IMPACT OF A TRANSITIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR VETERANS WITH DISABILITIES IN POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION: A PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF ELEVATE

The Post-9/11 GI Bill offers today's Veterans the most generous educational benefits in America's history. Of the 23 million living Veterans who have served in the United States armed forces, 12.9% have served since September 2011. Of this number, 73% report plans to utilize their GI Bill benefits. The current spending on educational benefits for Veterans totals over 80 billion dollars. In return, only 10-30% of Veterans are actually completing and attaining a college degree. Sixty-six percent of Post 9/11 Veterans report difficulty in the transition from military to civilian life. There are both internal and external barriers that result in this difficult transition. The most notable of obstacles is the rise in unemployment among Veterans and the increasing number of Veterans returning from service with acquired disabilities. The signature wound of the current conflicts includes resultant injuries of blast explosions. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, a greater number of Veterans will be documented as having a service connected disability than any other generation of Veterans (VA, 2012). \ud With the knowledge of transition obstacles, disability prevalence, and educational plans, the current study will look at the impact of a transitional assistance program (ELeVATE, University of Pittsburgh) on Veterans with disabilities in postsecondary education. Perceived self-efficacy, student engagement, academic achievement, and personal development will be the variables of focus. Data were collected via questionnaires and surveys. A total of twelve student Veterans participated in the study. The study included an intervention group and a no-contact control group who did not participate in the ELeVATE program. Findings revealed no significant statistical difference between the groups in perceived self-efficacy or level of student engagement. Deductive statistics were used to analyze academic achievement as well as personal development via goal orientation and achievement. Case studies present support for continued research and program enhancement. The concluding data support the hypothesis that ELeVATE will have a positive impact on student Veterans with disabilities in postsecondary education in terms of successful transition to both civilian life and to postsecondary education. Finally, the initial examination of ELeVATE highlights the need for further research in this area. \u