Background The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development‐Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD‐VASH) program is the largest supported housing program in the country and seeks to provide direct access to supported housing for homeless veterans, many of whom need primary care. Objective This study examined the proportion of veterans in HUD‐VASH empaneled in VA primary care and factors associated with empanelment. Design A retrospective cohort design was used. Participants A total of 82,721 veterans in HUD‐VASH in 2023 were analyzed. Main Measures Sociodemographic characteristics, clinical status, primary care empanelment, and VA service utilization were based on VA medical records. Key Result Across the country, 94%–98% of veterans in HUD‐VASH were empaneled in primary care who attended a mean of 3.97 (SD = 5.53) primary care visits over 12 months compared to a mean of 0.08 (SD = 0.60) primary care visits among veterans not empaneled. Multivariable analyses revealed veterans in HUD‐VASH who were empaneled in primary care were younger, had a higher VA service‐connected disability rating, a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index score, had more outpatient medical care and mental health/substance use treatment visits, and were more likely to be non‐Hispanic black and divorced/separated than nonempaneled veterans. Conclusions A high proportion of veterans in HUD‐VASH are empaneled in primary care, possibly due to the VA’s integrated healthcare system. Targeted efforts should be taken to connect remaining veterans to treatment and preventive healthcare.
Tsai et al. (Thu,) studied this question.