The Road to Reintegration: Evaluating the Effectiveness of VA Healthcare in Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Retention for Veterans with Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders.
Matthew Evan SprongHeaven HollenderBob BlankenbergerStuart RumrillYu-Sheng LeeTravis BlandJeremiah BaileyKenneth WeberJames GilbertKen KrizFrank D BuonoPublished in: Substance abuse and rehabilitation (2024)
Utilization of real-world program evaluation data from an actual VHA vocational rehabilitation program enhances the study's ecological validity, offering practical implications for policymakers and practitioners in the field. The findings support the importance of veterans enrolling in mental health and/or SUD treatment simultaneously while enrolled in vocational rehabilitation services, as integrating vocational rehabilitation with mental health and SUD treatment services can lead to improved vocational and health outcomes for veterans (eg, development of targeted interventions to support veterans' successful reintegration into the workforce and society).