Helping Severely Injured Soldiers Participate Fully in Society

Principle Investigator: Rory Cooper, Ph.D.

2008-2009

 The purposes of this study include: 1) to pilot test a structured interview questionnaire format that will be utilized to secure research data in this and future studies, 2) to explore the relationship of multiple factors (demographics, educational attainment, type of disability, etc.) with employment and non-vocational outcomes, 3) to consider whether personal and contextual variables account for or explain vocational and non-vocational outcomes for severely injured and very severely injured veterans, and 4) to consider which variables may be barriers to employment or successful non-vocational outcomes.

 Up to 50 subjects may be recruited for this study.  All participants will be 18 years of age or older and will have one of the following disabilities: spinal cord injury, amputation, traumatic brain injury, or vision or hearing impairment classified in the DoD medical records system as Seriously Injured (SI) or Very Seriously Injured (VSI). All subjects will undergo a structured interview, which is expected to take 2 to 4 hours.  The purpose of this structured interview is to better understand the outcomes and issues that are being encountered by severely injured service members and veterans, and to provide preliminary data on both the most useful and efficient data gathering tools to describe the experiences and outcomes of veterans.  Methodology for the structured interviews will encompass both qualitative and quantitative data collection to ascertain the vocational and non-vocational outcomes.

Work, family and participation in one’s community are key ingredients for having a satisfying and productive life.  For that reason, programs have been developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) to assist injured military personnel to return to active duty, transition to civilian life, and to participate in their communities.  A variety of private organizations and agencies also offer advocacy, training, employment and support services to veterans.  Since the onset of the GWOT (Global War on Terror) conflicts, VA disability claims have been increasing and are expected to continue to increase, indicating a need for consideration of expanded resources.