![]() ![]() More than half a million veterans have returned from service in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Asia and opted to utilize their GI Bill to enroll in college. The Veterans Benefits Administration Annual Benefit Report 2020, does not list statistics on the current number of non-service-connected diagnoses of PTSD ( US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2020a). Between January and June 2000, the number of PTSD diagnoses included 39,264 non-deployed and 138,197 deployed personnel ( De Los Santos et al., 2019 Osborne, 2016). The prevalence of PTSD is becoming common among veterans ( Osborne, 2016). ![]() PTSD is generally caused by experiencing a traumatic event however, non-combat experiences also cause PTSD ( Mayo Clinic, 2022). Additional symptoms that act as barriers include flashbacks, memory loss, and severe anxiety, occasionally resulting in feelings of alienation ( Burdick et al., 2020 Mayo Clinic, 2022). Symptoms of PTSD that would make it difficult for a student veteran to attend an academic institution or to use their GI Bill include depression, isolationism or avoidance of social environments, and hyperawareness resulting in anxiety ( Burdick et al, 2020 Mayo Clinic, 2022). PTSD is a mental health condition triggered by a traumatic event experienced or witnessed as the diagnostic criterion, an intrusion symptom, and an avoidance ( Stana et al., 2017). Veterans are classified as nontraditional students, regardless of full-time or part-time enrollment status ( Bagby et al., 2019).Ĭommon injuries among deployed veterans, no matter the theater of operation, for example, WWII, Vietnam, Desert Shield/Desert Storm I, Operation Enduring Freedom, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, can include the hidden injury of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For the purpose of this study, the term student veteran describes a student who is on active duty, has retired honorably or medically, has been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable service since the start of the Vietnam War (November 1, 1955), and is part of an academic institution’s total student population ( Hitt et al., 2015 US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2020a, 2020b, 2020c). The report also listed the data by the six specific educational assistance programs currently offered by the VA: Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill–Active Duty, Montgomery GI Bill–Reserve, the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program, the Post-Vietnam Era Veterans Educational Assistance Program (VEAP), and the Reserve Educational Assistance Program ( US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2020c). However, the report did not provide data on the percentages of veterans who utilized education benefits ( US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2020a). The US Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) 2020 Annual Benefits Report stated that in 2020, 875,060 beneficiaries received education benefits. Known as the GI Bill, it has had four revisions before becoming the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 ( Hammond, 2017 Tinoco, 2015). Veterans first started to receive education benefits as authorized by the Serviceman’s Readjustment Act of 1944 at the end of WWII ( Hammond, 2017 Tinoco, 2015). ![]() However, more research is necessary to identify available PTSD support at traditional and nontraditional academic institutions. This study adds information on the state of PTSD support in the traditional academic environments. The data indicated an inconsistency of available, coordinated support with the VA available on campus. Three institutions posted available mental health enrollment with the VA or listed VA counseling services available on campus. Of the 80 institutions surveyed, eight declared themselves to be veteran friendly. Identifying the types of academic institutions that best meet the needs of student veterans will allow them to consider an academic institution where they are supported, therefore, enabling them to succeed. The purpose of this study was to provide a sample of what PTSD support is listed as available on campus and whether coordination with the VA is listed as an available resource at academic institutions. This study is an internet survey of 80 academic institutions’ home pages and the links therein for available PTSD support and mental healthcare coordination with the Veterans Administration (VA). However, veterans will be more likely to succeed when attending an academic institution that meets their unique needs. ![]() Veterans are becoming a growing percentage of the total student population of the United States, and many have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). ![]()
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