“…We used VA administrative data on race/ethnicity, supplemented by data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services when missing, to define this variable as non-Hispanic White (ie, White), non-Hispanic Black (ie, Black), Hispanic, Asian, or American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN). 36,37 We identified additional baseline patient sociodemographic characteristics, including a categorized variable for age at index diagnosis, sex, and VA priority group (groups 1-8), which conveys patients' level of eligibility for VA services given their financial means, service-connected health conditions, and disabilities (lower groups have increased eligibility for VA benefits). 38 We assessed geographic census region and level of rurality based on each patients' residence.…”