#Research Question: “What factors significantly predict the number of disability compensation recipients in each state, considering disability severity rating and age group?”

This analysis uses fiscal year 2025 disability compensation recipient data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs public records. The orgiinal dataset contains 3148 observations. The variables include total recipient counts, percentage distribution across five disability severity categories (SCD 0-20% through SCD 100%), and three age group percentages (17-44, 45-64, 65+).

I was interested in this topic because I wanted to better understand the demographics of those recieiving disability compensation in the United States, and I was curious to see the distribution of SCD rating, as well age and location for these veterans. Understanding this question can help inform policy–maybe some states are more of a safe haven for these veterans, and we’ll see the demographics respond accourding. Perhaps we’ll find out that some groups of SCD are overwhelming in comparison to the others, and get a better picture of just how disabled veterans are suffering from an extreme amount of handicap. Understanding these patterns can inform resource allocation, policy development, and outreach efforts to our country’s veterans.

Data Analysis

Before conducting multiple linear regression, several data preparation steps were necessary to clean and prepare the dataset for analysis. Missing values in key columns were examined and excluded from analysis using na.omit(). The original dataset contained NA values for certain categories where the VA redacted data to protect veteran privacy—a consideration of data ethics that unfortunately reduces sample size but protects individual confidentiality.

Relevant predictor variables were selected using select() to focus on severity ratings and age demographics while excluding redundant categories that would create multicollinearity. New derived variables were created using mutate() to calculate percentage distributions across disability severity categories and age groups. Finally, column names were standardized using rename() and rename_with() for easier manipulation throughout the analysis.

discomp <- read_csv("disabilitycompensation.csv")
discomp <- rename_with(discomp, ~ gsub(" ", "_", .))
discomp <- rename(discomp,
                  "SCD_0to20" = "SCD_rating:_0%_to_20%",
                  "SCD_30to40" = "SCD_rating:_30%_to_40%",
                  "SCD_50to60" = "SCD_rating:_50%_to_60%",
                  "SCD_70to90" = "SCD_rating:_70%_to_90%",
                  "SCD_100" = "SCD_rating:_100%",
                  "Total_Recipients" = "Total:_Disability_Compensation_Recipients")
discompclean <- na.omit(discomp)

# Calculate total SCD and age sums for percentage conversion
discompclean <- discompclean %>%
  mutate(Total_SCD = SCD_0to20 + SCD_30to40 + SCD_50to60 + SCD_70to90 + SCD_100) %>%
  mutate(Pct_SCD_0to20 = SCD_0to20 / Total_SCD * 100,
         Pct_SCD_30to40 = SCD_30to40 / Total_SCD * 100,
         Pct_SCD_50to60 = SCD_50to60 / Total_SCD * 100,
         Pct_SCD_70to90 = SCD_70to90 / Total_SCD * 100,
         Pct_SCD_100 = SCD_100 / Total_SCD * 100)

discompclean <- discompclean %>%
  mutate(Total_Age = `Age:_17-44` + `Age:_45-64` + `Age:_65_or_older`,
         Pct_Age_17to44 = `Age:_17-44` / Total_Age * 100,
         Pct_Age_45to64 = `Age:_45-64` / Total_Age * 100,
         Pct_Age_65plus = `Age:_65_or_older` / Total_Age * 100)

# Select final variables for analysis
discompanalysis <- discompclean %>%
  select(State, County_Name, Total_Recipients,
         Pct_SCD_0to20, Pct_SCD_30to40, Pct_SCD_50to60, Pct_SCD_70to90, Pct_SCD_100,
         Pct_Age_17to44, Pct_Age_45to64, Pct_Age_65plus)

cat("Final observation count:", nrow(discompanalysis), "\n")
## Final observation count: 2652

Statistical Analysis Model Selection Rationale

Multiple linear regression was chosen to examine how disability severity ratings and age demographics predict total compensation recipients across States. This approach is specfically for the evaluation of multiple continuous variables while controlling for variation through factor variables, particularly from county to county.

Initial Model Assessment: The first model violations of homoscedasticity and normality assumptions. Diagnostic plots showed a clear funnel pattern with residual variance increasing dramatically from near-zero to over 80,000, and extreme outliers with standardized residuals exceeding 15 in the upper tail. These violations shed doubt onto our procedures and standard error estimates.

Model Transformation: To address heteroscedasticity, a log-transformation was applied to the outcome variable. The final model specification is: log(Total_Recipients + 1) = 8.489 + (Pct_SCD_0to20) + (Pct_SCD_30to40) + (Pct_SCD_50to60) + (Pct_SCD_70to90) + (Pct_Age_17to44) + (Pct_Age_45to64) + Σ(State indicators))

The “+1” adjustment prevents logarithms of zero for any jurisdictions with no recipients.

# Initial model (before transformation)
discompmodel <- lm(Total_Recipients ~ Pct_SCD_0to20 + Pct_SCD_30to40 + 
                   Pct_SCD_50to60 + Pct_SCD_70to90 + 
                   Pct_Age_17to44 + Pct_Age_45to64 + State, 
                   data = discompclean)

summary(discompmodel)
## 
## Call:
## lm(formula = Total_Recipients ~ Pct_SCD_0to20 + Pct_SCD_30to40 + 
##     Pct_SCD_50to60 + Pct_SCD_70to90 + Pct_Age_17to44 + Pct_Age_45to64 + 
##     State, data = discompclean)
## 
## Residuals:
##    Min     1Q Median     3Q    Max 
## -12195  -1614   -369    901  86510 
## 
## Coefficients:
##                                             Estimate Std. Error t value
## (Intercept)                                 10650.56    2712.81   3.926
## Pct_SCD_0to20                                -190.30      34.87  -5.458
## Pct_SCD_30to40                               -273.99      60.91  -4.498
## Pct_SCD_50to60                               -335.88      59.37  -5.657
## Pct_SCD_70to90                               -338.93      44.76  -7.572
## Pct_Age_17to44                                253.57      17.24  14.709
## Pct_Age_45to64                                173.34      26.21   6.614
## StateAlaska                                  -605.12    1558.27  -0.388
## StateArizona                                10175.76    1394.44   7.297
## StateArkansas                                 252.62     831.47   0.304
## StateCalifornia                              7502.07     925.91   8.102
## StateColorado                                1787.63     964.96   1.853
## StateConnecticut                             2872.45    1750.36   1.641
## StateDelaware                                5923.19    2852.16   2.077
## StateDistrict Of Columbia                    1871.18    4874.66   0.384
## StateFlorida                                 6370.96     841.42   7.572
## StateGeorgia                                 -818.82     718.56  -1.140
## StateHawaii                                  9392.14    2495.42   3.764
## StateIdaho                                   1240.58    1041.92   1.191
## StateIllinois                                 241.22     814.76   0.296
## StateIndiana                                 1691.56     878.03   1.927
## StateIowa                                    1752.67     859.35   2.040
## StateKansas                                  -343.78     941.30  -0.365
## StateKentucky                                -342.84     781.10  -0.439
## StateLouisiana                                 94.04     873.21   0.108
## StateMaine                                   2061.13    1354.43   1.522
## StateMaryland                                1329.31    1160.66   1.145
## StateMassachusetts                           5874.39    1503.11   3.908
## StateMichigan                                2339.51     828.40   2.824
## StateMinnesota                               4028.20    1006.53   4.002
## StateMississippi                             -627.54     819.07  -0.766
## StateMissouri                                1589.09     793.95   2.001
## StateMontana                                  287.00    1019.17   0.282
## StateNebraska                                3057.93    1092.43   2.799
## StateNevada                                  5789.98    1584.15   3.655
## StateNew Hampshire                           2467.44    1663.06   1.484
## StateNew Jersey                               347.00    1256.04   0.276
## StateNew Mexico                              1360.86    1132.44   1.202
## StateNew York                                1906.74     892.30   2.137
## StateNorth Carolina                          1247.55     774.32   1.611
## StateNorth Dakota                             923.65    1245.53   0.742
## StateOhio                                    2080.07     845.31   2.461
## StateOklahoma                                 953.80     851.81   1.120
## StateOregon                                  3799.47    1064.68   3.569
## StateOther Foreign Countries                30362.13    4871.27   6.233
## StatePennsylvania                            2118.91     871.50   2.431
## StatePuerto Rico                            32507.24    4879.23   6.662
## StateRhode Island                            3329.98    2257.02   1.475
## StateSouth Carolina                          1729.82     926.11   1.868
## StateSouth Dakota                            1406.04    1146.04   1.227
## StateTennessee                                222.71     783.59   0.284
## StateTexas                                   1067.68     712.76   1.498
## StateUS Territories (excluding Puerto Rico)  3018.87    4867.39   0.620
## StateUtah                                     240.10    1208.44   0.199
## StateVermont                                  927.78    1480.77   0.627
## StateVirginia                                -262.11     742.49  -0.353
## StateWashington                              4177.35    1011.39   4.130
## StateWest Virginia                            801.96     909.74   0.882
## StateWisconsin                               2303.81     886.89   2.598
## StateWyoming                                  211.07    1221.19   0.173
##                                             Pr(>|t|)    
## (Intercept)                                 8.86e-05 ***
## Pct_SCD_0to20                               5.27e-08 ***
## Pct_SCD_30to40                              7.15e-06 ***
## Pct_SCD_50to60                              1.71e-08 ***
## Pct_SCD_70to90                              5.07e-14 ***
## Pct_Age_17to44                               < 2e-16 ***
## Pct_Age_45to64                              4.53e-11 ***
## StateAlaska                                 0.697804    
## StateArizona                                3.88e-13 ***
## StateArkansas                               0.761284    
## StateCalifornia                             8.21e-16 ***
## StateColorado                               0.064062 .  
## StateConnecticut                            0.100907    
## StateDelaware                               0.037924 *  
## StateDistrict Of Columbia                   0.701115    
## StateFlorida                                5.09e-14 ***
## StateGeorgia                                0.254590    
## StateHawaii                                 0.000171 ***
## StateIdaho                                  0.233893    
## StateIllinois                               0.767205    
## StateIndiana                                0.054144 .  
## StateIowa                                   0.041498 *  
## StateKansas                                 0.714974    
## StateKentucky                               0.660761    
## StateLouisiana                              0.914248    
## StateMaine                                  0.128189    
## StateMaryland                               0.252187    
## StateMassachusetts                          9.54e-05 ***
## StateMichigan                               0.004777 ** 
## StateMinnesota                              6.46e-05 ***
## StateMississippi                            0.443650    
## StateMissouri                               0.045443 *  
## StateMontana                                0.778271    
## StateNebraska                               0.005161 ** 
## StateNevada                                 0.000262 ***
## StateNew Hampshire                          0.138017    
## StateNew Jersey                             0.782367    
## StateNew Mexico                             0.229587    
## StateNew York                               0.032700 *  
## StateNorth Carolina                         0.107270    
## StateNorth Dakota                           0.458415    
## StateOhio                                   0.013930 *  
## StateOklahoma                               0.262934    
## StateOregon                                 0.000365 ***
## StateOther Foreign Countries                5.33e-10 ***
## StatePennsylvania                           0.015110 *  
## StatePuerto Rico                            3.28e-11 ***
## StateRhode Island                           0.140229    
## StateSouth Carolina                         0.061899 .  
## StateSouth Dakota                           0.219980    
## StateTennessee                              0.776269    
## StateTexas                                  0.134271    
## StateUS Territories (excluding Puerto Rico) 0.535164    
## StateUtah                                   0.842526    
## StateVermont                                0.531006    
## StateVirginia                               0.724106    
## StateWashington                             3.74e-05 ***
## StateWest Virginia                          0.378113    
## StateWisconsin                              0.009440 ** 
## StateWyoming                                0.862794    
## ---
## Signif. codes:  0 '***' 0.001 '**' 0.01 '*' 0.05 '.' 0.1 ' ' 1
## 
## Residual standard error: 4828 on 2592 degrees of freedom
## Multiple R-squared:  0.289,  Adjusted R-squared:  0.2728 
## F-statistic: 17.86 on 59 and 2592 DF,  p-value: < 2.2e-16
par(mfrow = c(2, 2))
plot(discompmodel)

par(mfrow = c(1, 1))

#Final Transformed Model
model_log <- lm(log(Total_Recipients + 1) ~ Pct_SCD_0to20 + Pct_SCD_30to40 + 
                Pct_SCD_50to60 + Pct_SCD_70to90 + 
                Pct_Age_17to44 + Pct_Age_45to64 + State, 
                data = discompclean)

summary(model_log)
## 
## Call:
## lm(formula = log(Total_Recipients + 1) ~ Pct_SCD_0to20 + Pct_SCD_30to40 + 
##     Pct_SCD_50to60 + Pct_SCD_70to90 + Pct_Age_17to44 + Pct_Age_45to64 + 
##     State, data = discompclean)
## 
## Residuals:
##     Min      1Q  Median      3Q     Max 
## -4.0855 -0.5825 -0.0254  0.5498  3.3571 
## 
## Coefficients:
##                                              Estimate Std. Error t value
## (Intercept)                                  8.488875   0.514521  16.499
## Pct_SCD_0to20                               -0.036278   0.006613  -5.486
## Pct_SCD_30to40                              -0.089669   0.011552  -7.762
## Pct_SCD_50to60                              -0.082020   0.011261  -7.283
## Pct_SCD_70to90                              -0.084809   0.008489  -9.990
## Pct_Age_17to44                               0.087661   0.003270  26.810
## Pct_Age_45to64                               0.045140   0.004971   9.081
## StateAlaska                                 -0.837290   0.295548  -2.833
## StateArizona                                 1.420267   0.264474   5.370
## StateArkansas                               -0.302937   0.157699  -1.921
## StateCalifornia                              1.051502   0.175611   5.988
## StateColorado                               -0.319693   0.183019  -1.747
## StateConnecticut                             1.158371   0.331980   3.489
## StateDelaware                                2.200850   0.540951   4.068
## StateDistrict Of Columbia                    0.730824   0.924546   0.790
## StateFlorida                                 1.201206   0.159588   7.527
## StateGeorgia                                -0.525131   0.136286  -3.853
## StateHawaii                                  1.814934   0.473289   3.835
## StateIdaho                                  -0.146673   0.197614  -0.742
## StateIllinois                               -0.408787   0.154530  -2.645
## StateIndiana                                 0.260153   0.166529   1.562
## StateIowa                                   -0.267647   0.162987  -1.642
## StateKansas                                 -0.697678   0.178530  -3.908
## StateKentucky                               -0.558733   0.148146  -3.772
## StateLouisiana                              -0.131073   0.165616  -0.791
## StateMaine                                   0.992405   0.256886   3.863
## StateMaryland                                0.343970   0.220134   1.563
## StateMassachusetts                           1.685386   0.285086   5.912
## StateMichigan                                0.606346   0.157116   3.859
## StateMinnesota                               0.856349   0.190903   4.486
## StateMississippi                            -0.600183   0.155347  -3.863
## StateMissouri                                0.100727   0.150584   0.669
## StateMontana                                -0.583261   0.193299  -3.017
## StateNebraska                                0.115164   0.207193   0.556
## StateNevada                                  0.401438   0.300455   1.336
## StateNew Hampshire                           1.043294   0.315422   3.308
## StateNew Jersey                              0.506568   0.238225   2.126
## StateNew Mexico                              0.246355   0.214782   1.147
## StateNew York                                0.695223   0.169236   4.108
## StateNorth Carolina                          0.449789   0.146861   3.063
## StateNorth Dakota                           -0.593028   0.236231  -2.510
## StateOhio                                    0.605584   0.160324   3.777
## StateOklahoma                                0.001364   0.161558   0.008
## StateOregon                                  1.134286   0.201932   5.617
## StateOther Foreign Countries                 1.837200   0.923902   1.989
## StatePennsylvania                            0.804003   0.165291   4.864
## StatePuerto Rico                             3.096081   0.925411   3.346
## StateRhode Island                            1.313715   0.428074   3.069
## StateSouth Carolina                          0.606009   0.175650   3.450
## StateSouth Dakota                           -0.331986   0.217361  -1.527
## StateTennessee                              -0.029407   0.148618  -0.198
## StateTexas                                  -0.322558   0.135185  -2.386
## StateUS Territories (excluding Puerto Rico)  1.214260   0.923166   1.315
## StateUtah                                   -0.426922   0.229198  -1.863
## StateVermont                                 0.002632   0.280847   0.009
## StateVirginia                               -0.397974   0.140824  -2.826
## StateWashington                              0.806741   0.191823   4.206
## StateWest Virginia                          -0.001185   0.172544  -0.007
## StateWisconsin                               0.603052   0.168211   3.585
## StateWyoming                                -0.522533   0.231616  -2.256
##                                             Pr(>|t|)    
## (Intercept)                                  < 2e-16 ***
## Pct_SCD_0to20                               4.51e-08 ***
## Pct_SCD_30to40                              1.19e-14 ***
## Pct_SCD_50to60                              4.30e-13 ***
## Pct_SCD_70to90                               < 2e-16 ***
## Pct_Age_17to44                               < 2e-16 ***
## Pct_Age_45to64                               < 2e-16 ***
## StateAlaska                                 0.004647 ** 
## StateArizona                                8.57e-08 ***
## StateArkansas                               0.054844 .  
## StateCalifornia                             2.42e-09 ***
## StateColorado                               0.080794 .  
## StateConnecticut                            0.000492 ***
## StateDelaware                               4.87e-05 ***
## StateDistrict Of Columbia                   0.429327    
## StateFlorida                                7.12e-14 ***
## StateGeorgia                                0.000119 ***
## StateHawaii                                 0.000129 ***
## StateIdaho                                  0.458021    
## StateIllinois                               0.008210 ** 
## StateIndiana                                0.118362    
## StateIowa                                   0.100684    
## StateKansas                                 9.55e-05 ***
## StateKentucky                               0.000166 ***
## StateLouisiana                              0.428767    
## StateMaine                                  0.000115 ***
## StateMaryland                               0.118281    
## StateMassachusetts                          3.83e-09 ***
## StateMichigan                               0.000117 ***
## StateMinnesota                              7.58e-06 ***
## StateMississippi                            0.000115 ***
## StateMissouri                               0.503612    
## StateMontana                                0.002574 ** 
## StateNebraska                               0.578377    
## StateNevada                                 0.181634    
## StateNew Hampshire                          0.000954 ***
## StateNew Jersey                             0.033562 *  
## StateNew Mexico                             0.251488    
## StateNew York                               4.11e-05 ***
## StateNorth Carolina                         0.002216 ** 
## StateNorth Dakota                           0.012121 *  
## StateOhio                                   0.000162 ***
## StateOklahoma                               0.993263    
## StateOregon                                 2.15e-08 ***
## StateOther Foreign Countries                0.046859 *  
## StatePennsylvania                           1.22e-06 ***
## StatePuerto Rico                            0.000833 ***
## StateRhode Island                           0.002171 ** 
## StateSouth Carolina                         0.000569 ***
## StateSouth Dakota                           0.126797    
## StateTennessee                              0.843164    
## StateTexas                                  0.017102 *  
## StateUS Territories (excluding Puerto Rico) 0.188518    
## StateUtah                                   0.062621 .  
## StateVermont                                0.992523    
## StateVirginia                               0.004749 ** 
## StateWashington                             2.69e-05 ***
## StateWest Virginia                          0.994522    
## StateWisconsin                              0.000343 ***
## StateWyoming                                0.024151 *  
## ---
## Signif. codes:  0 '***' 0.001 '**' 0.01 '*' 0.05 '.' 0.1 ' ' 1
## 
## Residual standard error: 0.9157 on 2592 degrees of freedom
## Multiple R-squared:  0.4763, Adjusted R-squared:  0.4644 
## F-statistic: 39.96 on 59 and 2592 DF,  p-value: < 2.2e-16
par(mfrow = c(2, 2))
plot(model_log)

par(mfrow = c(1, 1))

Assumption Verification

All five regression assumptions were evaluated following model transformation:

Assumption 1: Linearity The Residuals vs Fitted plot demonstrates substantially improved randomness after transformation. While some clustering remains at lower fitted values, the smoothing line is relatively flat, supporting the linearity assumption.

Assumption 2: Independence of Observations Independence was evaluated based on the information provided by the VA. Given the cross-sectional nature of this dataset with independent geographic units, observations are treated as independent. Spatial autocorrelation may exist between neighboring jurisdictions but cannot be formally tested without additional spatial data structures.

Assumption 3: Homoscedasticity The Scale-Location plot no violations after converting the data to log.The upward-trending pattern from the original model has been handled, with more consistent spread across fitted values. This confirms successful stabilization of variance.

Assumption 4: Normality of Residuals The Normal Q-Q plot reveals substantial improvement post-transformation. Points align closely with the theoretical normal line through the middle range. Minor deviations persist at both extremes (observations with standardized residuals ≈ 3-4), but these fall within acceptable ranges given the large sample size (n = 2652) and Central Limit Theorem considerations.

Assumption 5: Multicollinearity Initial model fitting revealed perfect multicollinearity in two percentage categories which were removed as reference groups. Variance inflation factor analysis on the final transformed model indicates acceptable multicollinearity levels.

library(car)
vif_values <- vif(model_log)
print(vif_values)
##                    GVIF Df GVIF^(1/(2*Df))
## Pct_SCD_0to20  5.635500  1        2.373921
## Pct_SCD_30to40 1.796438  1        1.340313
## Pct_SCD_50to60 1.284844  1        1.133510
## Pct_SCD_70to90 3.175485  1        1.781989
## Pct_Age_17to44 1.390502  1        1.179196
## Pct_Age_45to64 2.119077  1        1.455705
## State          7.728568 53        1.019479
# Report maximum adjusted VIF
max_vif <- max(vif_values)
cat("\nMaximum VIF:", round(max_vif, 2))
## 
## Maximum VIF: 53

Coefficient Interpretations

Because the outcome variable was log-transformed, coefficients represent approximate percentage changes in recipient totals for each one-unit increase in predictors. Exact percentage change = (e^β - 1) × 100.

Key Finding 1: Age Demographics Drive Recipient Counts The percentage of veterans aged 17-44 shows the strongest positive association (β = 0.0877, p < 0.001), corresponding to approximately 9.2% increase in total recipients per percentage point. Veterans aged 45-64 also contribute positively (β = 0.0451, p < 0.001) with half the effect size (4.6% increase). This pattern suggests younger veteran populations are disproportionately represented among disability compensation claimants. This makes sense, in that younger veterans coming home everyday are being reached out to by the VA more frequently.

Key Finding 2: Severity Categories Show Negative Relationships Contrary to expectations, all disability severity rating categories display negative coefficients. The 70-90% severity range (β = -0.0848, p < 0.001) associates with an 8.1% decrease in recipient counts. This counterintuitive finding may reflect regional service utilization patterns rather than differences with a prevelance of disability.—areas with younger veteran populations may simultaneously have lower average disability severities but higher claim filing rates.

The VA actually produces regular reports on claim filing rates, which can be examined further here, under the claims section. https://www.benefits.va.gov/reports/detailed_claims_data.asp

Key Finding 3: Pronounced Geographic Variation Exists State-level indicators reveal substantial regional differences. Puerto Rico shows the highest relative count (β = 3.10, +2,214% vs. reference), followed by Delaware (+803%), Hawaii (+512%), and Massachusetts (+441%). Conversely, Alaska (-57%), Kansas (-50%), and Mississippi (-45%) show notably lower counts.

So clearly, some states have a significant differenc in total disability compensation benefactors. Delaware, Hawaii and Massachusetts are very popular for these folks.

Conclusion and Future Directions Summary of Key Findings

This analysis examined factors predicting VA disability compensation recipient distributions across geographic units using fiscal year 2025 data from 2,652 observations, after data cleaning removed the NAs.. The log-transformed multiple linear regression model explained 46.4% of variance after addressing initial diagnostic violations. Three primary patterns emerged: (1) younger veteran populations (aged 17-44) strongly drive recipient totals at +9.2% per percentage point, (2) disability severity categories unexpectedly associate negatively with recipient counts, and (3) pronounced geographic disparities persist beyond demographic explanations. o The strong age-demographic effect suggests targeting recruitment and outreach efforts toward jurisdictions with larger younger veteran populations may optimize resource allocation. The negative severity relationships warrant investigation into whether certain regions under-classify disability levels or experience barriers to claiming higher-severity benefits. Geographic variation indicates potential equity concerns that merit administrative attention.

From a methodological perspective, the substantial improvement in model diagnostics following log-transformation underscores the importance of rigorous assumption checking in applied regression analysis. Limitations

Several constraints limit causal inference. The cross-sectional design precludes temporal analysis of policy impacts. State-level aggregation masks within-county heterogeneity. Unmeasured confounders—including local healthcare infrastructure, socioeconomic factors, and veteran characteristics beyond age/severity—may bias estimates. The log-transformation improves statistical properties but complicates direct interpretation of absolute recipient counts.

Future Research Directions

Three extensions would strengthen understanding: First, longitudinal panel data spanning multiple fiscal years would enable difference-in-differences analysis of policy interventions. Second, spatial econometric models could address clustering effects between neighboring jurisdictions. Third, microdata at the individual veteran level would permit causal identification through matching or instrumental variable approaches. Negative binomial regression may also provide superior fit for count outcomes compared to log-transformed linear models.

Additionally, this data can be combined with the minimum monthly compensation data from the VA website to determine which states may be even bringing in more money.

https://www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/veteran-rates/past-rates-2025/

It would be interesting to comparing the minimum amount of money dispensed to each SCD rating group, and calculate the total for each state.

References

##Citations U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2025). Disability Compensation Recipients by State - Fiscal Year 2025. Retrieved from https://www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/special-monthly-compensation-rates/ on 2026-08-21.

Fox, J., & Monette, G. (1992). Generalized collinearity diagnostics. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 87(417), 178-183.

R Core Team. (2023). R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. https://www.R-project.org/