5\. HEALTH STATUS

This chapter discusses results from the NSV 2001 on self-reported health
status. The NSV collected general information on health status and
whether current health was a limiting factor in performing selected
daily activities (i.e., climbing stairs, pushing a vacuum). Information
was also collected on the impact of health problems in performing daily
activities (walking, bathing, shopping, getting dressed, eating).
Veterans were asked whether or not they received medical treatment in
the past year for a list of specific health conditions (high blood
pressure, stroke, heart trouble, cancer, drug abuse/alcoholism,
post-traumatic stress disorder).

####  Health Care Enrollment Priority Groups

The Veterans' Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996 established a
national enrollment system to manage inpatient and outpatient care for
veterans. The law required that most veterans must enroll to receive
care. Veterans who have a service-connected disability rated 50 percent
or more or if seeking care for a service connected disability do not
have to enroll, although all veterans are encouraged to enroll. The
national enrollment system is based on seven categories of patients,
with category 1 receiving the highest priority. Following enrollment,
health care service is provided on a first-come, first-served basis,
rather than the health care priority groups.

The definitions of the health care enrollment priority groups at the
time of the NSV 2001 data collection were:

-   **Priority 1.** Veterans with service-connected conditions rated 50
    percent or more disabling.

-   **Priority 2.** Veterans with service-connected conditions rated 30
    to 40 percent disabling.

-   **Priority 3.** Veterans who are former POWs. Veterans with
    service-connected conditions rated 10 to 20 percent disabling.
    Veterans discharged from active duty for a compensable condition
    that was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty. Veterans
    awarded special eligibility classification under 38 U.S.C., Section
    1151.

-   **Priority 4.** Veterans who receive increased pension based on a
    use of regular aid and attendance or by reason of being permanently
    house-bound, and other veterans who are catastrophically disabled.

-   **Priority 5.** Veterans with nonservice-connected and veterans with
    noncompensated service-connected conditions who are rated zero
    percent disabled, and whose income and net worth are below an
    established threshold.

-   **Priority 6.** All other eligible veterans who are not required to
    make co-payments for their care. This includes:

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-   World War I and Mexican Border War veterans;

-   Veterans solely seeking care for disorders associated with exposure
    to a toxic substance, radiation, or for disorders associated with
    service in the Persian Gulf; and

-   Veterans with service-connected conditions who are rated zero
    percent disabled but who are receiving compensation from VA.

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-   **Priority 7.** Veterans with nonservice-connected disabilities and
    veterans with noncompensated service-connected conditions who are
    rated zero percent disabled, and who have income or net worth above
    the statutory threshold and who agree to pay specified co-payments.

The distribution of the total veteran population classified according to
the seven health care enrollment priority groups is displayed in Table
5-1. Slightly more than half of veterans (56.1 percent) fall into
Priority Group 7. Of the remaining veterans, the largest proportion
(21.1 percent) fall into priority group 5.

Table 5-1. Percent distribution of veterans by health care enrollment
priority groups

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

  Priority group 1                             2.9

  Priority group 2                             2.3

  Priority group 3                             5.7

  Priority group 4                             0.1

  Priority group 5                             21.1

  Priority group 6                             11.2

  Priority group 7                             56.1

  Unknown                                      0.6

  Total                                        100.0

  Number of Veterans                           25,196,000
  -------------------------------------------- --------------------------

NOTE: Priority groups were determined by classifying the self-reported
data of all respondents according to VA health care enrollee criteria
and are not limited to actual VA enrollees.

# 5.1 Health Status

In the NSV 2001, veterans were asked to assess their health status as
excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor. As Table 5-2 illustrates,
nearly half of veterans (45.6 percent) reported their health as very
good or excellent; 3 out of 4 veterans (75.7 percent) assessed their
health as excellent, very good, or good.

Table 5-2. Percent distribution of veterans by health status and health
care priority group

  ------------ ------------ ---------- ---------- ----------- ---------- ----------- ----------- ------------
               Total        Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 3  Priority 4 Priority 5  Priority 6  Priority 7

  Excellent    16.8         2.0        5.0        8.4         1.1\*      8.5         18.1        21.7

  Very good    28.8         8.4        15.7       21.9        5.0\*      18.3        29.0        35.0

  Good         30.1         22.6       35.9       35.8        11.9\*     32.3        31.2        28.6

  Fair         16.3         32.0       27.5       22.5        20.8       26.2        15.5        10.9

  Poor         7.9          34.7       15.5       11.3        59.0       14.6        5.9         3.7

  Unknown      0.1          0.3\*      0.4\*      0.1\*       2.2\*      0.1\*       0.3\*       0.1\*

  Total        100.0        100.0      100.0      100.0       100.0      100.0       100.0       100.0

  Number of    24,509,900   682,200    561,600    1,404,100   20,900     5,063,700   2,802,700   13,838,900
  veterans†                                                                                      
  ------------ ------------ ---------- ---------- ----------- ---------- ----------- ----------- ------------

\* 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
insufficient data were available to determine a priority group for some
respondents.

NOTE: This table excludes those veterans for whom there was a proxy
respondent. Priority groups were determined by classifying the
self-reported data of all respondents according to VA health care
enrollee criteria and are not limited to actual VA enrollees.

**Health Care Priority Group and Health Status.** Health care priority
groups vary widely in self-assessed health status. Priority 7 has the
highest proportion of veterans assessing themselves as excellent or very
good, while Priority 1 and 4 have the lowest proportion rating their
health as excellent or very good. The percent of veterans whose health
status is fair or poor also differs widely by health care priority
group.

Overall, 24.2 percent of surveyed veterans rated their health as fair or
poor. Nearly 4 out of 5 veterans (79.8 percent) in Priority 4, however,
assessed their health as fair or poor. Because these veterans are
permanently housebound or catastrophically disabled, this is not
surprising. The second highest proportion reporting fair or poor health
is found in Priority 1, which includes veterans with service connected
conditions rated as 50 percent or more disabled.

**Age and Health Status.** The trend in self-reported health status is a
decreasing proportion reporting excellent or very good health as age
increases, as shown in Table 5-3. For each age group, the largest
proportion rated themselves as having excellent or very good health. The
only exception was found among veterans age 75 or older, the largest
proportion of whom rate their health as fair or poor (37.9 percent).

Table 5-3. Percent distribution of veterans by health status and age

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

  Excellent     16.8         29.0        22.8        15.7        18.6        13.1        8.6

  Very good     28.8         37.3        35.0        30.4        29.4        25.2        19.9

  Good          30.1         23.6        28.6        31.7        27.5        32.4        33.3

  Fair          16.3         8.6         10.2        14.2        15.8        19.7        25.4

  Poor          7.9          1.5         3.2         7.9         8.6         9.5         12.5

  Unknown       0.1          0.0         0.2\*       0.1\*       0.1\*       0.1\*       0.3\*

  Total         100.0        100.0       100.0       100.0       100.0       100.0       100.0

  Number of     24,509,900   2,288,100   3,021,700   5,390,800   4,901,100   5,087,500   3,678,300
  veterans†                                                                              
  ------------- ------------ ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------

\* 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 excludes those veterans for whom there was a proxy
respondent.

The only age group that does not fit this pattern of decreasing health
with increasing age is the 55-64 age group. A slightly higher proportion
of these veterans rated their health status as excellent, compared to
the next youngest age group (18.6 percent vs. 15.7 percent for those in
the 45-54 age group). The 55-64 age group does fit the age trend,
however, in the proportion rating themselves in fair or poor health.
Veterans in this age group may be more strongly affected by the social
desirability to appear healthy, compared to their older counterparts.
This might cause the apparent bump in health status.

It comes as no surprise that older veterans do not rate their health
status as highly as do younger veterans. Comparisons of veterans less
than 65 years of age to veterans 65 years old or older, displayed in
Table 5-4, indicate that proportionately more younger veterans rate
their health as excellent or very good (52.0 percent vs. 34.2 percent,
respectively). Proportionately more older veterans rate their health as
either fair (22.1 percent) or poor (10.7 percent) compared to younger
veterans (13.1 percent fair and 6.3 percent poor).

Table 5-4. Percent distribution of veterans by health status and age
(under 65 and 65 or older)

  ------------------------------ ------------- ------------- -------------
                                 Total         Less than     65 years or
                                               65 years      older

  Excellent                      16.8          19.9          11.2

  Very good                      28.8          32.0          23.0

  Good                           30.1          28.6          32.7

  Fair                           16.3          13.1          22.1

  Poor                           7.9           6.3           10.8

  Unknown                        0.1           0.1\*         0.2

  Total                          100.0         100.0         100.0

  Number of veterans†            24,509,900    15,680,000    9,372,600
  ------------------------------ ------------- ------------- -------------

\* 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 excludes those veterans for whom there was a proxy
respondent.

**Race, Ethnicity, and Health Status.** Table 5-5 compares health status
by race. Veteran self-assessed health status varies strikingly by race.
The highest proportion rating their health as excellent or very good is
found among Asian veterans (49.8 percent), followed by White veterans
(46.8 percent). The biracial American Indian[^1]-White group had the
smallest proportion assessing their health as excellent or very good
(32.1 percent), while Black veterans had the second-smallest proportion
(35.5 percent). The proportion reporting their health as fair or poor
was highest among American Indian veterans (35.5 percent), biracial
American Indian-White veterans (34.6 percent) and Black veterans (33.6
percent). This proportion is lowest among White veterans (22.9 percent)
and Asian veterans (20.0 percent).

Table 5-6 compares Hispanic[^2] and non-Hispanic veterans in terms of
their self-reported health status. Hispanic veterans did not differ from
other veterans in terms of the proportion assessing their health as
excellent or very good (45.7 percent vs. 45.6 percent, respectively).
About 3 percentage points more Hispanic veterans assessed their health
as fair or poor, compared to non-Hispanic veterans (27.2 percent vs.
24.1 percent, respectively).

Table 5-5. Percent distribution of veterans by health status and race

  ----------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ----------- ---------- -------- ---------- --------- --------- -------------- --------- ---------
                           One race                                                             Two or                                       
                                                                                                more                                         
                                                                                                races                                        

              Total        Total\       White        Black or\   American   Asian    Native     Total\              American                 Race
                           one race                  African     Indian or           Hawaiian   two or\             Indian or                unknown
                                                     American    Alaska              or Other   more                Alaska                   
                                                                 Native              Pacific    races               Native/White             
                                                                                     Islander                                                

  Excellent   16.8         16.9         17.3         12.6        18.2       24.2     15.8\*     13.3      9.8                      16.8      

  Very good   28.8         28.9         29.5         22.9        22.7       25.6     30.1\*     23.6      22.3                     29.2      

  Good        30.1         30.1         30.1         30.8        22.7       28.7     18.9\*     31.8      33.1                     29.5      

  Fair        16.3         16.2         15.4         23.4        19.3       16.1     25.6\*     19.3      20.4                     18.1      

  Poor        7.9          7.8          7.5          10.2        16.2       3.9\*    9.6\*      11.8      14.2                     6.4       

  Unknown     0.1          0.1          0.2          0.1\*       0.9\*      1.5\*    0.0        0.1\*     0.2\*                    0.0       

  Total       100.0        100.0        100.0        100.0       100.0      100.0    100.0      100.0     100.0                    100.0     

  Number of   24,509,900   23,196,600   20,754,600   2,177,600   158,200    69,700   36,500     551,600   357,500                  761,600   
  veterans†                                                                                                                                  
  ----------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ----------- ---------- -------- ---------- --------- --------- -------------- --------- ---------

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

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
only one sub-category of "Total Two or More Races" is shown because all
other categories were too small to report.

NOTE: This table excludes those veterans for whom there was a proxy
respondent.

Table 5-6. Percent distribution of veterans by health status and
ethnicity

  ---------------------------------- ------------ ----------- ------------
                                     Total        Spanish,    Not Spanish,
                                                  Hispanic,   Hispanic, or
                                                  or Latino   Latino

  Excellent                          16.8         17.8        16.8

  Very good                          28.8         27.9        28.8

  Good                               30.1         27.1        30.2

  Fair                               16.3         17.0        16.3

  Poor                               7.9          10.2        7.7

  Unknown                            0.1          0.0         0.2

  Total                              100.0        100.0       100.0

  Number of veterans†                24,509,900   1,088,300   23,339,100
  ---------------------------------- ------------ ----------- ------------

\* 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 a category of Ethnicity.

NOTE: This table excludes those veterans for whom there was a proxy
respondent.

**Gender and Health Status.** Table 5-7 compares the self-reported
health status of male and female veterans. A larger proportion of women
veterans rated their own health as excellent or very good, compared to
their male counterparts (53.9 percent vs. 45.0 percent, respectively).

Table 5-7. Percent distribution of veterans by health status and gender

  ---------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------
                                     Total        Males        Females

  Excellent                          16.8         16.5         20.8

  Very good                          28.8         28.5         33.1

  Good                               30.1         30.2         28.2

  Fair                               16.3         16.6         12.5

  Poor                               7.9          8.1          5.1

  Unknown                            0.1          0.1          0.3

  Total                              100.0        100.0        100.0

  Number of veterans†                24,509,900   23,042,600   1,467,300
  ---------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------

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

NOTE: This table excludes those veterans for whom there was a proxy
respondent.

Female veterans are younger as a group than male veterans, which may
explain their better health. Almost 83 percent of women veterans are
less than 65 years old, compared to only about 63 percent of male
veterans (shown in Chapter 3, Table 3-1). Gender comparisons of the
health status of younger (under age 65) and older veterans (age 65 or
older), displayed in Table 5-8, show that indeed only the younger female
veterans assessed their health more highly than did male veterans in
either age group. The highest proportion of veterans who rated their
health as excellent or very good was found among younger female veterans
(58.7 percent), while the lowest proportion was that of the older female
veterans (31.0 percent). The proportion of male veterans, younger and
older, fell in between (51.4 percent and 34.3 percent, respectively).

Table 5-8. Percent distribution of veterans by health status, gender,
and age

  -------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
                       Males                     Females      

                       Less than 65 65 years or  Less than 65 65 years or
                       years        older        years        older

  Excellent            19.7         11.3         23.5         8.2

  Very good            31.7         23.0         35.2         22.8

  Good                 28.8         32.6         25.8         39.1

  Fair                 13.3         22.1         10.6         21.9

  Poor                 6.4          10.8         4.6          7.8\*

  Unknown              0.1\*        0.2          0.3\*        0.2\*

  Total                100.0        100.0        100.0        100.0

  Number of veterans†  14,390,300   8,516,400    1,211,400    249,400
  -------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------

\* 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 excludes those veterans for whom there was a proxy
respondent.

# 5.2 Functional Limitations

NSV 2001 asked veterans to indicate whether they had difficulties with
functional activities that people do every day (e.g., eating, toileting,
managing money, going places) due to health reasons. These activities
have been organized into two groups, referred to as Activities of Daily
Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs). The
proportion of veterans reporting difficulties ranged from as few as 3.7
percent for preparing meals to as many as 15.3 percent for going places
within walking distance.

Overall, only a small proportion of veterans reported any difficulties,
as Table 5-9 illustrates. These proportions are highest for activities
that involve moving around or walking. For ADLs, the fewest veterans
identified eating as a difficulty (4.4 percent), followed by using or
getting to the toilet (5.5 percent) and bathing or showering (7.3
percent). The largest percentage of veterans identified getting into or
out of chairs as difficult (14.7 percent), walking across a room (11.4
percent), and controlling bladder or bowels (10.4 percent).

Table 5-9. Percent distribution of veterans by activities of daily
living and instrumental activities of daily living

  -------------------------------------- --------------------------------
  ADLs                                   Percent reporting difficulty

  Eating                                 4.4

  Using the toilet or getting to it      5.5

  Bathing or showering                   7.3

  Getting dressed                        9.0

  Controlling bladder or bowels          10.4

  Walking across a room                  11.4

  Getting in or out of chairs or bed     14.7

  IADLs                                  

  Preparing meals                        3.7

  Managing money, such as paying bills   5.0

  Using the telephone                    5.2

  Doing light housework                  7.6

  Shopping for personal items            8.5

  Shopping for groceries                 8.9

  Going to places out of walking         11.0
  distance                               

  Going places within walking distance   15.3

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

† 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 category.

In terms of IADLs, the lowest proportion of veterans reported
difficulties preparing meals (3.7 percent), managing money (5.0
percent), and using the telephone (5.2 percent). The highest proportion
had difficulties going places within walking distance (15.3 percent) and
going places out of walking distance (11.0 percent).

To facilitate comparisons of different veterans in terms of their
functional limitations, ADLs and IADLs were collapsed into an overall
indicator of the presence and number of ADLs and IADLs. Difficulties
with ADLs are generally considered more limiting than difficulties with
IADLs. Table 5-10 indicates that more than two-thirds of veterans (67.2
percent) reported no difficulties with ADLs or IADLs. Seven point one
percent of veterans reported only IADL difficulties, while 16.3 percent
had difficulties with one or two ADLs. Only 9.3 percent reported
difficulties with more than two ADLs.

**Health Care Priority Group and Functional Limitations.** The
proportion of veterans reporting functional limitations differed widely
by health care priority group. The highest proportion reporting
difficulty with five or more ADLs was found in Priority 4 (48.4
percent), which is defined by home-bound veterans or those who require
assistance with ADLs. Across the other priority groups, the relative
proportion with high limitations is higher among the higher priority
groups and lower among lower priority groups, as Table 5-10 illustrates.
This suggests that VA\'s priority groupings map well onto veterans\'
functional status and underlying health status.

Table 5-10. Percent distribution of veterans by functional limitation
and health care priority group

  ------------- ------------ ---------- ---------- ----------- ---------- ----------- ----------- ------------
                Total        Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 3  Priority 4 Priority 5  Priority 6  Priority 7

  None          67.2         18.9       35.4       50.2        5.6\*      51.1        70.9        78.4

  IADL only     7.1          11.5       11.6       9.6         7.1\*      10.3        5.5         5.5

  One to two    16.3         31.7       31.8       25.9        18.9\*     22.5        16.2        11.5
  ADLs                                                                                            

  Three to four 5.4          19.1       13.1       8.0         20.0\*     9.6         4.3         2.7
  ADLs                                                                                            

  Five or more  3.9          18.5       7.7        6.3         48.4       6.5         3.0         1.8
  ADLs                                                                                            

  Unknown       0.1          0.3\*      0.4\*      0.0         0.0        0.0         0.1\*       0.1\*

  Total         100.0        100.0      100.0      100.0       100.0      100.0       100.0       100.0

  Number of     25,196,000   719,400    580,900    1,441,600   29,000     5,326,400   2,828,300   14,125,600
  veterans†                                                                                       
  ------------- ------------ ---------- ---------- ----------- ---------- ----------- ----------- ------------

\* 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
insufficient data were available to determine a priority group for some
respondents. Priority groups were determined by classifying the
self-reported data of all respondents according to VA health care
enrollee criteria and are not limited to actual VA enrollees.

**Age and Functional Limitations.** Table 5-11 compares functional
limitations by age of veterans. The majority of all age groups except
for veterans 75 years or older reported no difficulty with ADLs or
IADLs. Not surprisingly, proportionately more older veterans had
functional difficulties, relative to younger veterans. The only
exception to this was among those age 55-64 years, where a slightly
higher percent reported no difficulties compared to veterans 45-54 years
(71.6 percent vs. 70.8 percent, respectively).

Table 5-11. Percent distribution of veterans by functional limitation
and age

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

  None           67.2         83.7        76.4        70.8        71.6        63.5        45.8

  IADL only      7.1          4.5         4.9         5.2         6.2         8.7         11.9

  One to two     16.3         8.9         11.7        14.1        13.8        19.3        25.8
  ADLs                                                                                    

  Three to four  5.4          1.7         3.8         5.6         5.3         5.3         8.6
  ADLs                                                                                    

  Five or more   3.9          1.1         2.9         4.2         3.0         3.2         7.8
  ADLs                                                                                    

  Unknown        0.1          0.1\*       0.3\*       0.1\*       0.1\*       0.0         0.1

  Total          100.0        100.0       100.0       100.0       100.0       100.0       100.0

  Number of      25,196,000   2,288,600   3,030,300   5,415,100   4,946,000   5,256,400   4,116,100
  veterans†                                                                               
  -------------- ------------ ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------

\* 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.

To highlight differences between older and younger veterans, Table 5-12
collapses the age groups into two categories: under 65 years, and age 65
or older. A smaller proportion of older veterans had no functional
limitations, compared to their younger counterparts.

Table 5-12. Percent distribution of veterans by functional limitation
and age (under 65 and 65 or older)

  ------------------------------ ------------ --------------- ------------
                                 Total        Less than 65    65 years or
                                              years           older

  None                           67.2         74.0            55.7

  IADL only                      7.1          5.4             10.1

  One to two ADLs                16.3         12.8            22.2

  Three to four ADLs             5.4          4.6             6.8

  Five or more ADLs              3.9          3.1             5.2

  Unknown                        0.1          0.1\*           0.0

  Total                          100.0        100.0           100.0

  Number of veterans†            25,196,000   15,680,000      9,372,600
  ------------------------------ ------------ --------------- ------------

\* 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.

**Race, Ethnicity, and Functional Limitations.** Minor differences in
functional status were found among veterans of different races and
ethnicity, as shown in Tables 5-13 and 5-14. White and Asian veterans
had the highest proportion with no functional limitations (68.4 percent
and 68.8 percent, respectively), while biracial American Indian-White
and American Indian veterans had the lowest proportions (51.2 percent
and 56.4 percent, respectively). About the same proportions reported
difficulty with only IADLs. Twice as many Black, American Indian, and
biracial American Indian-White veterans as White veterans (7.6 percent,
7.2 percent, and 7.0 percent vs. 3.4 percent, respectively) reported
difficulties with five or more ADLs; the overall percentage, however,
was quite low regardless of race. Hispanic and non-Hispanic veterans did
not differ in terms of functional limitations.

Table 5-13. Percent distribution of veterans by functional limitation
and race

  ----------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ----------- ---------- -------- ---------- --------- -------------- ---------
                           One race                                                             Two or                   
                                                                                                more                     
                                                                                                races                    

              Total        Total\       White        Black or\   American   Asian    Native     Total\    American       Race
                           one race                  African     Indian or           Hawaiian   two or\   Indian or      unknown
                                                     American    Alaska              or Other   more      Alaska         
                                                                 Native              Pacific    races     Native/White   
                                                                                     Islander                            

  None        67.2         67.5         68.4         59.7        56.4       68.8     53.9\*     55.2      51.2           67.3

  IADL only   7.1          7.0          7.1          6.1         8.6        7.4\*    12.3\*     9.7       8.8            7.8

  One to two  16.3         16.3         15.9         19.6        20.8       15.6     21.5\*     20.1      22.6           13.3
  ADLs                                                                                                                   

  Three to    5.4          5.3          5.1          7.0         7.0        3.9\*    4.7\*      8.8       10.4           7.0
  four ADLs                                                                                                              

  Five or     3.9          3.8          3.4          7.6         7.2        2.0\*    7.6\*      6.2       7.0            4.0
  more ADLs                                                                                                              

  Unknown     0.1          0.1          0.1\*        0.0         0.0        2.3\*    0.0        0.0       0.0            0.6\*

  Total       100.0        100.0        100.0        100.0       100.0      100.0    100.0      100.0     100.0          100.0

  Number of   25,196,000   23,857,100   21,370,900   2,216,600   159,900    73,200   36,500     557,500   360,800        781,400
  veterans†                                                                                                              
  ----------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ----------- ---------- -------- ---------- --------- -------------- ---------

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

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
only one sub-category of "Total Two or More Races" is shown because all
other categories were too small to report.

Table 5-14. Percent distribution of veterans by functional limitation
and ethnicity

  ---------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------
                                     Total        Spanish,     Not Spanish,
                                                  Hispanic, or Hispanic, or
                                                  Latino       Latino

  None                               67.2         64.3         67.4

  IADL only                          7.1          7.1          7.1

  One to two ADLs                    16.3         16.4         16.3

  Three to four ADLs                 5.4          7.5          5.3

  Five or more ADLs                  3.9          4.7          3.8

  Unknown                            0.1          0.0          0.1

  Total                              100.0        100.0        100.0

  Number of veterans†                25,196,000   1,122,200    23,990,200
  ---------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------

\* 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 a category of Ethnicity.

**Gender and Functional Limitations.** Table 5-15 compares functional
limitations of male and female veterans. Female veterans reported fewer
difficulties with ADLs than did male veterans. A higher percentage of
female veterans had no ADL or IADL difficulties, compared to male
veterans (70.8 percent vs. 67.0 percent, respectively). Further, a
higher percentage of male veterans reported difficulties with three or
more ADLs than did female veterans (9.4 percent vs. 7.6 percent,
respectively). The overall percentage, however, was very low. Since
female veterans are, as a group, younger than male veterans, women\'s
higher functional status is not surprising.

Table 5-15. Percent distribution of veterans by functional limitation
and gender

  ---------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------
                                     Total        Males        Females

  None                               67.2         67.0         70.8

  IADL only                          7.1          7.1          7.3

  One to two ADLs                    16.3         16.4         13.9

  Three to four ADLs                 5.4          5.4          4.6

  Five or more ADLs                  3.9          4.0          3.0

  Unknown                            0.1          0.1          0.4\*

  Total                              100.0        100.0        100.0

  Number of veterans†                25,196,000   23,712,400   1,483,600
  ---------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------

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

# 5.3 Health Conditions

In the NSV 2001, veterans were asked to report whether they had received
medical treatment in the past year. They could select from a list of 20
health conditions that included physical problems such high blood
pressure, cancer, and stroke, and emotional problems such as
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and drug or alcohol abuse. Table
5-16 displays these results.

The proportion of veterans reporting treatment in the past year for one
of these health conditions ranged from 0.3 percent for immune deficiency
disease to 55.8 percent for eye or vision problems. Other common
problems mentioned included high blood pressure (34.5 percent),
arthritis or rheumatism (26.8 percent), heart trouble (15.9 percent),
and severe chronic pain (15.1 percent). Almost 4 percent (3.8 percent)
reported treatment for PTSD, and another 6.2 percent reported treatment
for other mental or emotional problems. Slightly over 1 percent (1.2
percent) reported getting treatment for drug or alcohol problems.

**Health Care Priority Group and Health Conditions.** Table 5-16 also
displays a comparison of health care priority groups\' responses to
health condition treatment in the past year. Generally speaking, the
proportion of veterans reporting treatment for each condition decreased
across the priority groups (with the exception being Priority Group 4).
Although the relative proportions of priority groups reporting medical
treatment for any particular problem varied widely, the rank order of
problems was fairly similar across groups. For example, eye or vision
problems was the most common problem across all priority groups, while
the proportion with this problem ranged from a high of 76.5 percent of
Priority 1 veterans to a low of 52.7 percent of Priority 7 veterans.
Among the five most common problems for all priority groups were
arthritis or rheumatism and high blood pressure. Severe chronic pain
also ranked among the top five problems for all groups except those in
Priority 7.

Priority 1 was characterized by relatively high proportions receiving
treatment for many problems. For example, more than half of this group
(54.2 percent) received treatment for severe chronic pain, compared to
between 8.8 and 44.6 percent for the other priority groups. Nearly one
in three Priority 1 veterans (29.9 percent) received treatment for PTSD,
one in four received treatment for another mental or emotional problem
(26.5 percent), and one in four were treated for some other serious
condition (24.9 percent).

Table 5-16. Percent distribution of veterans by health conditions and
health care priority group

  ------------------ ------------ ---------- ---------- ----------- ---------- ----------- ----------- ------------
                     Total        Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 3  Priority 4 Priority 5  Priority 6  Priority 7

  High blood         34.5         47.9       45.7       39.6        44.2       41.7        28.9        31.2
  pressure                                                                                             

  Lung trouble       9.2          20.3       15.3       13.7        27.1\*     13.3        11.0        6.0

  Hearing condition  9.3          22.9       18.2       14.8        30.9       12.0        6.3         7.1
  that requires a                                                                                      
  hearing aid                                                                                          

  Other ear, nose,   12.9         27.9       22.0       19.2        29.3       13.6        16.8        10.0
  or throat                                                                                            
  condition                                                                                            

  Eye or vision      55.8         76.5       69.0       62.6        62.5       56.7        58.0        52.7
  problem, including                                                                                   
  needing glasses                                                                                      

  Cancer             7.4          11.3       10.4       9.8         15.3\*     9.1         5.8         6.4

  Heart trouble      15.9         28.1       25.1       20.1        34.0       22.2        12.2        12.8

  Stroke             3.0          6.7        3.3        3.1         17.0\*     5.9         1.9         1.9

  Kidney or bladder  10.2         24.4       15.8       14.0        27.6       14.6        8.2         7.5
  trouble                                                                                              

  Arthritis or       26.8         54.7       47.3       38.6        48.1       33.1        24.5        21.2
  rheumatism                                                                                           

  Hepatitis C or     1.6          5.7        2.2        2.8         10.6\*     2.8         1.7         0.8
  other liver                                                                                          
  disease                                                                                              

  Immune deficiency  0.3          1.6\*      0.2\*      0.2\*       2.7\*      0.4         0.2\*       0.2
  disease like                                                                                         
  HIV/AIDS                                                                                             

  Diabetes requiring 11.2         17.7       14.9       12.3        22.6       15.7        9.7         9.1
  insulin or diet                                                                                      
  treatment                                                                                            

  Stomach or         13.0         37.4       25.7       19.4        35.9       15.2        13.9        9.6
  digestive disorder                                                                                   

  Severe chronic     15.1         54.2       38.7       27.0        44.6       19.7        15.5        8.8
  pain                                                                                                 

  Drug abuse or      1.2          3.2        1.3        0.9         0.5\*      2.6         1.4         0.6
  alcoholism                                                                                           

  Post-traumatic     3.8          29.9       11.8       6.0         13.5\*     5.6         4.8         1.0
  stress disorder                                                                                      
  (PTSD)                                                                                               

  Other mental or    6.2          26.5       12.4       8.3         18.6\*     8.7         6.4         3.6
  emotional problems                                                                                   

  Accident-related   8.2          15.6       11.0       11.5        12.8\*     9.7         8.9         6.6
  injury                                                                                               

  Other serious      9.4          24.9       17.5       12.5        38.9       11.0        9.8         7.2
  condition                                                                                            

  No medical         17.6         1.8        4.4        9.4         1.9\*      13.9        17.5        21.3
  treatment                                                                                            
  mentioned                                                                                            

  Number of          25,196,000   719,400    580,900    1,441,600   29,000     5,326,400   2,828,300   14,125,600
  veterans†                                                                                            
  ------------------ ------------ ---------- ---------- ----------- ---------- ----------- ----------- ------------

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

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
percent estimates will not sum to 100 because veterans could indicate
more than one health condition; the total estimate is larger than the
sum of the groups because insufficient data were available to determine
a priority group for some respondents.

NOTE: Priority groups were determined by classifying the self-reported
data of all respondents according to VA health care enrollee criteria
and are not limited to actual VA enrollees.

**Age and Health Conditions.** Table 5-17 compares health problems by
age. Veterans of different ages also varied in the kinds of health
problems for which they received treatment. Some problems become more
prevalent with age (e.g., eye and vision problems, high blood pressure,
arthritis or rheumatism). A few problems become less prevalent with age
(e.g., accident-related injury, hepatitis C or other liver disease),
while some were more prevalent among the middle age groups (e.g., PTSD,
mental or emotional problems).

Table 5-17. Percent distribution of veterans by health conditions 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 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| High blood     | 34.5 | 4.8  | 13.8 | 27.7 | 39.0 | 49.1 | 51.7 |
| pressure       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Lung trouble   | 9.2  | 4.5  | 5.4  | 8.0  | 7.8  | 11.6 | 15.0 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Hearing        | 9.3  | 0    | 1.4  | 3.6  | 6.6  | 13.5 | 25.2 |
| condition that |      | .5\* |      |      |      |      |      |
| requires a     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| hearing aid    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Other ear,     | 12.9 | 12.0 | 13.4 | 13.6 | 13.0 | 11.9 | 13.3 |
| nose, or       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| throat         |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| condition      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Eye or vision  | 55.8 | 28.7 | 37.2 | 58.5 | 58.3 | 63.6 | 68.4 |
| problem,       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| including      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| needing        |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| glasses        |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Cancer         | 7.4  | 0    | 1.4  | 2.9  | 6.5  | 11.9 | 16.6 |
|                |      | .8\* |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Heart trouble  | 15.9 | 2.5  | 4.9  | 8.9  | 15.1 | 24.1 | 31.6 |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Stroke         | 3.0  | 0    | 0.6  | 1.5  | 2.4  | 4.8  | 7.0  |
|                |      | .3\* |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Kidney or      | 10.2 | 2.4  | 5.1  | 7.4  | 9.0  | 12.5 | 20.3 |
| bladder        |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| trouble        |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Arthritis or   | 26.8 | 6.6  | 13.3 | 24.3 | 27.7 | 34.3 | 40.6 |
| rheumatism     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Hepatitis C or | 1.6  | 0    | 1.7  | 3.2  | 1.3  | 1.2  | 1.2  |
| other liver    |      | .3\* |      |      |      |      |      |
| disease        |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Immune         | 0.3  | 0    | 0    | 0.4  | 0    | 0    | 0    |
| deficiency     |      | .3\* | .5\* |      | .1\* | .2\* | .2\* |
| disease like   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| HIV/AIDS       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Diabetes       | 11.2 | 0    | 2.8  | 8.2  | 13.6 | 17.4 | 16.1 |
| requiring      |      | .8\* |      |      |      |      |      |
| insulin or     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| diet treatment |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Stomach or     | 13.0 | 7.1  | 11.4 | 14.4 | 13.4 | 13.2 | 15.2 |
| digestive      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| disorder       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Severe chronic | 15.1 | 10.0 | 16.1 | 17.9 | 15.9 | 13.0 | 15.3 |
| pain           |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Drug abuse or  | 1.2  | 1.3  | 2.9  | 2.2  | 0.7  | 0.4  | 0    |
| alcoholism     |      |      |      |      |      |      | .4\* |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Post-traumatic | 3.8  | 2.4  | 3.9  | 7.1  | 3.7  | 1.6  | 2.8  |
| stress         |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| disorder       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| (PTSD)         |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Other mental   | 6.2  | 6.2  | 9.9  | 9.2  | 4.9  | 2.9  | 5.2  |
| or emotional   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| problems       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Ac             | 8.2  | 11.3 | 12.7 | 11.5 | 6.8  | 4.3  | 5.5  |
| cident-related |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| injury         |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Other serious  | 9.4  | 5.8  | 8.1  | 10.0 | 9.5  | 8.8  | 12.2 |
| condition      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| No medical     | 17.6 | 44.3 | 32.3 | 17.7 | 14.7 | 9.6  | 5.2  |
| treatment      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
| mentioned      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
+----------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| Number of      | 25   | 2    | 3    | 5    | 4    | 5    | 4    |
| veterans†      | ,196 | ,288 | ,030 | ,415 | ,946 | ,256 | ,116 |
|                | ,000 | ,600 | ,300 | ,100 | ,000 | ,400 | ,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; percent estimates will not sum to
100 because veterans could indicate more than one health condition.

To highlight young-old age differences, Table 5-18 compares these
results among veterans under 65 years and those 65 years or older. The
three most prevalent problems were the same for both groups, (i.e., eye
or vision problems, high blood pressure, and arthritis or rheumatism),
although the relative frequency for each was higher in the older age
group.

Table 5-18. Percent distribution of veterans by health conditions and
age (under 65 and 65 or older)

+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
|                                  | Total     | Less than | 65 years  |
|                                  |           |           |           |
|                                  |           | 65 years  | or older  |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| High blood pressure              | 34.5      | 25.3      | 50.2      |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Lung trouble                     | 9.2       | 6.9       | 13.1      |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Hearing condition that requires  | 9.3       | 3.7       | 18.6      |
| a hearing aid                    |           |           |           |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Other ear, nose, or throat       | 12.9      | 13.1      | 12.5      |
| condition                        |           |           |           |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Eye or vision problem, including | 55.8      | 50.0      | 65.7      |
| needing glasses                  |           |           |           |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Cancer                           | 7.4       | 3.4       | 14.0      |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Heart trouble                    | 15.9      | 9.1       | 27.4      |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Stroke                           | 3.0       | 1.4       | 5.7       |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Kidney or bladder trouble        | 10.2      | 6.7       | 15.9      |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Arthritis or rheumatism          | 26.8      | 20.7      | 37.1      |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Hepatitis C or other liver       | 1.6       | 1.9       | 1.2       |
| disease                          |           |           |           |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Immune deficiency disease like   | 0.3       | 0.3       | 0.2\*     |
| HIV/AIDS                         |           |           |           |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Diabetes requiring insulin or    | 11.2      | 7.8       | 16.8      |
| diet treatment                   |           |           |           |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Stomach or digestive disorder    | 13.0      | 12.4      | 14.1      |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Severe chronic pain              | 15.1      | 15.7      | 14.0      |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Drug abuse or alcoholism         | 1.2       | 1.7       | 0.4       |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Post-traumatic stress disorder   | 3.8       | 4.7       | 2.2       |
| (PTSD)                           |           |           |           |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Other mental or emotional        | 6.2       | 7.5       | 3.9       |
| problems                         |           |           |           |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Accident-related injury          | 8.2       | 10.2      | 4.8       |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Other serious condition          | 9.4       | 8.9       | 10.2      |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| No medical treatment mentioned   | 17.6      | 23.5      | 7.7       |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Number of veterans†              | 2         | 1         | 9,372,600 |
|                                  | 5,196,000 | 5,680,000 |           |
+----------------------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+

\* 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 health condition.

**Race, Ethnicity, and Health Conditions.** Table 5-19 compares health
conditions of veterans of different races. Across all racial groups, eye
or vision problems, high blood pressure, and arthritis or rheumatism are
the three most prevalent problems. Proportionately more White, Asian,
and biracial American Indian-White veterans reported vision problems
(56.4 percent, 61.3 percent, and 57.1 percent, respectively), while more
Black veterans reported high blood pressure (41.2 percent). Black
veterans were also the only racial group to have diabetes among their
top five problems. However, a higher percentage of American Indian
veterans reported having diabetes (14.7 percent) than did Black veterans
(13.4 percent).

Table 5-19. Percent distribution of veterans by health conditions and
race

  ------------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ----------- ---------- -------- ---------- --------- --------- -------------- --------- ---------
                                  One race                                                             Two or                                       
                                                                                                       more                                         
                                                                                                       races                                        

                     Total        Total\       White        Black or\   American   Asian    Native     Total\              American                 Race
                                  one race                  African     Indian or           Hawaiian   two or\             Indian or                unknown
                                                            American    Alaska              or Other   more                Alaska                   
                                                                        Native              Pacific    races               Native/White             
                                                                                            Islander                                                

  High blood         34.5         34.8         34.2         41.2        31.2       29.0     26.3\*     32.6      36.2                     26.6      
  pressure                                                                                                                                          

  Lung trouble       9.2          9.2          9.5          7.1         12.3       6.9\*    1.9\*      12.8      14.7                     6.6       

  Hearing condition  9.3          9.4          9.9          4.3         8.3        8.7\*    2.9\*      8.2       9.2                      7.0       
  that requires a                                                                                                                                   
  hearing aid                                                                                                                                       

  Other ear, nose,   12.9         12.9         13.0         11.5        16.6       8.5      14.7\*     15.6      17.8                     11.6      
  or throat                                                                                                                                         
  condition                                                                                                                                         

  Eye or vision      55.8         55.8         56.4         49.8        50.1       61.3     69.4\*     55.0      57.1                     55.4      
  problem, including                                                                                                                                
  needing glasses                                                                                                                                   

  Cancer             7.4          7.5          7.7          5.7         5.7        2.8\*    2.0\*      7.7       10.5                     3.3       

  Heart trouble      15.9         16.0         16.5         11.6        13.4       15.7     11.3\*     19.6      19.5                     10.1      

  Stroke             3.0          3.1          3.0          3.7         2.0\*      0.9\*    0.0        4.5       4.9                      1.1\*     

  Kidney or bladder  10.2         10.2         10.1         10.8        12.1       9.2\*    6.3\*      13.4      16.1                     7.8       
  trouble                                                                                                                                           

  Arthritis or       26.8         26.7         26.5         28.5        27.9       23.8     20.5\*     32.2      36.4                     25.4      
  rheumatism                                                                                                                                        

  Hepatitis C or     1.6          1.6          1.5          2.0         3.6\*      5.0\*    7.6\*      3.2       2.8                      1.8\*     
  other liver                                                                                                                                       
  disease                                                                                                                                           

  Immune deficiency  0.3          0.3          0.2          0.6         0.0        0.0      0.3\*      0.4\*     0.4\*                    0.2\*     
  disease like                                                                                                                                      
  HIV/AIDS                                                                                                                                          

  Diabetes requiring 11.2         11.0         10.8         13.4        14.7       7.5\*    15.5\*     11.3      14.1                     14.7      
  insulin or diet                                                                                                                                   
  treatment                                                                                                                                         

  Stomach or         13.0         12.9         13.0         12.7        14.5       5.3\*    17.4\*     16.4      19.5                     13.9      
  digestive disorder                                                                                                                                

  Severe chronic     15.1         14.8         14.3         20.0        23.2       5.2\*    16.7\*     26.0      30.8                     14.4      
  pain                                                                                                                                              

  Drug abuse or      1.2          1.2          1.0          3.1         3.2\*      0.0      9.1\*      2.0       2.4                      1.4\*     
  alcoholism                                                                                                                                        

  Post-traumatic     3.8          3.6          3.2          7.4         8.6        2.2\*    8.0\*      7.8       9.0                      5.5       
  stress disorder                                                                                                                                   
  (PTSD)                                                                                                                                            

  Other mental or    6.2          6.1          5.9          7.8         8.1        2.8\*    4.1\*      9.0       11.7                     6.3       
  emotional problems                                                                                                                                

  Accident-related   8.2          7.9          7.7          9.4         12.3       7.5\*    14.7\*     14.7      13.7                     13.4      
  injury                                                                                                                                            

  Other serious      9.4          9.4          9.3          10.2        7.0        6.2\*    14.8\*     12.0      12.8                     6.6       
  condition                                                                                                                                         

  No medical         17.6         17.5         17.1         20.9        27.5       16.9     19.8\*     18.4      14.1                     19.9      
  treatment                                                                                                                                         
  mentioned                                                                                                                                         

  Number of          25,196,000   23,857,100   21,370,900   2,216,600   159,900    73,200   36,500     557,500   360,800                  781,400   
  veterans†                                                                                                                                         
  ------------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ----------- ---------- -------- ---------- --------- --------- -------------- --------- ---------

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

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
only one sub-category of "Total Two or More Races" is shown because all
other categories were too small to report; percent estimates will not
sum to 100 because veterans could indicate more than one health
condition.

Table 5-20 compares health conditions of Hispanic and non-Hispanic
veterans. The difference between Hispanic and non-Hispanic veterans was
slight for most problems. Hispanic and non-Hispanic veterans received
medical treatment most often for the same three problems---eye or vision
problems, high blood pressure, and arthritis or rheumatism---but the
proportion of Hispanic veterans reporting these problems was lower than
the proportion of non-Hispanic veterans. Fewer Hispanic veterans than
non-Hispanic veterans reported getting medical treatment for many
problems. The exceptions to this were for: ear, nose, and throat
conditions; diabetes; stomach problems; severe chronic pain; drug and
alcohol problems; PTSD; mental or emotional problems; and
accident-related injuries. Further, more Hispanic veterans did not
mention any health problems, compared to non-Hispanic veterans (22.3
percent vs. 17.4 percent, respectively).

Table 5-20. Percent distribution of veterans by health conditions and
ethnicity

  -------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------
                                   Total        Spanish,     Not Spanish,
                                                Hispanic, or Hispanic, or
                                                Latino       Latino

  High blood pressure              34.5         28.7         34.8

  Lung trouble                     9.2          7.6          9.3

  Hearing condition that requires  9.3          6.7          9.4
  a hearing aid                                              

  Other ear, nose, or throat       12.9         13.8         12.9
  condition                                                  

  Eye or vision problem, including 55.8         50.8         56.0
  needing glasses                                            

  Cancer                           7.4          3.3          7.6

  Heart trouble                    15.9         10.8         16.1

  Stroke                           3.0          2.4          3.1

  Kidney or bladder trouble        10.2         8.7          10.2

  Arthritis or rheumatism          26.8         22.8         26.9

  Hepatitis C or other liver       1.6          2.2\*        1.6
  disease                                                    

  Immune deficiency disease like   0.3          0.5\*        0.3
  HIV/AIDS                                                   

  Diabetes requiring insulin or    11.2         14.8         11.0
  diet treatment                                             

  Stomach or digestive disorder    13.0         14.3         13.0

  Severe chronic pain              15.1         16.2         15.0

  Drug abuse or alcoholism         1.2          2.2          1.2

  Post-traumatic stress disorder   3.8          5.9          3.7
  (PTSD)                                                     

  Other mental or emotional        6.2          8.1          6.1
  problems                                                   

  Accident-related injury          8.2          10.9         8.1

  Other serious condition          9.4          8.1          9.4

  No medical treatment mentioned   17.6         22.3         17.4

  Number of veterans†              25,196,000   1,122,200    23,990,200
  -------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------

\* 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 a category of Ethnicity; percent estimates will
not sum to 100 because veterans could indicate more than one health
condition.

**Gender and Health Conditions.** Male and female veterans differed in
some respects in terms of the health conditions for which they received
medical treatment, as Table 5-21 illustrates. For veterans of both
genders, eye and vision problems were the most prevalent condition. For
some other conditions, men and women veterans differed greatly. About
twice as many male veterans as female veterans received treatment for
high blood pressure (35.5 percent vs. 18.6 percent, respectively). Men
were also more likely than women to report heart trouble (16.3 percent
vs. 9.6 percent, respectively). As noted earlier, the younger age of
female veterans as a group likely contributes to these differences.
Female veterans were more likely than their male counterparts to report
severe chronic pain (18.7 percent vs. 14.8 percent). Female veterans
were also slightly more likely to report no medical treatment in the
past year (19.4 percent vs. 17.5 percent, respectively).

Table 5-21. Percent distribution of veterans by health conditions and
gender

  ---------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------
                                     Total        Males        Females

  High blood pressure                34.5         35.5         18.6

  Lung trouble                       9.2          9.2          9.1

  Hearing condition that requires a  9.3          9.7          3.1
  hearing aid                                                  

  Other ear, nose, or throat         12.9         12.6         17.8
  condition                                                    

  Eye or vision problem, including   55.8         55.8         55.4
  needing glasses                                              

  Cancer                             7.4          7.6          3.3

  Heart trouble                      15.9         16.3         9.6

  Stroke                             3.0          3.1          1.5

  Kidney or bladder trouble          10.2         10.1         10.8

  Arthritis or rheumatism            26.8         26.9         24.0

  Hepatitis C or other liver disease 1.6          1.6          1.5

  Immune deficiency disease like     0.3          0.3          0.3\*
  HIV/AIDS                                                     

  Diabetes requiring insulin or diet 11.2         11.5         6.3
  treatment                                                    

  Stomach or digestive disorder      13.0         13.0         13.5

  Severe chronic pain                15.1         14.8         18.7

  Drug abuse or alcoholism           1.2          1.3          0.8\*

  Post-traumatic stress disorder     3.8          3.8          3.9
  (PTSD)                                                       

  Other mental or emotional problems 6.2          5.7          14.3

  Accident-related injury            8.2          8.1          10.0

  Other serious condition            9.4          9.2          11.8

  No medical treatment mentioned     17.6         17.5         19.4

  Unknown                            0.2          0.2          0.2\*

  Number of veterans†                25,196,000   23,712,400   1,483,600
  ---------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------

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

† Estimates of number of veterans are rounded to the nearest hundred;
percent estimates will not sum to 100 because veterans could indicate
more than one health condition.

[^1]: This includes veterans who identify as American Indian or Alaska
    Native.

[^2]: This includes veterans who identified as Spanish, Hispanic, or
    Latino.