Factors associated with irregular discharges in the VA domiciliary care for homeless veterans (DCHV) program

The Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV) programs provide time-limited residential treatment for veterans experiencing homelessness. Veterans prematurely leave DCHV programs for a variety of reasons, referred to as an "irregular discharge." Our aim was to identify factors associated with irregular discharges from DCHV programs using multivariable logistic regressions on a national administrative dataset of 12,337 Veteran admitted to DCHV programs from 2018-2021. Irregular discharges were documented for 24.8% of the sample. Factors associated with increased risk of irregular discharges included prior incarceration (OR = 1.23, 95% CI [1.08, 1.39]), PTSD (OR = 1.13, 95% CI [1.02, 1.24]), psychoses (OR = 1.37, 95% CI [1.22, 1.53]), and drug use diagnosis (OR = 1.56, 95% CI [1.40, 1.74]). Understanding the risk factors for irregular discharge will allow for targeted interventions to Veterans most at risk. Further exploration into how to improve DCHV care for veterans with a history of incarceration, PTSD, and drug use diagnoses is warranted.