Veteran health care system in the U.S.- statistics and facts

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which is part of the federal government, provides majority of funding for the healthcare system for veterans in the United States. Congress annually appropriates funds for the VA, which pays for a variety of services for qualified veterans, including long-term care, prescription medicines, and medical and mental health treatment. The Veteran Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated healthcare network in the United States, with over 1,298 medical facilities serving more than nine million veterans each year. Veterans can seek treatment at non-VA health care facilities if they have to wait more than 20 days or travel more than 30 minutes for a health appointment at a VA facility.

VA enrollment and coverage

All veterans are eligible for VA health care benefits if they have served in the military, navy, or air force and were discharged from active duty for a reason other than dishonor. Due to the restricted financing for VA health care, the VA established and implemented a priority-based enrollment system to determine eligibility and the number of veterans to be enrolled. Many factors are taken into consideration when deciding priority groups which range from one (highest eligibility) to eight (lowest eligibility). Veterans who fought in the Vietnam War make up the single greatest service-era portion of the enrollee population in the VA health system. Veterans can also have dual or multiple coverages through Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and private insurance, while those without private or public health insurance are considered uninsured.

VHA expenditure and services

The amount spent on healthcare by the VA has risen substantially over the past 20 years, especially as more and more veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan service returned home. In 2022, total spending on hospital and medical care for veterans amounted to 119.6 billion U.S. dollars. Even though the overall veteran population is declining, VA healthcare spending is projected to grow as the number of veterans enrolled in VHA and using health care services is increasing, leading to a rise in demand for healthcare services. An estimated 40 percent of the annual VA budget is spent on services, research, and benefits provided by the VHA.

Access to VA mental healthcare

Veterans using the VA healthcare services encounter multiple barriers to accessing healthcare services, specifically for mental health. A disproportionate number of veterans live in rural areas of the country, which makes access even more difficult. Urban veterans in comparison to rural veterans show higher utilization rates for VHA mental health care services and programs. VA will need to identify gaps to reorganize and realign their capacities to address challenges related to access and utilization of their health care services.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.

Share of veterans and active service members pf the WWP serving military post-2001 with Medicare coverage: 12.4%

Number of rural veterans on the National Psychosis Registry: 62.3k

Share of Black or African-American non-Hispanic veterans enrolled in VA health care system: 13%

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Number of homeless veterans in the U.S., by state 2022

Percentage of U.S. veteran and active service members of the Wounded Warrior Project who have never used VA health care services for select reasons in 2021*

Health System

Reasons U.S. veterans with the WWP don't use the VA health services 2021

Number of veterans in the United States in 2022, by race and Hispanic origin

Demographics

U.S. veterans by race and Hispanic origin 2022

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Overview

Basic Statistic U.S. veterans 2022, by state
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Number of veterans living in the United States in 2022, by state
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Percentage of people insured by military health care in the United States from 1990 to 2022
Basic Statistic U.S. veterans 2022, by gender
U.S. veterans 2022, by gender
Number of veterans in the United States in 2022, by gender (in millions)
Basic Statistic U.S. veterans enrolled in the health care system in 2022, by service era
U.S. veterans enrolled in the health care system in 2022, by service era
Share of U.S. veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system in 2022, by service era
Basic Statistic U.S. veterans 2022, by disability status
U.S. veterans 2022, by disability status
Number of veterans in the United States in 2022, by service-connected disability status

VHA expenditure

Premium Statistic Outlay by U.S. Federal government for veterans health programs in 2000-2027
Outlay by U.S. Federal government for veterans health programs in 2000-2027
Federal health spending on veterans medical care in the U.S. from 2000 to 2027 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Basic Statistic Expenditure for medical care on veterans in the U.S. in 2022, by state
Expenditure for medical care on veterans in the U.S. in 2022, by state
Annual medical care expenditure on veterans in the United States in 2022, by state (in thousand U.S. dollars)
Basic Statistic Total expenditure for hospital and medical care for veterans in the U.S. 2017-2022
Total expenditure for hospital and medical care for veterans in the U.S. 2017-2022
Annual spending on hospital and medical care for veterans in the United States from 2017 to 2022, (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Total spending on health care services for veterans in the U.S. 2022, by function
Total spending on health care services for veterans in the U.S. 2022, by function
Annual spending on hospital and medical care for veterans in the United States in 2022, by function (in billion U.S. dollars)

VA health care facilities

Premium Statistic Number of VA inpatient care sites in the U.S. in 2021, by state
Number of VA inpatient care sites in the U.S. in 2021, by state
Total number of VA inpatient care sites in the United States in 2021, by state
Premium Statistic Number of VA outpatient care sites in the U.S. in 2021, by state
Number of VA outpatient care sites in the U.S. in 2021, by state
Total number of VA outpatient care sites in the United States in 2021, by state
Basic Statistic Number of VA vet centers in the U.S. in 2021, by state
Number of VA vet centers in the U.S. in 2021, by state
Total number of VA vet centers in the United States in 2021, by state
Premium Statistic Type of changes recommended for veteran health facilities in the U.S. in 2022
Type of changes recommended for veteran health facilities in the U.S. in 2022
Number of changes recommended for VA health care facilities in the U.S. in March 2022, by type of facilities

Enrollment in VHA

Basic Statistic U.S. veterans enrolled in the VA health care system in 2022, by age
U.S. veterans enrolled in the VA health care system in 2022, by age
Distribution of U.S. veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system in 2022, by age groups
Basic Statistic Share of U.S. veterans enrolled in the VA health care system in 2018-2022
Share of U.S. veterans enrolled in the VA health care system in 2018-2022
Share of U.S. veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system from 2018 to 2022, by priority groups
Premium Statistic U.S. veterans enrolled in the VA health care system in 2022, by ethnicity
U.S. veterans enrolled in the VA health care system in 2022, by ethnicity
Distribution of U.S. veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system in 2022, by ethnicity
Basic Statistic U.S. veterans enrolled in the VA health care system in 2022, by income
U.S. veterans enrolled in the VA health care system in 2022, by income
Distribution of U.S. veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system in 2022, by income

Veterans insurance coverage

Premium Statistic Veterans with public or private health coverage in the U.S. in 2022, by insurance
Veterans with public or private health coverage in the U.S. in 2022, by insurance
Share of U.S. veterans who reported having public or private health insurance in the U.S. in 2022, by insurance type
Basic Statistic Veterans without health coverage in the U.S. in 2022, by age
Veterans without health coverage in the U.S. in 2022, by age
Share of U.S. veterans without alternative health insurance coverage in the U.S. in 2022, by age
Premium Statistic Veterans with long-term care coverage in the U.S. in 2021, by age
Veterans with long-term care coverage in the U.S. in 2021, by age
Share of U.S. veteran enrollees with long-term care coverage in 2021, by age group
Premium Statistic Veterans with disabilities enrolled in the VA health care system in the U.S in 2021
Veterans with disabilities enrolled in the VA health care system in the U.S in 2021
Distribution of U.S. veterans with disabilities who are enrolled in the VA health care system in 2021, by number of disabilities
Basic Statistic Veterans without health insurance coverage in the U.S. in 2021, by income
Veterans without health insurance coverage in the U.S. in 2021, by income
Share of U.S. veterans without health insurance coverage in 2021, by income

Mental health care access

Premium Statistic Veterans using VHA intensive mental health care in the U.S. in 2021, by facility
Veterans using VHA intensive mental health care in the U.S. in 2021, by facility
Distribution of rural and urban veterans who used VHA intensive mental health care in the U.S. in 2021, by type of facility
Premium Statistic Number of veterans on the national psychosis registry in the U.S. in 2021
Number of veterans on the national psychosis registry in the U.S. in 2021
Total number of rural and urban veterans on the national psychosis registry in the U.S. in 2021
Premium Statistic Share of U.S. veterans who have used VHA mental health care programs in 2021
Share of U.S. veterans who have used VHA mental health care programs in 2021
Distribution of rural and urban veterans who have used one or more of the VHA’s intensive mental health care programs in 2021
Premium Statistic Wait times for veterans seeking mental health treatment programs in the U.S. in 2021
Wait times for veterans seeking mental health treatment programs in the U.S. in 2021
Average wait times for veterans across mental health residential rehabilitation treatment programs in the U.S. in 2021, by rurality in the health care system

Access and barriers to VA health care

Basic Statistic Reasons U.S. veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan choose VA health provider in 2021
Reasons U.S. veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan choose VA health provider in 2021
Why did you choose your VA provider as your primary source of care?
Basic Statistic Veterans reporting positive experience for using VA or a non-VA facility in the U.S
Veterans reporting positive experience for using VA or a non-VA facility in the U.S
Share of U.S. veterans who reported having a positive experiences for using VA facility or a non-VA facility in the U.S in 2022, by type of experience
Premium Statistic Reasons why veterans prefer to use other health care services in the U.S in 2021
Reasons why veterans prefer to use other health care services in the U.S in 2021
Share of reasons reported by veterans for using health care services other than VA health services in the U.S. in 2021
Premium Statistic Reasons U.S. veterans with the WWP don't use the VA health services 2021
Reasons U.S. veterans with the WWP don't use the VA health services 2021
Percentage of U.S. veteran and active service members of the Wounded Warrior Project who have never used VA health care services for select reasons in 2021*
Premium Statistic Main barriers to access primary health care reported by veterans in the U.S. in 2021
Main barriers to access primary health care reported by veterans in the U.S. in 2021
Share of veterans who reported the following issues to be the biggest barriers to seeking primary health care at the nearest provider reported in the U.S in 2021
Basic Statistic Types of barriers to VA care reported by U.S. veterans with the WWP as of 2022
Types of barriers to VA care reported by U.S. veterans with the WWP as of 2022
Barriers to VA care reported by U.S. veterans and active service members of the Wounded Warrior Project as of 2022*

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