TABLE.
Key Characteristics of Participants in the PCAFC Who Were and Were Not Discharged, FY 2011-2017 (N = 31,343)a
| Veterans of caregivers discharged (n = 12,680) | Veterans of caregivers not discharged (n = 18,663) | |
|---|---|---|
| Veteran characteristics | ||
| Age in years at application, mean (SD) | 35.9 (8.6) | 37.6 (9.0) |
| Sex | ||
| Female | Ref | Ref |
| Male | 90.7% | 92.6% |
| Race | ||
| White | 68.7% | 70.0% |
| Black/African American | 20.6% | 17.8% |
| Other | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| Number of physical health conditions, mean (SD) | 2.9 (2.0) | 3.1 (2.0) |
| Number of mental health conditions, mean (SD) | 2.7 (1.9) | 2.5 (1.7) |
| Caregiver characteristics | ||
| Relationship to veteran | ||
| Spouse | 66.5% | 78.9% |
| Significant other | 10.1% | 7.2% |
| Parent | 9.6% | 7.8% |
| Other | 13.8% | 6.1% |
| Tier level | ||
| Tier 1 (10 hours per week) | 35.7% | 34.2% |
| Tier 2 (25 hours per week) | 35.2% | 38.9% |
| Tier 3 (40 hours per week) | 29.1% | 26.9% |
| Fiscal year of application | ||
| 2011 | 8.3% | 5.8% |
| 2012 | 23.8% | 13.4% |
| 2013 | 26.5% | 18.4% |
| 2014 | 23.4% | 22.8% |
| 2015 | 13.7% | 22.8% |
| 2016 | 4.3% | 16.8% |
FY, fiscal year; PCAFC, Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers; ref, reference.
Physical health conditions counted were musculoskeletal disorders/diseases, pain, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, traumatic brain injury, sleep disorders, obesity, headache, hearing (loss, pain, other), diabetes, benign or malignant neoplasm, acute myocardial infarction, amputation, vision loss, and spinal cord injury. Mental health conditions counted were posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, tobacco use, alcohol dependence syndrome, adjustment reaction, bipolar disorder, any psychotic disorder, Alzheimer/dementia, dependent and nondependent abuse of drugs (except for tobacco use and substance abuse disorder, other), eating disorder, and other mental health. Relationship is the caregiver’s relationship to the veteran—that is, caregiver is either the veteran’s spouse, parent, significant other, or other (meaning that they are related in some other way than as a spouse, parent, or significant other, or that they are a nonrelative who lives with the veteran).