The STRIVE Act directs the federal government to investigate and report on racial, ethnic, and gender disparities in how veterans receive disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The bill responds to existing evidence showing that Black veterans are approved for disability benefits at lower rates than white veterans and that female veterans are less likely to apply for these benefits. Within 180 days, the Government Accountability Office must submit a comprehensive report analyzing discharge characterization and disability benefit application data from the previous 15 years, broken down by race, ethnicity, and gender. Within one year, the VA Secretary must submit a separate report identifying the causes of these disparities and present a three-year plan to address them, then annually report on implementation progress. The bill affects all current and former members of the Armed Forces seeking disability benefits and requires no new funding—only reporting and analysis requirements for existing government agencies.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.