 also shows that older veterans were more likely than younger
veterans to report that they did not need the assistance; while younger
veterans were more likely than older veterans to indicate that they did
not understand how to apply. It is important to note that when looking
at age differences in these responses, older veterans represent a select
group of these cohorts of veterans, i.e., the long-term survivors.
Interpretation of their responses must take into account the fact that
many members of these cohorts are no longer alive. Had they been
surveyed years ago, their responses may have been different from the
current respondent group.

The veterans most likely to be eligible for disability benefits are
those with a self-reported service-related disability or with a
disability rating. Among these veterans, about 38 percent agreed with
the statement that it was or would be easy to get the disability
benefits to which they are entitled. Younger veterans were somewhat less
likely to agree with this statement than were older veterans.

Table 7-6. Percent distribution of veterans by ease of getting VA
disability benefits and age

+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
|                | T    | Less | 3    | 4    | 5    | 6    | 75   |
|                | otal | than | 5-44 | 5-54 | 5-64 | 5-74 | y    |
|                |      |      |      |      |      |      | ears |
|                |      | 35   | y    | y    | y    | y    |      |
|                |      | y    | ears | ears | ears | ears | or   |
|                |      | ears |      |      |      |      | o    |
|                |      |      |      |      |      |      | lder |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Strongly agree | 8.7  | 6    | 5.4  | 7.7  | 9.9  | 11.0 | 10.3 |
|                |      | .6\* |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Agree          | 29.2 | 23.0 | 24.9 | 25.5 | 29.9 | 33.3 | 36.4 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Neither agree  | 13.1 | 22.0 | 17.0 | 14.0 | 12.5 | 11.0 | 7.2  |
| nor disagree   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Disagree       | 23.1 | 22.0 | 25.4 | 24.5 | 22.5 | 20.8 | 22.7 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Strongly       | 21.9 | 24.5 | 25.3 | 26.1 | 21.3 | 19.1 | 14.9 |
| disagree       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Unknown        | 4.0  | 1    | 2    | 2    | 3.9  | 4.8  | 8.5  |
|                |      | .9\* | .0\* | .2\* |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Total          | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    |
|                | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Number of      | 4    | 380  | 536  | 1    | 771  | 665  | 818  |
| veterans†      | ,425 | ,600 | ,000 | ,233 | ,263 | ,600 | ,600 |
|                | ,400 |      |      | ,200 |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is larger than the sum of the groups because some
veterans did not provide their age.

NOTE: This table only includes responses of those who indicated they had
a disabling condition that they thought was service-related or those who
indicated they had a service-connected disability rating.

**Receiving Disability Benefits.** Veterans who said they had a
disabling condition or a disability rating were asked whether they were
receiving service-connected disability compensation or
non-service-connected disability pension. Those who reported that they
were receiving disability compensation were further asked about the
importance of that compensation in meeting their financial needs. Tables
7-7 and 7-8 display these results.

As Table 7-7 indicates, nearly 9 in 10 veterans with a self-reported
disabling condition or disability rating reported that they currently
receive service-connected disability compensation. Only about 1 in 20 of
these veterans (6.3 percent) received non-service-connected disability
pension funds. This percentage does not represent the entire population
of veterans receiving non-service connected disability funds, but rather
the subset of veterans with a self-reported service-related disability
or with a disability rating.

Table 7-7. Percent distribution of veterans by service-connected
disability compensation, non-service-connected disability pension, and
age

+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
|               | T    | Less | 3    | 4    | 5    | 6    | 75   |
|               | otal | than | 5-44 | 5-54 | 5-64 | 5-74 | y    |
|               |      |      |      |      |      |      | ears |
|               |      | 35   | y    | y    | y    | y    |      |
|               |      | y    | ears | ears | ears | ears | or   |
|               |      | ears |      |      |      |      | o    |
|               |      |      |      |      |      |      | lder |
+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Receiving     | 88.2 | 94.1 | 91.7 | 89.4 | 89.6 | 82.7 | 86.5 |
| serv          |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| ice-connected |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| disability    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| compensation  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Receiving     | 6.3  | 1    | 2    | 6.9  | 5.1  | 11.1 | 5.8  |
| non-serv      |      | .4\* | .5\* |      |      |      |      |
| ice-connected |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| disability    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| pension       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Receiving     | 2.0  | 0.0  | 2    | 1.5  | 3.1  | 2.0  | 2.6  |
| both          |      |      | .3\* |      |      |      |      |
| compensation  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| and pension   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Receiving     | 2.3  | 1    | 2    | 1    | 2.0  | 3.3  | 2.7  |
| neither       |      | .4\* | .4\* | .5\* |      |      |      |
| compensation  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| nor pension   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Unknown       | 1.2  | 3    | 1    | 0    | 0    | 0    | 2.4  |
|               |      | .1\* | .1\* | .7\* | .2\* | .9\* |      |
+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Total         | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    |
|               | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 |
+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Number of     | 2    | 195  | 327  | 875  | 506  | 460  | 604  |
| veterans†     | ,982 | ,800 | ,600 | ,100 | ,400 | ,000 | ,900 |
|               | ,700 |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is larger than the sum of the groups because some
veterans did not provide their age.

NOTE: This table only includes responses of those who indicated that
they received regular disability payments from the VA and who either
indicated that they had a disabling condition or that they had a
service-connected disability rating or refused or did not know the
answer to any of those questions.

Table 7-8. Percent distribution of veterans receiving service-connected
disability compensation by importance of service-connected disability
compensation to meeting financial needs and age

+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
|               | T    | Less | 3    | 4    | 5    | 6    | 75   |
|               | otal | than | 5-44 | 5-54 | 5-64 | 5-74 | y    |
|               |      |      |      |      |      |      | ears |
|               |      | 35   | y    | y    | y    | y    |      |
|               |      | y    | ears | ears | ears | ears | or   |
|               |      | ears |      |      |      |      | o    |
|               |      |      |      |      |      |      | lder |
+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Extremely     | 36.1 | 42.9 | 44.9 | 43.3 | 35.1 | 27.7 | 24.9 |
| important     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Very          | 26.3 | 19.2 | 22.4 | 19.8 | 25.8 | 33.4 | 35.4 |
| important     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Moderately    | 14.8 | 11.1 | 15.5 | 13.9 | 12.7 | 14.7 | 19.1 |
| important     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Slightly      | 12.9 | 13.7 | 9.5  | 11.6 | 15.3 | 14.9 | 13.1 |
| important     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Not at all    | 8.5  | 11.0 | 6.6  | 10.0 | 10.2 | 7.6  | 6.1  |
| important     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Unknown       | 1.4  | 2    | 1    | 1    | 0    | 1    | 1.4  |
|               |      | .1\* | .1\* | .4\* | .9\* | .7\* |      |
+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Total         | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    |
|               | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 |
+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Number of     | 2    | 184  | 307  | 795  | 469  | 389  | 539  |
| veterans†     | ,692 | ,300 | ,900 | ,200 | ,600 | ,600 | ,100 |
|               | ,200 |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+---------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is larger than the sum of the groups because some
veterans did not provide their age.

NOTE: This table only includes responses of those who indicated they
were receiving service-connected disability compensation.

Approximately 62 percent of veterans receiving service-connected
disability compensation said that their disability payments were
extremely or very important to meeting their financial needs. Across all
age groups, at least 60 percent of veterans consistently said that these
payments were extremely or very important to meeting their financial
needs.

**Understanding Disability Benefits.** Veterans who said they had a
service-related disability were asked how strongly they agreed with the
statement that they thoroughly understood the disability benefits to
which they are entitled. Tables 7-9 and 7-10 display these results.

Table 7-9. Percent distribution of veterans by understanding of
disability benefits and age

+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
|                | T    | Less | 3    | 4    | 5    | 6    | 75   |
|                | otal | than | 5-44 | 5-54 | 5-64 | 5-74 | y    |
|                |      |      |      |      |      |      | ears |
|                |      | 35   | y    | y    | y    | y    |      |
|                |      | y    | ears | ears | ears | ears | or   |
|                |      | ears |      |      |      |      | o    |
|                |      |      |      |      |      |      | lder |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Strongly agree | 15.1 | 12.1 | 12.8 | 16.6 | 15.9 | 18.3 | 12.5 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Agree          | 36.1 | 25.1 | 30.4 | 35.1 | 33.8 | 42.5 | 44.2 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Neither agree  | 12.0 | 14.1 | 13.0 | 12.5 | 15.6 | 10.2 | 8.0  |
| nor disagree   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Disagree       | 21.2 | 28.2 | 27.2 | 21.8 | 19.4 | 15.3 | 19.2 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Strongly       | 12.6 | 20.2 | 15.8 | 12.1 | 11.8 | 11.5 | 8.5  |
| disagree       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Unknown        | 3.0  | 0    | 0    | 1.9  | 3.5  | 2.2  | 7.6  |
|                |      | .3\* | .8\* |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Total          | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    |
|                | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Number of      | 4    | 350  | 536  | 1    | 771  | 665  | 818  |
| veterans†      | ,425 | ,600 | ,000 | ,233 | ,300 | ,600 | ,600 |
|                | ,400 |      |      | ,200 |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is larger than the sum of the groups because some
veterans did not provide their age.

NOTE: This table only includes responses of those who indicated they had
a disabling condition that they thought was service-related

Table 7-10. Percent distribution of veterans receiving service-connected
disability compensation by understanding of disability benefits and age

+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
|                | T    | Less | 3    | 4    | 5    | 6    | 75   |
|                | otal | than | 5-44 | 5-54 | 5-64 | 5-74 | y    |
|                |      | 35   |      |      |      |      | ears |
|                |      | y    | y    | y    | y    | y    |      |
|                |      | ears | ears | ears | ears | ears | or   |
|                |      |      |      |      |      |      | o    |
|                |      |      |      |      |      |      | lder |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Strongly agree | 20.5 | 14.5 | 17.8 | 22.3 | 22.1 | 25.5 | 16.7 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Agree          | 42.0 | 30.5 | 34.9 | 39.4 | 40.0 | 47.4 | 52.0 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Neither agree  | 11.6 | 18.9 | 14.1 | 11.7 | 14.2 | 8.6  | 7.3  |
| nor disagree   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Disagree       | 17.3 | 22.4 | 24.6 | 18.6 | 15.6 | 11.2 | 14.6 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Strongly       | 6.0  | 13.2 | 7.9  | 6.1  | 5.5  | 5.0  | 3.8  |
| disagree       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Unknown        | 2.6  | 0.5  | 0.7  | 1.9  | 2.6  | 2.3  | 5.6  |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Total          | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    |
|                | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Number of      | 2    | 184  | 307  | 795  | 469  | 389  | 539  |
| veterans†      | ,692 | ,300 | ,900 | ,200 | ,600 | ,600 | ,100 |
|                | ,200 |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is larger than the sum of the groups because some
veterans did not provide their age.

NOTE: This table only includes responses of those who indicated they
received service-connected disability compensation.

Approximately 51 percent of these veterans agreed that they thoroughly
understood the benefits to which they are entitled, while about 34
percent disagreed. Younger veterans were less likely than older veterans
to agree that they thoroughly understood their benefits.

It should be noted, however, that not all of these veterans actually
received service-connected disability compensation. Those who did not
receive this compensation, especially those who had not been through the
application process, may not have felt that they thoroughly understood
the benefits to which they were entitled. Table 7-10 presents the same
information as Table 7-9 based on only those veterans who indicated that
they received service-connected disability compensation. Of those
veterans, 62.5 percent agreed that they understood their benefits, while
23.3 percent disagreed. The age difference noted among all disabled
veterans is still apparent among veterans receiving service-connected
disability compensation. Among younger veterans who received
service-connected disability compensation, a substantial proportion
(35.6 percent among those less than 35 years of age and 32.5 percent
among those between 35-44 years of age) disagreed that they understood
their benefits, compared to about 16 percent of those in the 65-74 age
group, and 18.4 percent of those in the 75 and older age group.

# 7.2 Educational Programs

VBA education programs provide veterans with educational resources to
supplement opportunities missed because of military service. These
programs are also meant to help the armed forces and reserves to recruit
and retain members. For members of the armed forces, VA educational
benefits also assist in the adjustment to civilian life.[^3]

The provisions of VA-provided education programs have changed over the
years, which may have influenced veterans' use of educational benefits.
Because of these changes in benefits related to period of service, many
survey responses in this section are examined by period of service.
There have been five major education initiatives for veterans, including
the following:

-   In 1944, the Serviceman's Readjustment Act provided World War II
    (WWII) veterans with up to 4 years of education or training
    assistance, including tuition, books, fees, supplies, and a
    subsistence allowance.

-   In 1952, the Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act, directed at
    Korean War veterans, reduced financial benefits and imposed new
    restrictions on veterans using the benefit. Veterans were permitted
    a maximum of 36 months of education/training and were expected to
    pay tuition costs out of subsistence allowances.

-   In 1966, the Veterans' Readjustment Benefits Act, provided Vietnam
    and Vietnam-era veterans one month (and later 1½ months) of
    educational benefits for each month of service.

-   In 1977, the Post-Vietnam Era Veterans Educational Assistance Act
    provided 2:1 matching funds to service members for their
    contributions to an education fund.

-   In 1984, the Veterans Educational Assistance Act, popularly known as
    the Montgomery GI Bill, provided educational assistance in exchange
    for completing 3 years of active duty or 2 years of active duty and
    4 years in the reserve. The service member was also required to
    contribute to an educational fund.[^4]

This section describes survey results on VA education benefit use,
barriers to use, and expectations for future benefit use.

**Education Benefit Use.** Respondents were asked whether they had
received any education or training benefits from VA. If so, they were
asked how they used their education benefit and how important their VA
education benefit had been in helping them to meet their education goals
or preparing them to get a better job. These results are displayed in
Tables 7-11 through 7-13.

Overall, 40.1 percent of veterans said they had used VA education or
training benefits since they left the military (Table 7-11). The
percentage of those reporting that they had used these benefits was
highest for those who served during the Vietnam era (49.2 percent) and
lowest for those who had served during the Gulf War (30.2 percent). The
proportion of veterans using education-training benefits among those who
served during the Gulf War will likely increase over the next few years
because veterans generally have up to ten years after their separation
to use their education-training benefits. (See Table 7-15 for
expectations about future use.)

Table 7-11. Percent distribution of veterans by education or training
benefits (other than vocational rehabilitation) and period of service

+------------+------+-----+------+------+------+------+------+------+
|            | T    | Wo  | Bet  | Ko   | Bet  | Vie  | Post | Gulf |
|            | otal | rld | ween | rean | ween | tnam | -Vie |      |
|            |      | War | W    | Conf | Ko   |      | tnam | War  |
|            |      | II  | orld | lict | rean | Era  | Era  |      |
|            |      |     | War  |      | Conf |      |      |      |
|            |      |     | II   |      | lict |      |      |      |
|            |      |     | and  |      | and  |      |      |      |
|            |      |     |      |      | Vie  |      |      |      |
|            |      |     | K    |      | tnam |      |      |      |
|            |      |     | orea |      | Era  |      |      |      |
+------------+------+-----+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Received   | 40.1 | 4   | 38.0 | 42.1 | 37.1 | 49.2 | 34.7 | 30.2 |
| education  |      | 2.1 |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| or         |      |     |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| training   |      |     |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| benefits   |      |     |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+------------+------+-----+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Did not    | 59.5 | 5   | 61.7 | 57.7 | 62.3 | 50.4 | 65.1 | 69.5 |
| receive    |      | 7.1 |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| education  |      |     |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| or         |      |     |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| training   |      |     |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| benefits   |      |     |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+------------+------+-----+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Unknown    | 0.4  | 0.8 | 0    | 0    | 0.6  | 0    | 0    | 0    |
|            |      |     | .3\* | .2\* |      | .4\* | .2\* | .3\* |
+------------+------+-----+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Total      | 1    | 10  | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    |
|            | 00.0 | 0.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 |
+------------+------+-----+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Number of  | 25   | 5,1 | 1    | 4    | 6    | 9    | 7    | 3    |
| veterans†  | ,095 | 49, | ,680 | ,245 | ,426 | ,057 | ,005 | ,483 |
|            | ,000 | 100 | ,600 | ,600 | ,500 | ,200 | ,000 | ,600 |
+------------+------+-----+------+------+------+------+------+------+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is smaller than the sum of the groups because
veterans could indicate more than one period of service.

Among those who had used their educational and training benefits, most
veterans (60.5 percent) used their benefits for college or university
study (Table 7-12). Approximately 38 percent used their benefits for
business, technical, or vocational training, and 15.3 percent used them
for apprenticeship or on-job training programs. Based on these
responses, the proportions of veterans using these benefits for college
or university study or for business, technical and vocational training
appear to have steadily increased in more recent periods of service
while the percentage of veterans using the benefits for apprenticeship
or on-job training has decreased in more recent periods of service. This
trend may reflect changes in labor market education requirements.

Approximately 67 percent of veterans who had used VA educational and
training benefits indicated that these benefits were either extremely or
very important in helping them meet their educational or career goals
(Table 7-13). When veterans' responses were examined across period of
service, the percentage of veterans emphasizing the importance of these
benefits to achieving their goals steadily increased to a high of 80
percent among Gulf War veterans. This reflects enlistment incentives
promulgated in recent years, which have encouraged people to volunteer
by emphasizing the education benefits they can obtain through military
service.

Table 7-12. Percent distribution of veterans by use of education and
training benefit and period of service

+---------------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+-----+
|               | To  | W    | B   | Ko   | B   | Vie  | Pos | G   |
|               | tal | orld | etw | rean | etw | tnam | t-V | ulf |
|               |     | War  | een | Conf | een |      | iet |     |
|               |     | II   | Wo  | lict | Kor | Era  | nam | War |
|               |     |      | rld |      | ean |      | Era |     |
|               |     |      | War |      | Co  |      |     |     |
|               |     |      | II  |      | nfl |      |     |     |
|               |     |      | and |      | ict |      |     |     |
|               |     |      | Ko  |      | and |      |     |     |
|               |     |      | rea |      | V   |      |     |     |
|               |     |      |     |      | iet |      |     |     |
|               |     |      |     |      | nam |      |     |     |
|               |     |      |     |      | Era |      |     |     |
+---------------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+-----+
| College or    | 6   | 51.3 | 5   | 55.5 | 5   | 63.8 | 6   | 7   |
| university    | 0.5 |      | 4.3 |      | 8.8 |      | 7.2 | 5.0 |
| coursework    |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
| for bachelor  |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
| or graduate   |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
| degree        |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
+---------------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+-----+
| Busine        | 3   | 34.9 | 3   | 38.2 | 3   | 39.2 | 4   | 3   |
| ss/technical/ | 7.5 |      | 9.3 |      | 9.6 |      | 0.0 | 5.4 |
| vocational    |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
| training for  |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
| certificate/  |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
| diploma       |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
+---------------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+-----+
| A             | 1   | 22.2 | 1   | 15.3 | 1   | 14.5 | 1   | 1   |
| pprenticeship | 5.3 |      | 7.5 |      | 1.9 |      | 2.0 | 0.5 |
| or on-job     |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
| training      |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
| program       |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
+---------------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+-----+
| Took          | 9.6 | 8.8  | 9.8 | 8.3  | 1   | 11.4 | 7.4 | 6.9 |
| c             |     |      |     |      | 3.5 |      |     |     |
| orrespondence |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
| courses       |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
+---------------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+-----+
| Flight        | 3.7 | 7.0  | 5.8 | 4.8  | 4.5 | 2.8  | 2.2 | 1.  |
| training      |     |      |     |      |     |      |     | 7\* |
+---------------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+-----+
| Tutorial      | 8.6 | 8.7  | 6.2 | 9.0  | 9.3 | 8.5  | 8.1 | 7.0 |
| assistance,   |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
| refresher     |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
| courses, or   |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
| deficiency    |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
| training      |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
+---------------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+-----+
| Teacher       | 2.5 | 2.1  | 2.3 | 1.8  | 2.1 | 2.6  | 3.3 | 2.  |
| certification |     |      |     |      |     |      |     | 3\* |
| program       |     |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
+---------------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+-----+
| Other         | 4.1 | 4.7  | 4.7 | 6.1  | 5.4 | 3.7  | 2.2 | 3.6 |
+---------------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+-----+
| Unknown       | 0.5 | 0.8  | 0.  | 0    | 0.  | 0    | 0.  | 0.  |
|               |     |      | 4\* | .4\* | 7\* | .2\* | 3\* | 2\* |
+---------------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+-----+
| Number of     | 1   | 2    | 6   | 1    | 2,4 | 4    | 2,4 | 1,0 |
| veterans†     | 0,1 | ,207 | 43, | ,796 | 20, | ,494 | 45, | 60, |
|               | 78, | ,400 | 700 | ,700 | 600 | ,000 | 600 | 900 |
|               | 300 |      |     |      |     |      |     |     |
+---------------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+------+-----+-----+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is smaller than the sum of the groups because
veterans could indicate more than one period of service; percent
estimates will not sum to 100 because veterans could indicate more than
one use of education and training benefits.

NOTE: This question was asked of those who indicated they had received
any education or training benefits from the VA since they left the
military or who refused or did not know the answer to that question.

As discussed earlier, when looking at age differences (or period of
service differences) in responses, older veterans represent a select
group among these cohorts of veterans, the long-term survivors.
Interpretation of their responses must take into account that a higher
proportion of these cohorts have died. Had those missing veterans been
surveyed years ago, their responses may have been different from those
of the current respondent group. Moreover, these questions about the
impact of educational benefits on their lives ask older veterans to
recall feelings and facts from many years ago. Their responses may be
somewhat biased by the extended length of time between the events and
the current survey.

Table 7-13. Percent distribution of veterans by importance of education
and training benefits in meeting educational goals or preparing for
better job and period of service

+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
|             | T    | W    | Bet  | Ko   | Bet  | Vie  | Post | Gulf |
|             | otal | orld | ween | rean | ween | tnam | -Vie |      |
|             |      | War  | W    | Conf | Ko   |      | tnam | War  |
|             |      | II   | orld | lict | rean | Era  | Era  |      |
|             |      |      | War  |      | Conf |      |      |      |
|             |      |      | II   |      | lict |      |      |      |
|             |      |      | and  |      | and  |      |      |      |
|             |      |      |      |      | Vie  |      |      |      |
|             |      |      | K    |      | tnam |      |      |      |
|             |      |      | orea |      | Era  |      |      |      |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Extremely   | 37.4 | 33.4 | 36.2 | 35.1 | 32.3 | 36.9 | 44.5 | 55.0 |
| important   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Very        | 29.3 | 30.8 | 29.7 | 28.9 | 31.1 | 30.2 | 26.2 | 25.0 |
| important   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Moderately  | 14.4 | 14.1 | 12.4 | 14.0 | 16.2 | 14.3 | 14.0 | 11.0 |
| important   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Slightly    | 7.8  | 8.2  | 7.4  | 8.4  | 8.8  | 7.8  | 6.8  | 3.7  |
| important   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Not at all  | 10.4 | 12.5 | 13.5 | 12.8 | 10.5 | 10.3 | 7.5  | 4.6  |
| important   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Unknown     | 0.7  | 1.0  | 0    | 0    | 1    | 0    | 1.0  | 0    |
|             |      |      | .8\* | .8\* | .1\* | .5\* |      | .7\* |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Total       | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    |
|             | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Number of   | 10   | 2    | 643  | 1    | 2    | 4    | 2    | 1    |
| veterans†   | ,178 | ,207 | ,700 | ,796 | ,420 | ,494 | ,445 | ,060 |
|             | ,300 | ,400 |      | ,700 | ,600 | ,000 | ,600 | ,900 |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is smaller than the sum of the groups because
veterans could indicate more than one period of service.

NOTE: This question was asked of those who indicated they had received
any education or training benefits from the VA since they left the
military or who refused or did not know the answer to that question.

**Understanding Education Benefits.** Respondents were asked how
strongly they agreed with a statement that they thoroughly understood VA
education and training benefits to which they were entitled. These
results are displayed in Table 7-14. Overall, about 47 percent of
eligible veterans agreed that they understand VA educational/training
benefits to which they were entitled.

Table 7-14. Percent distribution of veterans by understanding of
education and training benefits and period of service

  ------------------- ------------ ------------ -------------- ------------
                      Total        Vietnam Era  Post-Vietnam   Gulf War
                                                Era            

  Strongly agree      13.4         14.1         14.1           18.3

  Agree               33.5         33.1         29.7           30.6

  Neither agree nor   15.8         17.1         15.5           13.7
  disagree                                                     

  Disagree            20.0         20.5         21.7           21.1

  Strongly disagree   12.3         12.0         17.4           15.6

  Unknown             5.0          3.1          1.6            0.7

  Total               100.0        100.0        100.0          100.0

  Number of veterans† 23,246,700   8,614,600    6,192,500      3,134,700
  ------------------- ------------ ------------ -------------- ------------

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred.

NOTE: This table excludes veterans who didn't believe they were entitled
to or eligible for education and training benefits. The "total" column
includes responses for all periods of service.

**Future Education Benefit Use.** In general, veterans are entitled to
use their education and training benefit for up to 10 years after
discharge from service. Veterans who had been discharged within the past
10 years were asked how likely they were to use these benefits in the
future. Veterans who said they were not at all likely to use their VA
education benefits were asked to state the main reasons why they were
not likely to do so. These results are displayed in Tables 7-15 and
7-16.

Table 7-15. Percent distribution of veterans by likelihood of using VA
benefits for education or training and period of service

  ------------------- ------------ ------------ -------------- ------------
                      Total        Vietnam Era  Post-Vietnam   Gulf War
                                                Era            

  Very likely         37.5         24.1         29.3           37.5

  Somewhat likely     25.7         26.9         27.5           25.7

  Not at all likely   35.6         47.8         42.2           35.6

  Unknown             1.2          1.2\*        1.0            1.2

  Total               100.0        100.0        100.0          100.0

  Number of veterans† 3,364,400    479,400      2,127,700      3,364,400
  ------------------- ------------ ------------ -------------- ------------

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred.

NOTE: This question was only asked of veterans who were within 10 years
of their discharge or release date.

Among veterans who had been discharged within the last 10 years, 63.2
percent said that they are somewhat or very likely to use their
educational benefits in the future (Table 7-15). Not surprisingly, the
proportion was smallest among Vietnam Era veterans, and largest among
Gulf War veterans. Among those who said they were not at all likely to
use their benefits, the most common specific reason given for not using
these benefits was that they do not need education or training (26.3
percent). Nearly one in five veterans said they did not believe they
were entitled to these benefits (19.2 percent).

Table 7-16. Percent distribution of veterans by reasons veterans will
not use VA educational or training benefits and period of service

  ------------------- ------------ ------------ -------------- ------------
                      Total        Vietnam Era  Post-Vietnam   Gulf War
                                                Era            

  Not aware of VA     12.0         3.1\*        10.7           12.0
  education or                                                 
  training benefits                                            

  Didn't believe      19.2         12.1         17.6           19.2
  entitled or                                                  
  eligible for                                                 
  education or                                                 
  training benefits                                            

  Did not know how to 1.9          0.1\*        1.9            1.9
  apply for education                                          
  or training                                                  
  benefits                                                     

  Did not need any    26.3         38.9         29.1           26.3
  education or                                                 
  training                                                     

  Did not need or     7.8          9.8          8.9            7.8
  want assistance                                              
  from VA                                                      

  Too much trouble or 3.6          1.4\*        3.0            3.6
  red tape                                                     

  Never considered    2.7          3.1\*        2.8            2.7
  getting any                                                  
  education or                                                 
  training from VA                                             

  Did not pay into    0.7\*        0.2\*        0.9\*          0.7\*
  training funds                                               
  during active duty                                           

  Other\*\*           38.1         39.1         37.9           38.1

  Unknown             0.8\*        0.4\*        0.8\*          0.8\*

  Number of veterans† 1,240,300    235,200      919,800        1,240,300
  ------------------- ------------ ------------ -------------- ------------

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

\*\*Reasons for not applying for benefits was asked as an open-ended
question with ten pre-established categories for interviewer coding of
responses. When interviewers could not readily code responses into one
of the pre-established categories, responses were transcribed and coded
as "other." The "other" category contains a variety of responses,
including: already have a good job; no time for educational activities;
and not interested in getting more education. None of the themes in the
"other-specify" comments were frequent enough to permit analysis across
groups.

† Estimate of number of veterans is rounded to the nearest hundred;
percent estimates will not sum to 100 because veterans could indicate
more than one use of education and training benefits.

NOTE: This question was asked of those who were within 10 years of their
discharge or release date and who indicated that they were not at all
likely to use VA benefits for education or training or refused or didn't
know the answer to that question.

# 

# 7.3 Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Services

The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program (VR&E) helps
veterans with service-connected disabilities become employable in order
to obtain and maintain suitable employment. When the severity of
disability prohibits suitable employment, VR&E assists those veterans in
achieving independence in daily living. Additionally, VR&E provides
educational and vocational counseling for eligible service members,
veterans, and dependents.[^5]

Veterans responding to the section of questions concerning disabilities
also were asked whether they had ever used VA vocational rehabilitation
services. If they reported they had not used VA vocational
rehabilitation services, veterans then were asked the main reason why
they had not. Veterans who reported they had used VA vocational
rehabilitation services were asked how important these services were in
meeting their education goals or obtaining employment. Results for
veterans who report receiving service-connected disability compensation
are displayed in Tables 7-15 through 7-17. Analyses for this report were
restricted to this group because vocational rehabilitation services are
particularly relevant for this group of veterans.

About 1 in 5 veterans who reported receiving service-connected
disability compensation also reported that they received vocational
rehabilitation services from VA at some point (Table 7-17). The
proportion of veterans indicating that they had received vocational
rehabilitation services from VA varied by period of service. The lowest
proportion receiving VA vocational rehabilitation services were in
military service between the WWII and Korean Conflict eras (14.4
percent) and the largest proportions serving in the post-Vietnam Era
(24.6 percent) and during the Gulf War (23.2 percent).

Table 7-18 shows that, among veterans who said they had not received VA
vocational rehabilitation services from VA, the most common reason was,
not needing any financial assistance from VA (30.0 percent). About 1 out
of 8 veterans said that they had not received these services from VA
because they never considered applying (13.3 percent), while more than 1
in 10 said they did not because they didn\'t think their disability was
severe enough (11.4 percent). Veterans from earlier periods of service
were more likely to report that they had never considered applying than
were veterans serving in the later periods of service.

Table 7-17. Percent distribution of veterans by use of vocational
rehabilitation services from VA and period of service

+------------+-----+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
|            | To  | W    | Bet  | Ko   | Bet  | Vie  | Post | Gulf |
|            | tal | orld | ween | rean | ween | tnam | -Vie |      |
|            |     | War  | W    | Conf | Ko   |      | tnam | War  |
|            |     | II   | orld | lict | rean | Era  | Era  |      |
|            |     |      | War  |      | Conf |      |      |      |
|            |     |      | II   |      | lict |      |      |      |
|            |     |      | and  |      | and  |      |      |      |
|            |     |      |      |      | Vie  |      |      |      |
|            |     |      | K    |      | tnam |      |      |      |
|            |     |      | orea |      | Era  |      |      |      |
+------------+-----+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Yes        | 2   | 14.1 | 14.4 | 14.7 | 14.4 | 20.6 | 24.6 | 23.2 |
|            | 1.1 |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+------------+-----+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| No         | 7   | 84.5 | 85.0 | 84.7 | 85.2 | 79.1 | 75.0 | 76.5 |
|            | 8.3 |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+------------+-----+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Unknown    | 0.6 | 1.4  | 0    | 0    | 0    | 0    | 0    | 0    |
|            |     |      | .6\* | .6\* | .4\* | .3\* | .4\* | .3\* |
+------------+-----+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Total      | 10  | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    |
|            | 0.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 |
+------------+-----+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Number of  | 2,6 | 604  | 205  | 426  | 643  | 1    | 1    | 612  |
| veterans†  | 92, | ,800 | ,500 | ,000 | ,600 | ,327 | ,114 | ,700 |
|            | 200 |      |      |      |      | ,600 | ,400 |      |
+------------+-----+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is smaller than the sum of the groups because
veterans could indicate more than one period of service.

NOTE: This table only includes responses of those who reported that they
received service-connected disability compensation.

Table 7-18. Percent distribution of veterans by reasons veterans have
not used any VA vocational rehabilitation services and period of service

+----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
|                | To  | Wo  | B   | Kor | Bet  | V   | Pos | G   |
|                | tal | rld | etw | ean | ween | iet | t-V | ulf |
|                |     | War | een | Co  | Ko   | nam | iet |     |
|                |     | II  | Wo  | nfl | rean |     | nam | War |
|                |     |     | rld | ict | Conf | Era | Era |     |
|                |     |     | War |     | lict |     |     |     |
|                |     |     | II  |     | and  |     |     |     |
|                |     |     | and |     | Vie  |     |     |     |
|                |     |     |     |     | tnam |     |     |     |
|                |     |     | Ko  |     | Era  |     |     |     |
|                |     |     | rea |     |      |     |     |     |
+----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Didn't think   | 1   | 1   | 1   | 1   | 9.9  | 1   | 1   | 1   |
| disability was | 1.4 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 1.3 |      | 1.7 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
| severe enough  |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Didn't know    | 6.5 | 4.9 | 6.  | 4.4 | 4.3  | 6.3 | 6.6 | 8.2 |
| how to apply   |     |     | 4\* |     |      |     |     |     |
| for or get     |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| needed         |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| benefits       |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Didn't want    | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.  | 1.8 | 2.4  | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.  |
| financial      |     |     | 6\* |     |      |     |     | 0\* |
| assistance     |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| from VA        |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Didn't need    | 3   | 3   | 3   | 3   | 35.4 | 3   | 3   | 2   |
| financial      | 0.0 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 6.4 |      | 2.3 | 0.9 | 3.0 |
| assistance     |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| from VA        |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Applying was   | 3.7 | 4.1 | 6.1 | 4.9 | 4.2  | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.3 |
| too much       |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| trouble or red |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| tape           |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Never          | 1   | 1   | 1   | 1   | 13.5 | 1   | 1   | 1   |
| considered     | 3.3 | 6.6 | 4.8 | 4.7 |      | 2.1 | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| applying       |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Got assistance | 2.9 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.3  | 3.0 | 1.9 | 1.8 |
| from somewhere |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| else           |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Got            | 4.0 | 5.7 | 6.1 | 5.0 | 4.4  | 4.3 | 3.5 | 2.0 |
| better/didn't  |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| need           |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| assistance any |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| more           |     |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Just had claim | 0.  | 0.  | 0.  | 0.  | 0    | 0.  | 0.  | 1.  |
| approved       | 6\* | 2\* | 4\* | 3\* | .6\* | 5\* | 3\* | 1\* |
+----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Other\*\*      | 3   | 2   | 3   | 2   | 34.5 | 3   | 3   | 4   |
|                | 5.2 | 7.0 | 1.7 | 9.4 |      | 5.0 | 7.7 | 3.0 |
+----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Unknown        | 3.4 | 5.4 | 3.  | 2.7 | 1.6  | 2.6 | 1.5 | 2.  |
|                |     |     | 2\* |     |      |     |     | 0\* |
+----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Number of      | 2,1 | 5   | 1   | 3   | 548  | 1,0 | 8   | 4   |
| veterans†      | 07, | 10, | 74, | 61, | ,500 | 50, | 36, | 69, |
|                | 100 | 900 | 700 | 000 |      | 600 | 300 | 000 |
+----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

\*\*Reasons for not using vocational rehabilitation benefits was asked
as an open-ended question with nine pre-established categories for
interviewer coding of responses. When interviewers could not readily
code responses into one of the pre-established categories, responses
were transcribed and coded as "other." The "other" category contains a
variety of responses, including: issues related to age or disability;
denied benefits; not eligible for benefits; and lack of awareness of
benefits. None of the themes in the "other-specify" comments were
frequent enough to permit analysis across groups.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is smaller than the sum of the groups because
veterans could indicate more than one period of service; percent
estimates will not sum to 100 because veterans could indicate more than
one reason.

NOTE: This table only includes responses of those who indicated that
they received service-connected disability compensation and had never
used vocational rehabilitation services from VA.

Interpretation of older veterans' responses must take into account that
many members of these cohorts are no longer alive. Had those missing
veterans been surveyed years ago, their responses may have been
different from the current respondent group. Moreover, these questions
ask older veterans to recall feelings and explanations from many years
ago. Their responses also may be somewhat biased by the extended length
of time between the events and the current survey.

Table 7-19 illustrates that overall, about 69 percent of veterans who
received VA vocational rehabilitation services said that these services
were extremely or very important in meeting their educational goals or
helping them get a job. The proportion of veterans reporting that these
services were extremely or very important increased in more recent
periods of service. It ranged from 61 percent for those who served
during World War II to just under 77 percent for those who served during
the Gulf War. Once again, period of service differences may reflect
actual differences in the importance of vocational rehabilitation, or it
may reflect memory bias or unique characteristics of the surviving
members of the older cohorts of veterans.

Table 7-19. Percent distribution of veterans by importance of vocational
rehabilitation services in meeting educational goals or obtaining
employment and period of service

+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
|             | T    | W    | Bet  | Ko   | Bet  | Vie  | Post | Gulf |
|             | otal | orld | ween | rean | ween | tnam | -Vie |      |
|             |      | War  | W    | Conf | Ko   |      | tnam | War  |
|             |      | II   | orld | lict | rean | Era  | Era  |      |
|             |      |      | War  |      | Conf |      |      |      |
|             |      |      | II   |      | lict |      |      |      |
|             |      |      | and  |      | and  |      |      |      |
|             |      |      |      |      | Vie  |      |      |      |
|             |      |      | K    |      | tnam |      |      |      |
|             |      |      | orea |      | Era  |      |      |      |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Extremely   | 41.7 | 23.9 | 31.6 | 36.2 | 40.1 | 38.8 | 49.4 | 54.0 |
| important   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Very        | 26.9 | 37.1 | 34.5 | 29.1 | 24.0 | 28.6 | 23.0 | 22.9 |
| important   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Moderately  | 10.7 | 11.2 | 9    | 12.9 | 9.1  | 10.0 | 11.7 | 11.9 |
| important   |      |      | .0\* |      |      |      |      |      |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Slightly    | 6.0  | 9.7  | 9    | 7.4  | 7.9  | 7.2  | 4.4  | 2    |
| important   |      |      | .8\* |      |      |      |      | .6\* |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Not at all  | 12.5 | 14.6 | 15.1 | 12.5 | 17.6 | 14.4 | 9.5  | 5    |
| important   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      | .4\* |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Unknown     | 2.2  | 3    | 0.0  | 1    | 1    | 1    | 2    | 3    |
|             |      | .5\* |      | .9\* | .3\* | .0\* | .0\* | .2\* |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Total       | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    |
|             | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Number of   | 567  | 85   | 29   | 62   | 92   | 272  | 273  | 142  |
| veterans†   | ,600 | ,200 | ,600 | ,700 | ,800 | ,900 | ,900 | ,100 |
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is smaller than the sum of the groups because
veterans could indicate more than one period of service.

NOTE: This table only includes responses of those who indicated that
they received service-connected disability compensation and had received
vocational rehabilitation services from VA.

# 7.4 Home Loan Guaranty Program

The Home Loan Guaranty Program provides housing credit assistance to
veterans and service persons with the objective of enabling entry into
the home-buying market. Assistance is provided through the Government's
partial guaranty of loans made by private lenders in lieu of the
substantial down payment and other investment safeguards required in
conventional mortgage transactions. Veterans' loans may be used to
purchase a home, to purchase a residential unit in certain condominium
projects, to build a home, to refinance an existing home loan, or to
improve a home by installing solar heating or other energy conservation
measures.[^6]

Respondents were asked whether they owned their current residence, and
whether they had received any home loans since they left the military.
Veterans who responded affirmatively were asked if they had used VA home
loan program to purchase a home, make home improvements, or refinance a
home loan. Veterans who had not used VA home loan program were asked the
main reasons why they did not. These results are displayed in Tables
7-20 -- 7-22.

Nearly 4 out of 5 veterans (78.1 percent) owned their current residence,
as Table 7-20 indicates. As might be expected, the percentage of home
ownership steadily increased from 44.8 percent in the youngest age
groups to 88 percent of those in the 65-74 age group and 85.5 percent of
those in the 75 and older age group.

Table 7-20. Percent distribution of veterans by current living quarters
and age

+-------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
|             | Total | Less  | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65-74 | 75    |
|             |       | Than  |       |       |       |       | Years |
|             |       |       | Years | Years | Years | Years |       |
|             |       | 35    |       |       |       |       | or    |
|             |       | Years |       |       |       |       | Older |
+-------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| Owned/being | 78.1  | 44.8  | 66.5  | 77.3  | 84.8  | 88.0  | 85.5  |
| bought by   |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
| vet or      |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
| someone in  |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
| vet's       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
| household   |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
+-------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| Rented for  | 17.6  | 41.7  | 28.4  | 19.4  | 12.3  | 9.4   | 10.9  |
| cash        |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
+-------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| Occupied    | 3.8   | 13.1  | 4.8   | 2.9   | 2.3   | 2.2   | 3.0   |
| without     |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
| payment of  |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
| cash rent   |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
+-------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| Unknown     | 0.5   | 0.4\* | 0.3\* | 0.4   | 0.6   | 0.4   | 0.6\* |
+-------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| Total       | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
+-------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| Number of   | 25,19 | 2,28  | 3,03  | 5,41  | 4,94  | 5,25  | 4,11  |
| veterans†   | 6,000 | 8,600 | 0,300 | 5,100 | 6,000 | 6,400 | 6,100 |
+-------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is larger than the sum of the groups because some
veterans did not provide their age.

Among those veterans who had ever gotten a loan to purchase a home, make
home improvements, or refinance a home loan, about 60 percent had used a
VA loan at some point. This proportion varied little by age group (Table
7-21).

Table 7-21. Percent distribution of veterans by use of loans obtained
through VA loan program and age

+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
|                | T    | Less | 3    | 4    | 5    | 6    | 75   |
|                | otal | Than | 5-44 | 5-54 | 5-64 | 5-74 | Y    |
|                |      |      |      |      |      |      | ears |
|                |      | 35   | Y    | Y    | Y    | Y    |      |
|                |      | Y    | ears | ears | ears | ears | or   |
|                |      | ears |      |      |      |      | O    |
|                |      |      |      |      |      |      | lder |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Purchase a     | 57.8 | 59.7 | 61.5 | 62.1 | 55.1 | 54.0 | 57.5 |
| home           |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Make home      | 1.1  | 0    | 0    | 1.0  | 1.3  | 1.3  | 1.4  |
| improvements   |      | .3\* | .1\* |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Refinance a    | 4.7  | 7.7  | 8.2  | 6.5  | 4.7  | 2.2  | 1.8  |
| home loan      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| No VA loan     | 40.7 | 40.3 | 38.0 | 36.3 | 43.5 | 44.3 | 40.4 |
| used           |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Unknown        | 0.9  | 0.0  | 0    | 0.8  | 1.0  | 1    | 1.8  |
|                |      |      | .4\* |      |      | .0\* |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Number of      | 14   | 840  | 1    | 3    | 3    | 3    | 2    |
| veterans†      | ,434 | ,200 | ,571 | ,412 | ,213 | ,080 | ,228 |
|                | ,000 |      | ,000 | ,800 | ,500 | ,700 | ,400 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is larger than the sum of the groups because some
veterans did not provide their age; percent estimates will not sum to
100 because veterans could indicate more than one use.

NOTE: This question was asked only of those who responded that they had
gotten any loans to purchase a home, make home improvements, or
refinance a home loan or who refused or did not know the answer to this
question.

Table 7-22 displays the reasons veterans gave for not using a VA loan to
buy a home. About 1 in 5 respondents (19.3 percent) said lack of
awareness of the program was why they had not used a VA loan. This
varied little by age, with the exception of the under-35 age group,
where only about 12 percent gave this reason. The older age groups were
more likely than their younger counterparts to say that they did not
need or want loan assistance from VA. This ranged from a low of 7.7
percent in the under age 35 group to a high of 29.1 percent in the age
75 and older group of veterans. About 1 in 10 veteran homebuyers thought
that applying for a VA loan would be too much trouble or red tape. This
proportion was higher among the middle cohorts (12-15 percent) and lower
among the youngest and oldest cohorts (10 percent and 7-9 percent,
respectively).

Table 7-22. Percent distribution of veterans by reasons veterans did not
use VA loan program and age

+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
|                | T    | Less | 3    | 4    | 5    | 6    | 75   |
|                | otal | Than | 5-44 | 5-54 | 5-64 | 5-74 | Y    |
|                |      |      |      |      |      |      | ears |
|                |      | 35   | Y    | Y    | Y    | Y    |      |
|                |      | Y    | ears | ears | ears | ears | or   |
|                |      | ears |      |      |      |      | O    |
|                |      |      |      |      |      |      | lder |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Not aware of   | 19.3 | 12.5 | 16.4 | 17.5 | 22.7 | 19.0 | 21.1 |
| VA loan        |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| program        |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Thinks not     | 11.3 | 7.4  | 16.7 | 9.7  | 15.9 | 10.4 | 5.9  |
| eligible for   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| VA loan        |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Did not know   | 4.4  | 6    | 6.4  | 5.5  | 4.8  | 3.3  | 2.3  |
| how to apply   |      | .0\* |      |      |      |      |      |
| for a loan     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Did not need   | 18.6 | 7.7  | 10.5 | 12.9 | 18.2 | 23.2 | 29.1 |
| or want loan   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| assistance     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| from VA        |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Thinks         | 10.8 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 14.7 | 11.5 | 9.1  | 6.9  |
| applying for   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| VA loan too    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| much trouble   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| or red tape    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Never          | 10.7 | 5    | 5.4  | 10.1 | 11.0 | 12.5 | 14.2 |
| considered     |      | .6\* |      |      |      |      |      |
| getting a loan |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| from VA        |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Thinks amount  | 1.9  | 3    | 4.8  | 1.7  | 2.3  | 0    | 0    |
| needed larger  |      | .5\* |      |      |      | .9\* | .3\* |
| than VA        |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| maximum        |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Thinks VA      | 1.2  | 0    | 3.8  | 1    | 1.4  | 0    | 0    |
| inspection or  |      | .9\* |      | .0\* |      | .7\* | .2\* |
| appraisal      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| requirements   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| too stringent  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Thinks VA      | 3.4  | 5.9  | 4.1  | 5.6  | 3.1  | 2.0  | 1    |
| funding fee    |      |      |      |      |      |      | .3\* |
| too high       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Thinks other   | 2.6  | 6.0  | 2    | 3.3  | 3.6  | 1    | 0    |
| fees or costs  |      |      | .2\* |      |      | .4\* | .7\* |
| too high       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| (e.g., closing |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| costs)         |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Thinks no      | 0    | 1    | 0    | 0    | 0    | 0    | 0    |
| adjustable     | .4\* | .2\* | .5\* | .2\* | .6\* | .1\* | .1\* |
| rates          |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| available      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Thinks seller  | 1.2  | 0    | 1    | 1.5  | 1.9  | 0    | 0    |
| would not sell |      | .7\* | .0\* |      |      | .7\* | .5\* |
| if used VA     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| loan           |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Thinks         | 1.8  | 2    | 3    | 1.7  | 1.8  | 1.5  | 0    |
| wouldn't       |      | .5\* | .7\* |      |      |      | .7\* |
| qualify for VA |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| loan           |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Applied but    | 2.1  | 4    | 2    | 2.4  | 1    | 1.9  | 2.1  |
| not approved   |      | .2\* | .1\* |      | .1\* |      |      |
| for VA loan    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Other\*\*      | 27.1 | 39.4 | 32.7 | 30.4 | 22.5 | 25.2 | 23.6 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Unknown        | 3.3  | 2    | 2    | 1.6  | 3.2  | 4.2  | 5.7  |
|                |      | .5\* | .3\* |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Number of      | 5    | 338  | 597  | 1    | 1    | 1    | 899  |
| veterans†      | ,879 | ,800 | ,400 | ,239 | ,397 | ,365 | ,400 |
|                | ,000 |      |      | ,400 | ,200 | ,900 |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

\*\*Reasons for not using a VA loan was asked as an open-ended question
with ten pre-established categories for interviewer coding of responses.
When interviewers could not readily code responses into one of the
pre-established categories, responses were transcribed and coded as
"other." The "other" category contains a variety of responses,
including: assumed an existing loan; could get better rates with a
commercial loan; and loan process took too long. None of the themes in
the "other-specify" comments were frequent enough to permit analysis
across groups.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is larger than the sum of the groups because some
veterans did not provide their age; percent estimates will not sum to
100 because veterans could indicate more than one reason.

NOTE: This question was asked of those who indicated they had not used
the VA loan program to purchase a home, make home improvements, or
refinance a home loan.

# 7.5 Life Insurance Program

Government life insurance programs were created to provide life
insurance at a "standard" premium rate to members of the armed forces
who are exposed to the extra hazards of military service, especially the
deadly hazards of war. Few commercial insurance companies offer
insurance that includes coverage against death while in the armed
forces. Those that do offer such policies charge a high premium because
of the additional risk. Members leaving the armed forces are eligible to
maintain their government insurance through VA following discharge. In
general, new life insurance programs were created for each wartime
period after World War I[^7], so this discussion includes comparisons by
period of service.

Respondents were asked whether they were currently covered by VA life
insurance, and whether they had any other life insurance. If they were
not covered by VA life insurance, respondents were asked what were the
main reasons they were not. All respondents were asked how much they
agreed with the statement that they understood VA life insurance
benefits to which they are entitled. These results are displayed in
Table 7-23 -- 7-24.

Only 10.8 percent of all respondents said they were covered by VA life
insurance. This proportion varies substantially by period of service,
however. Veterans from the three earliest service periods are more
likely to have VA life insurance (21.0-27.2 percent) compared to
veterans from the later service periods (5.7-12.9 percent).

Table 7-23. Percent distribution of veterans by life insurance from VA
and period of service

+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
|            | T    | W    | Bet  | Ko   | Bet  | Vie  | Post | Gulf |
|            | otal | orld | ween | rean | ween | tnam | -Vie |      |
|            |      | War  | W    | Conf | Ko   |      | tnam | War  |
|            |      | II   | orld | lict | rean | Era  | Era  |      |
|            |      |      | War  |      | Conf |      |      |      |
|            |      |      | II   |      | lict |      |      |      |
|            |      |      | and  |      | and  |      |      |      |
|            |      |      |      |      | Vie  |      |      |      |
|            |      |      | K    |      | tnam |      |      |      |
|            |      |      | orea |      | Era  |      |      |      |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Has life   | 10.8 | 23.5 | 27.2 | 21.0 | 8.1  | 5.7  | 8.1  | 12.9 |
| insurance  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| from VA    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Does not   | 86.5 | 74.7 | 71.4 | 77.5 | 89.7 | 91.2 | 88.0 | 83.3 |
| have life  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| insurance  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| from VA    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Unknown    | 2.7  | 1.8  | 1.4  | 1.5  | 2.2  | 3.1  | 4.0  | 3.8  |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Total      | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    |
|            | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Number of  | 25   | 5    | 1    | 4    | 6    | 9    | 7    | 3    |
| veterans†  | ,095 | ,149 | ,680 | ,245 | ,426 | ,057 | ,005 | ,483 |
|            | ,000 | ,100 | ,600 | ,600 | ,500 | ,200 | ,000 | ,600 |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is smaller than the sum of the groups because
veterans could indicate more than one period of service.

NOTE: This table excludes veterans who received a medical discharge from
the National Guard or Reserves but never served on active duty.

About 75 percent of veterans had life insurance coverage from another
source than VA. This proportion did not vary much by service period, as
Table 7-24 illustrates.

Table 7-24. Percent distribution of veterans by life insurance from
other sources and period of service

+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
|            | T    | W    | Bet  | Ko   | Bet  | Vie  | Post | Gulf |
|            | otal | orld | ween | rean | ween | tnam | -Vie |      |
|            |      | War  | W    | Conf | Ko   |      | tnam | War  |
|            |      | II   | orld | lict | rean | Era  | Era  |      |
|            |      |      | War  |      | Conf |      |      |      |
|            |      |      | II   |      | lict |      |      |      |
|            |      |      | and  |      | and  |      |      |      |
|            |      |      |      |      | Vie  |      |      |      |
|            |      |      | K    |      | tnam |      |      |      |
|            |      |      | orea |      | Era  |      |      |      |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Has life   | 75.0 | 68.6 | 71.7 | 73.4 | 78.3 | 80.3 | 77.1 | 70.1 |
| insurance  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| from       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| sources    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| other than |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| VA         |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Does not   | 24.3 | 30.4 | 27.4 | 25.8 | 21.1 | 19.1 | 22.3 | 29.3 |
| have life  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| insurance  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| from       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| sources    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| other than |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| VA         |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Unknown    | 0.7  | 1.0  | 0    | 0.8  | 0.6  | 0.6  | 0.6  | 0    |
|            |      |      | .9\* |      |      |      |      | .6\* |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Total      | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    |
|            | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Number of  | 25   | 5    | 1    | 4    | 6    | 9    | 7    | 3    |
| veterans†  | ,095 | ,149 | ,680 | ,245 | ,426 | ,057 | ,005 | ,483 |
|            | ,000 | ,100 | ,600 | ,600 | ,500 | ,200 | ,000 | ,600 |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is smaller than the sum of the groups because
veterans could indicate more than one period of service.

NOTE: This table excludes veterans who received a medical discharge from
the National Guard or Reserves but never served on active duty.

Table 7-25 displays reasons veterans gave for why they did not have VA
life insurance. Among veterans without VA life insurance, the largest
proportion said they did not have VA life insurance because they were
not aware of VA insurance benefits (34.6 percent). Veterans who served
during WWII and between WWII and the Korean Conflict were least likely
to say they were not aware of VA life insurance benefits (17.1 percent
and 18.1 percent, respectively), while about twice as many of those
serving after the Korean Conflict gave this reason.

The second-most common reason among all veterans (13.0 percent) was that
they didn't believe they were eligible for VA life insurance benefits.
Proportionately more veterans who served in recent service periods said
they did not believe they were eligible, compared to veterans who served
in earlier periods. Among veterans who served from WWII to the Korean
Conflict, another common reason was allowing their policy to lapse
(15.1-20.9 percent). Among those who served after the Korean Conflict,
the proportion giving this reason was much lower (about 6 percent of
each service period group).

Table 7-25. Percent distribution of veterans by reasons for not having
VA life insurance coverage and period of service

+--------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
|              | T    | Dur | B   | Dur | Bet  | Dur | Pos | G   |
|              | otal | ing | etw | ing | ween | ing | t-V | ulf |
|              |      | Wo  | een | the | the  | the | iet |     |
|              |      | rld | Wo  | Kor | Ko   | V   | nam | War |
|              |      | War | rld | ean | rean | iet | Era |     |
|              |      | II  | War | Co  | Conf | nam |     |     |
|              |      |     | II  | nfl | lict |     |     |     |
|              |      |     | and | ict | and  | Era |     |     |
|              |      |     |     |     | Vie  |     |     |     |
|              |      |     | Ko  |     | tnam |     |     |     |
|              |      |     | rea |     |      |     |     |     |
+--------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Not aware of | 34.6 | 1   | 1   | 2   | 39.7 | 4   | 3   | 3   |
| VA insurance |      | 7.1 | 8.1 | 4.7 |      | 1.7 | 9.0 | 2.4 |
| benefits     |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+--------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Didn't       | 12.8 | 6.0 | 8.2 | 8.0 | 15.2 | 1   | 1   | 1   |
| believe      |      |     |     |     |      | 3.0 | 5.4 | 1.0 |
| entitled or  |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| eligible     |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+--------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Did not know | 3.4  | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 3.7  | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.6 |
| how to apply |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| for benefits |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+--------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Did not need | 9.1  | 1   | 1   | 1   | 9.1  | 9.1 | 8.1 | 9.1 |
| any          |      | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.5 |      |     |     |     |
| insurance    |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+--------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Did not need | 3.7  | 5.4 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 3.7  | 3.1 | 2.8 | 4.0 |
| or want      |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| assistance   |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| from the VA  |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+--------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Too much     | 0.8  | 0.9 | 0.  | 0.6 | 0.5  | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.3 |
| trouble or   |      |     | 2\* |     |      |     |     |     |
| red tape     |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+--------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Never        | 6.8  | 6.4 | 6.6 | 7.3 | 7.7  | 7.0 | 5.6 | 5.7 |
| considered   |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| getting any  |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| insurance    |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| from the VA  |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+--------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Elected to   | 0.7  | 1.2 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 0.8  | 0.3 | 0.  | 0.  |
| forgo        |      |     |     |     |      |     | 6\* | 6\* |
| coverage     |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| while on     |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| active duty  |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+--------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Never        | 7.8  | 1   | 1   | 1   | 6.2  | 6.8 | 6.1 | 6.8 |
| converted    |      | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 |      |     |     |     |
| active duty  |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| life         |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| insurance    |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| policy to    |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| veterans     |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
| policy       |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+--------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Allowed      | 9.6  | 2   | 1   | 1   | 6.2  | 6.3 | 6.3 | 5.6 |
| policy to    |      | 0.9 | 6.6 | 5.1 |      |     |     |     |
| lapse        |      |     |     |     |      |     |     |     |
+--------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Other\*\*    | 25.3 | 2   | 2   | 2   | 22.4 | 2   | 2   | 3   |
|              |      | 8.3 | 7.3 | 7.3 |      | 4.4 | 7.5 | 4.1 |
+--------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Unknown      | 4.1  | 5.9 | 8.3 | 5.5 | 3.9  | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.4 |
+--------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+
| Number of    | 21   | 3,8 | 1,1 | 3,2 | 5    | 8,2 | 6,1 | 2,9 |
| veterans†    | ,695 | 47, | 99, | 92, | ,762 | 54, | 61, | 03, |
|              | ,100 | 700 | 700 | 900 | ,100 | 800 | 400 | 100 |
+--------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-----+

\* Low precision and/or sample size for the denominator between 30 and
59.

\*\*Reasons for not having VA life insurance was asked as an open-ended
question with ten pre-established categories for interviewer coding of
responses. When interviewers could not readily code responses into one
of the pre-established categories, responses were transcribed and coded
as "other." The "other" category contains a variety of responses,
including: already covered or converted to private insurance; cost; and
not having any insurance. None of the themes in the "other-specify"
comments were frequent enough to permit analysis across groups.

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is smaller than the sum of the groups because
veterans could indicate more than one period of service; percent
estimates will not sum to 100 because veterans could indicate more than
one reason.

NOTE: This question was asked only of those who indicated they are not
currently covered by life insurance from the VA; also, this table
excludes veterans who received a medical discharge from the National
Guard or Reserves but never served on active duty.

**Understanding VA Life Insurance Benefits.** As Table 7-26 displays,
only about 1 in 4 veterans agreed that they thoroughly understood VA
life insurance benefits to which they are entitled. Compared to their
later-serving counterparts, veterans from earlier service periods were
more likely to agree that they thoroughly understood VA life insurance
benefits to which they are entitled.

Table 7-26. Percent distribution of veterans by understanding of life
insurance benefits and period of service

+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
|            | T    | Du   | Bet  | Du   | Bet  | Du   | Post | Gulf |
|            | otal | ring | ween | ring | ween | ring | -Vie |      |
|            |      | W    | W    | the  | the  | the  | tnam | War  |
|            |      | orld | orld | Ko   | Ko   | Vie  | Era  |      |
|            |      | War  | War  | rean | rean | tnam |      |      |
|            |      | II   | II   | Conf | Conf |      |      |      |
|            |      |      | and  | lict | lict | Era  |      |      |
|            |      |      |      |      | and  |      |      |      |
|            |      |      | K    |      | Vie  |      |      |      |
|            |      |      | orea |      | tnam |      |      |      |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Strongly   | 5.3  | 8.8  | 10.1 | 8.2  | 4.3  | 3.8  | 4.6  | 6.9  |
| agree      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Agree      | 18.0 | 29.7 | 29.1 | 27.5 | 14.8 | 12.0 | 13.5 | 20.0 |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Neither    | 15.1 | 15.0 | 13.5 | 13.9 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 15.9 | 15.3 |
| agree nor  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| disagree   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Disagree   | 27.3 | 22.5 | 22.6 | 23.6 | 27.7 | 29.3 | 29.1 | 27.8 |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Strongly   | 25.4 | 8.9  | 10.6 | 15.7 | 26.4 | 32.4 | 32.8 | 27.7 |
| disagree   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Unknown    | 8.9  | 15.1 | 14.1 | 11.1 | 11.3 | 7.3  | 4.1  | 2.3  |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Total      | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    | 1    |
|            | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 | 00.0 |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Number of  | 25   | 5    | 1    | 4    | 6    | 9    | 7    | 3    |
| veterans†  | ,095 | ,149 | ,680 | ,245 | ,426 | ,057 | ,005 | ,483 |
|            | ,000 | ,100 | ,600 | ,600 | ,500 | ,200 | ,000 | ,600 |
+------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
the total estimate is smaller than the sum of the groups because
veterans could indicate more than one period of service.

NOTE: This table excludes veterans who received a medical discharge from
the National Guard or Reserves but never served on active duty.

[^1]: VA History in Brief

[^2]: Veterans Benefits Administration Annual Benefits Report for Fiscal
    Year 2001

[^3]: Veterans Benefits Administration Annual Benefits Report for Fiscal
    Year 2001

[^4]: VA History in Brief

[^5]: Veterans Benefits Administration Annual Benefits Report for Fiscal
    Year 2001

[^6]: Veterans Benefits Administration Annual Benefits Report for Fiscal
    Year 2001

[^7]: Veterans Benefits Administration Annual Benefits Report for Fiscal
    Year 2001