• Adi V Gundlapalli, Andrew M Redd, Ying Suo, Warren B P Pettey, Emily Brignone, David L Chin, Lauren E Walker, Eduard A Poltavskiy, Jud C Janak, Jeffrey T Howard, Jonathan A Sosnov, and Ian J Stewart.
• Informatics, Decision Enhancement, and Analytic Sciences (IDEAS 2.0) Center, VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, 500 Foothill Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84148.
• Mil Med. 2020 Jan 7; 185 (Suppl 1): 413419413-419.

IntroductionMusculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are commonly seen among military service members (SM) and Veterans. We explored correlates of award of MSK-related service-connected disability benefits (SCDB) among SM seeking care in Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals.Materials And MethodsDepartment of Defense data on SM who separated from October 1, 2001 to May 2017 were linked to VA administrative data. Using adjusted logistic regression models, we determined the odds of receiving MSK SCDB.ResultsA total of 1,558,449 (79% of separating SM) had at least one encounter in VA during the study period (7.8% disability separations). Overall, 51% of this cohort had at least one MSK SCDB (88% among disability separations, 48% among normal). Those with disability separations (as compared to normal separations) were significantly more likely to receive MSK SCDB (odds ratio 2.37) as were females (compared to males, odds ratio 1.15).ConclusionsAlthough active duty SM with disability separations were more likely to receive MSK-related service-connected disability ratings in the VA, those with normal separations also received such awards. Identifying those at highest risk for MSK-related disability could lead to improved surveillance and prevention strategies in the Department of Defense and VA health care systems to prevent further damage and disability.© Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2020. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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