Publication year
2012
Citation Title
Veteran status and material hardship: The moderating influence of disability.
Journal Name
Social Service Review
Journal Volume
86
Issue Number
1
Page Numbers
119-142
DOI
10.1086/665643
Summary
Data from the Survey of Program Participation collected between 1992 and 2004 was used to investigate the relationship between Veteran status and experience of material hardship. Researchers found that a household with a Veteran without a disability had a decreased likelihood of experiencing material hardship, but that households with a Veteran with a disability had an increased likelihood of experiencing material hardship.
Key Findings
The presence of a disabled Veteran in a household significantly increased the likelihood that the household would experience material hardship, though according to most measures, this increased risk was similar to that experienced by a household with a disabled non-Veteran.
A non-disabled Veteran in a household seems to be a protective factor in that the likelihood of experiencing material hardship is lower for households with non-disabled Veterans than it is for households with no Veteran.
Households with a disabled Veteran are estimated to experience significantly more material hardship (in all forms) than are households with a non-disabled Veteran.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide outreach to households with disabled Service members that educates regarding the availability of programs or services that may help prevent experiences of material hardship
Recognize that access to benefits varies among Service members with different service experiences and educate Service members on navigating those differences
Develop curricula that educates Service members with disabilities and their families about local resources for people with disabilities
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue dedicating resources to helping Service members who have a work-limiting disability
Recommend that programs for Service members leaving the military provide information about VHA benefits for Veterans, particularly directed to Veterans with disabilities
Suggest professional development for community providers about how to best support Service members and Veterans with disabilities and their families
Methods
Researchers utilized data from the Survey of Program Participation (SIPP) from 1992-2004 for this study.
Interviews gathered information about demographics, income, employment, and other relevant topics.
Data were analyzed to determine whether households of disabled and non-disabled Veterans differed in their experience of material hardship compared to households of disabled and non-disabled non-Veterans.
Participants
Of the households included in analysis, 13.67% contained a nondisabled Veteran, 2.71% contained a disabled Veteran, 1.21% included a nondisabled Veteran and disabled non-Veteran, 13.27% contained a disabled non-Veteran, and 69% contained neither a Veteran nor a person with a disability.
In this sample, 72% of households were White only, 12% were Black only, 9% were Latino only, 2% were Asian-American only, and 5% were mixed race or ethnicity or another race or ethnicity.
Demographic data regarding gender and service branch were not provided.
Limitations
This study utilizes cross-sectional data and therefore cannot provide information about causational relationships between disability and Veteran status and experience of material hardship.
The outcomes do not distinguish among Veterans based on their military experiences, which may influence the results.
Researchers were not able to take into account the ways in which participation in various programs available to Veterans, disabled and non-disabled, may affect the experience of material hardship.
Avenues for Future Research
Address the possible protective function of the benefits and programs available to Veterans
Take into account a variety of characteristics of Veterans (including period of service and military experience) to explore the ways in which Veterans differ from one another in their experience of material hardship
Explore whether nonparticipation in programs available for Veterans is a risk factor for the experience of material hardship and methods for increasing Veteran participation
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Veterans are a sizable and policy-relevant demographic group in the United States, yet little is known about their economic well-being. Although having a work-limiting disability is known to be associated with material hardship, no known study compares material hardship between veteran households and nonveteran households or investigates whether work-limiting disability moderates the association between veteran status and material hardship. This study uses data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation to examine how household work-limiting disability status moderates the relationship between veteran status and the likelihood of material hardship. Results suggest the following: nondisabled-veteran households report lower or equivalent levels of material hardship than do households with no veteran or disabled member; regardless of whether a veteran is present, households that include a disabled person have higher levels of every type of hardship than other households do; and disabled-veteran households experience statistically significantly more hardship than nondisabled-veteran households do.
Attach