BACKGROUND: Veterans with disabilities, especially those with
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) have
difficulty obtaining and maintaining competitive employment.
OBJECTIVE: To determine if there are significant differences in
employment between veterans with and without disability, between veterans
with a disability and nonveterans with a disability, and to investigate the
association of veteran status and disability with employment.
METHODS: Chi square analyses were conducted on data obtained from
the 2010 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to determine if significant
differences in employment occurred between veterans with disabilities,
veterans without disabilities and nonveterans with disabilities.
Multivariate regression analyses were used to determine how veteran status
and disability are associated with employment.
RESULTS: Significant differences in employment were found between
veterans with and without a disability; however, no significant differences
existed in employment between veterans and nonveterans with a disability.
Multivariate analysis showed that veteran status (aOR = 1.80), having any
disability (aOR = 7.29), social disability (aOR = 3.47) or a cognitive
disability (aOR = 3.16) were associated with not being employed.
CONCLUSIONS: Veterans with disabilities are more likely not to be
employed than veteran populations without disabilities. Veterans; however
have unique disabilities, different than nonveterans with disabilities, that
need to be addressed, such as social and cognitive disabilities resulting
from TBI and PTSD. Future research should focus on evaluating the
effectiveness of employment programs and policies designed to address the
unique issues faced by veterans with disabilities.
