Serving Veterans on a College Campus

Background: Although research has shown that student Veterans can be extremely successful in an educational environment due to the many strengths they possess, 30-40% of veterans do not complete their postsecondary degree.  A national survey indicated that student Veterans perceived lower levels of campus support than non-Veterans, interacted less with faculty members, and spent twice as many hours per week working (National Survey of Student Engagement, 2010). 

Understanding student Veteran perceptions of support needs and barriers to academic functioning is critical to developing targeted and effective programs. Partnerships with college administrations can enhance community collaboration, overcome barriers to care and provide Veterans with needed support. While many programs exist, support is lacking. The research study examined a multidisciplinary Veterans Health Administration (VHA) program implemented at a community college in a large city that provides integrated mental health services, outreach and enrollment in VHA health care, training of faculty and administrative staff on Veterans’ issues, and social work services on campus.  The purpose was to evaluate satisfaction with services, effect of services on VA treatment utilization, and perceived difficulty in areas of overall functioning and school functioning.

Methods:  Student Veterans were invited via email by Student Services to participate.  36 out of 116 student Veterans who had sought social work or mental health services through the program during the study timeframe completed the survey online.  Psychosocial and academic functioning were assessed with a 14 item questionnaire modified from the Mental Health Statistics Improvement Program Consumer Survey, which evaluates the care of persons with mental illness. The modified questionnaire includes 14 items measuring: self-care, romantic relationships, family, work, friends and socializing, parenting, and education. Items are rated as 1 (not at all) to 5 (very) or 0 (not applicable). Similar educational functioning questions were also asked, along with a needs assessment and program evaluation.

Results: Seventy-six percent rated satisfaction with services good to great.  Approximately half of the sample reported increased likelihood of connection to services as a result of the program. Of the functioning domains, participants reported having some level of difficulty with school (51.4%), family relationships (48%), and troubles with romantic relationships (48.1%).  Domains of work and kids had the least reported difficulty. On school specific functioning, highest reported difficulty was indicated on the items, “had trouble remembering what the instructor said” and “finishing assignments on time.”

Conclusions: Findings support the feasibility and acceptability of establishing VHA programs on college campuses to support the post-deployment mental health needs of Veterans. This study underscores the need for VHA to provide outreach and services beyond the borders of the medical center and to partner with community sites in order to ensure that the newest generation of Veterans receives adequate services, including: mental health and social work services; linkage to specialized tutoring or cognitive rehabilitation; and dissemination of information about Veteran-specific issues to college campuses, as well as assistance with student Veteran enrollment in VHA healthcare. Future research needs to be conducted to create the best supportive model for student veterans on campus.