Research That Matters (January 17 - 20, 2008)

Purpose: As a social policy during the era of the all volunteer military forces, the GI Bill has had important effects on the life trajectories of Americans, both as a factor influencing the decision to serve in the military and as an entitlement influencing the transition of veterans returning to civilian life. This paper examines mental health risk factors and personal, interpersonal, and organizational protective mechanisms associated with Gulf veterans' use of the GI Bill in securing post-secondary educational attainment as one resilient outcome in their life trajectory. Method: A secondary data analysis of the 2001 National Survey of Veterans for 2075 Gulf War-era veterans was conducted to investigate three protective domains relevant to the social work discipline and associated in the literature with successful re-entry and sustained enrollment in higher education for persons with the risk factor of mental illness or mental health symptoms. Hierarchical logistic and multiple regression analyses were done to explore the hypothesized relationships. Results: Gulf War-era veterans, part of the All Volunteer Force, did not show improved educational attainment overall as compared with Vietnam-era veterans, part of the draft policy military. Veterans' use of the GI Bill for post-secondary education was significantly positively associated with receiving treatment for PTSD in the prior year and the use of other college financial aid. Veterans' mental health risk factors were significantly positively moderated by level of health insurance and level of non-GI Bill financial aid. The variables annual family income, living with spouse and children, and not having received VA mental health treatment recently significantly mediated the effect of mental health status on educational attainment either fully or partially, thus functioning as protective mechanisms. The final multiple regression model examining protective factors was significant (F = 5.306; p< .0005) and accounted for 30.2% of the variance in level of educational attainment. Implications: This analysis of the utilization of GI Bill as social policy suggests that, although other literature has supported its efficacy in recruitment in the AVF era, its efficacy as an entitlement either to enhance life trajectory or to compensate for losses related to military service may depend on concurrent use of benefits and services. Thus, other social policies relating to domains such as improved health insurance benefits, civilian sources of financial aid, and mental health service delivery systems, may be necessary to enact in tandem with the GI Bill in order to make resilient outcomes, such as improved higher education, possible for recent veterans, particularly those with mental health issues. Further, these findings underscore the importance of timely intervention not only for relief of mental health symptoms, but also for engagement of veterans' primary support systems and enhancement of concrete resources. The social work practice base in psychosocial rehabilitation, health disparities, and social benefits management for vulnerable populations is needed in university offices of disability services, university advising offices, and university health centers in order to enhance veterans' possibilities of furthering educational attainment.