VA updating outreach work in effort to end benefits gap for Black vets

Veterans Affairs officials will overhaul its outreach efforts to transitioning troops and new veterans as part of an effort to close gaps in disability benefits grant rates between Black and white vets, department leaders announced Wednesday.

The move comes after nearly nine months of work on the issue from VA’s equity action team, formed in response to reports of disparities in how different racial groups access federal veterans benefits and part of broader administration efforts to identify and correct discriminatory practices in government programs.

The VA work will include visits to at least 15 military installations to improve outreach efforts to transitioning service members. It will also entail updating transition program curriculum to better address potential gaps in information for Black veterans, and working directly with veterans groups to better engage with those individuals.