Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas lead country in veteran protection

By Andrew Rice
The Center Square

Alabama, Louisiana and Arkansas ranked in the top three of the states that provide veterans with adequate healthcare and pension benefits, according to a new study.

Vettory, a veteran job assistance and grant organization, analyzed data from 50 states to determine which state it believed offered the most support to veterans through healthcare and pension plans.

The study analyzed annual veteran population estimates, VA healthcare enrollment figures and veteran pension recipient data between 2019 and 2023.

Vettory used the data to assign scores for each state out of 100, weighting veteran healthcare participation at 40% and pension participation at 60%.

Alabama, the most supportive state, had the highest Veteran Protection Index score at 92.58.

Southern states dominated the rankings for veteran protection. Louisiana followed with a score of 90.80, and Arkansas had a score of 87.93.

The average score of the South region was 72.26, higher than all other regions.

“Southern states account for six of the top 10 positions, highlighting the region’s comparatively strong veteran support infrastructure,” Analysts at Vettory wrote.

The bottom three states were Alaska, Delaware and Hawaii. Alaska was 50th with a score of 45.66, Delaware had 45.82 and Hawaii 48.69.

“The gap between Alabama and Alaska exceeds 46 points, underscoring major differences in veteran support outcomes nationwide,” Vettory wrote.

Overall, the Northeast region had the lowest average Veteran Protection Index score at 61.39. Vettory said the data reflect low veteran participation rates in healthcare and pension programs.

Massachusetts had a protection rate of 57.46; followed by Connecticut with 55.80 and New Hampshire with 52.66.

Washington had a score of 57.09, a stark difference from its neighbor Oregon, which placed among the top 4 states with a score of 86.22.

South Dakota topped the charts with the most veteran enrollees in its healthcare system at 39,032 between 2019 and 2023. For every 100,000 veterans, South Dakota had 60,381 enrolled.

Montana, Wyoming, West Virginia and Nebraska followed with the highest levels of veteran enrollees in VA healthcare plans. Nebraska, in fifth, had 54,540 enrollees per 100,000 residents.

“These states demonstrate particularly strong utilization of VA healthcare services relative to the size of their veteran populations,” Vettory wrote.

Louisiana held the highest rate of veterans enrolled in pension plans, with 1,453 per 100,000 veterans. Between 2019 and 2023, 4,037 veterans received a pension in Louisiana.

Alabama followed with 5,157 veterans receiving pension benefits between 2019 and 2023. The state had 1,439 veterans receiving a pension for every 100,000 veteran population.

“Strong pension participation contributes significantly to these states’ high Veteran Protection Index scores, helping elevate their overall rankings for veteran support,” Vettory wrote.