Housing Instability And Acute Care Use Among Veterans Approved For A VA Home Loan And Those Who Were Denied.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan program supports veterans in achieving home ownership. This study estimated the causal effects of this program on housing instability and acute care use. A target trial emulation framework was applied to compare propensity score-matched veterans (28,681 per group) approved for or denied VA home loans in fiscal years 2022-24. Survival analyses were performed using data from the Veterans Benefits Administration and the Veterans Health Administration. Veterans approved for VA home loans were less likely to experience housing instability or to use VA acute care compared with veterans denied VA home loans. However, these effects were not significant among veterans with preexisting housing instability and acute care use, respectively. The VA home loan program may prevent housing instability and acute care use among some veterans, demonstrating the value of affordable, government-backed home loans for health.