“America Is Frankly Contemptuous”: James Joyce’s Work in Progress for the United States

Military sexual trauma-related posttraumatic stress disorder service-connection: Characteristics of claimants and award denial across gender, race, and compared to combat trauma

“…Following a recent lawsuit alleging racial disparities in VA’s awarding of disability claims negatively impacting Black veterans [ 22 ], in June 2023, VBA formed an Equity Assurance Office, led by the VBA Deputy Executive Director for Policy, Procedures and Interagency Collaborations in Compensation Service [ 34 , 35 ]. According to VA, the team is tasked with “making sure that we provide every Veteran with the world-class care and benefits they deserve–no matter their age, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, or sexual identity.…”

“…Although not focused on MST claims specifically, prior reports [ 19 ] and empirical studies [ 18 , 20 ] have documented a longstanding pattern of racial disparities in the awarding of PTSD claims, resulting in more claim denials and lower ratings for Black veterans relative to White and other non-Black veterans, especially when psychometrically validated diagnostic measures are not used [ 21 ]. The topic of racial disparities in awarding of PTSD claims has been a focus of substantial media and VA interest since 2022, when a Black veteran filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging racial disparities in VA’s awarding of disability claims and other benefits [ 22 ]. The lawsuit presented VA data which found that between 2001–2020, the VA was 21.9% more likely to reject claim applications from Black veterans than White veterans [ 22 ].…”

“…The topic of racial disparities in awarding of PTSD claims has been a focus of substantial media and VA interest since 2022, when a Black veteran filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging racial disparities in VA’s awarding of disability claims and other benefits [ 22 ]. The lawsuit presented VA data which found that between 2001–2020, the VA was 21.9% more likely to reject claim applications from Black veterans than White veterans [ 22 ].…”