After an NBC investigation, the Veteran’s Administration is responding to systemic discrimination allegations that date back decades.
An NBC Connecticut investigation, in partnership with other NBC stations, is prompting a response from the Veterans Afffairs.
On Tuesday, NBC Connecticut aired “American Vets: Benefits, Race and Inequality,” a joint investigation into alleged systemic discrimination against Black veterans, going back to the 1940s.
A Vietnam veteran from Connecticut filed a lawsuit that was central to our reporting.
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Conley Monk is suing the United States and the Veteran's Administration after being cut off from benefits guaranteed under the GI Bill. It took him 40 years to upgrade his discharge status from an other than honorable discharge.
Monk was sent home with that status after suffering from PTSD, a condition that was unknown in 1970. NBC stations profiled Monk and similar stories from other Black veterans around the country - those who served, but never received full benefits.
Following our reporting, the head of the Veterans Affairs responded while being interviewed by our NBC team.
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“And as I've now said to a couple of your colleagues, I commend the role that you're doing, giving a voice to veterans and holding us to account. So, thank you for that,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough.
He went on to say that the VA will immediately create an equity team, which was directed by President Biden last month for all government agencies. At the news conference, McDonough said the group will focus on some of the areas in the NBC investigation.
“The specific thing we'll be asking the equity team to look at immediately is things like what you've heard about, it sounds like in your reporting from some of the veterans,” McDonough said.
He acknowledged the agency has not always kept its promise in delivering care and benefits to Black veterans.
“And we have been wrestling with disparities based on race in the VA benefits decisions, and military discharge status,” McDonough said.
He went on to say the group will “not only dig into answering why that's happening, but then to put in place a series of policies and procedures going forward, that will allow us to address those differences to ensure that they don't keep happening. And so that's what the equity team will do.”
McDonough said the department has paid out $600 million in claims by veterans and their families, but said they still have more work to do.
