Survey to evaluate Veterans perceptions about why they do or do not use VA health care if they are eligible.

1. Marketing Analytics
Bellevue University
Will Ackerman
3 May 2015
Eligible Veterans Use,
Perceptions of
VA Health Care

2. Hypothesis
More than 50 percent of Veterans who are
eligible to enroll in VA health care benefits
do not due to lack of understanding of
eligibility criteria

3. Research Objectives
• Determine what Veterans who have not enrolled in
VA health care benefits believe about their eligibility
• Determine what barriers that Veterans face to
understanding VA health care eligibility
• Determine if negative perceptions about the VA
health care quality cause Veterans to avoid
enrolling?
• Evaluate whether having alternative health care
options (e.g., TRICARE, employment-related
insurance, spouse employment insurance) influence
Veterans’ decisions to enroll in VA health care if they
are eligible

4. Survey Results

5. Survey Results

6. Survey Results

7. Survey Results

8. Survey Results

9. Survey Results

10. Survey Results Evaluation
• Determine what Veterans who have not enrolled in
VA health care benefits believe about their
eligibility
• Although nearly ¾ believed “all Veterans are
eligible, more than ¾ believe that only those
who are have a military service-connected
injury are eligible, which is contradictory.

11. Survey Results Evaluation
• Determine what barriers that Veterans face to
understanding VA health care eligibility
− More than 50 % of Veterans faced a barrier
because they felt VA benefits were “difficult” to
understand.
− However, more than ¾ know where to seek out
information about their VA benefits.

12. Survey Results Evaluation
• Determine if negative perceptions about the VA
health care quality cause Veterans to avoid
enrolling
− More than 80% of Veterans surveyed have heard
that VA provides substandard care
− In addition, 1/3 perceive that VA health care is not
as good as the private sector and more than 51%
feel it takes too long to get an appointment.

13. Survey Results Evaluation
• Evaluate whether having alternative health care
options (e.g., TRICARE, employment-related
insurance, spouse employment insurance)
influence Veterans’ decisions to enroll in VA health
care if they are eligible
− More than 86% of Veterans surveyed have other
than VA health care insurance.
− The key reasons cited for not using VA health care if
otherwise eligible were:
• Timelier access to private health care
• Better selection of private providers
• Wanting to leave VA services for combat, low-income
Veterans

14. Survey Results Evaluation
• Of the 103 Veterans who took the survey, the overall
assessment is that a large majority of the Veterans
surveyed felt that VA health care benefits are difficult
to understand.
• In addition, perception that the VA provides
substandard care, difficulty in getting timely
appointments, and lack of choice in providers were
key factors that influenced choice whether to use the
VA health care system if Veterans had other health
care options.
• The takeaway is that negative perceptions are
influencing many Veterans to choose other
healthcare.