Federal Assistance to Servicemembers, Veterans, and Their Families

DOD and VA play key roles in offering assistance to servicemembers,  veterans, and their families. Additionally, DOD, VA and other agency partners administer the  Transition Assistance Program (TAP), which provides counseling to  departing servicemembers, and offers employment assistance and  information on federal veteran benefits, among other things.to the revised TAP as Transition, Goals, Plans, Success (Transition  GPS). Our past reports, as well as reports by others, have highlighted issues  surrounding DOD and VA programs, including issues concerning  fragmentation, overlap, and duplication; lack of coordination; and  challenges in providing some benefits and services.have recommended in two GAO reports that DOD and VA need to better  integrate care coordination and case management programs to reduce  duplication and better assist recovering servicemembers, veterans, and  their families by helping to ensure the continuity of their care. We Identified 99 DOD Programs That Address the Effects of Combat

Using our definition of “program,” we identified 99 healthcare and benefit  programs administered by DOD and the military services that address the  effects of combat on servicemembers, their families, or both. Over a third of the 99 programs that we identified  offer multiple types of services. The three services most common in the 99 programs are support for  mental health and substance abuse (50), information and referral (37),  and case management or care coordination (15). The frequency and types of service offered across these 87 programs are  portrayed in Figure 2. We also present the number of programs by type of service provided by  each agency in table 3. Many of the 87 programs we identified not only support servicemembers  and veterans but also their families. We Identified 12 DOD and VA Programs That Raise Awareness and Understanding of Servicemembers’ and Veterans’ Experiences

Using our definition of “program,” we identified 12 programs administered  by DOD, the military services, and VA that raise awareness and  understanding of servicemembers’ and veterans’ experiences in combat  and coming home. Variation in Definitions Limits the Ability to Compare Our Lists with DOD and VA Inventories

The lists of programs that we developed are generally not comparable  with DOD’s and VA’s 2013 GPRAMA program inventories. DOD’s  inventory is organized by its budget and the strategic goals contained in  its 2010 strategic plan. For instance, one goal is “preserving and  enhancing the all-volunteer force,” and as part of this goal, the strategic  plan states that “wounded warrior care” is one of DOD’s highest priorities. Under this goal, DOD cites “hospitals and other medical activities”— including “medical care for active-duty personnel in regional defense and  non-defense facilities”—as programs. However, DOD’s list does not  contain any of the programs that we included on our lists, such as the  Army Wounded Warrior Program, the Federal Recovery Coordination  Program, or Warrior Transition Units. Some of the programs on both lists  include the Readjustment Counseling at Vet Centers, the Post-9/11 GI  Bill, and Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment programs. As noted above, such differences may be due to  differing contexts in which the respective lists were compiled. Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

This appendix summarizes our work to identify Department of Defense  (DOD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs as well as to  compare the lists of programs that we generated under objectives 1-3  with DOD and VA’s 2013 program inventories that were included in the  Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) program inventory compiled  in response to a requirement in the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010  (GPRAMA). We established a definition for program by reviewing our  prior work and other relevant studies on related programs for  servicemembers and veterans who have served in recent conflicts. In general, we defined “programs  or activities” as a federally funded, organized set of activities directed  toward a specific purpose or goal that an agency undertakes and is  being administered in fiscal year 2014. Exclude programs that exclusively provide services to post-9/11  active-duty servicemembers who are transitioning to VA or civilian  employment or civilian life (these programs are included in objective  2). Definition: DOD, military services, or VA programs whose primary  focus is to raise civilian public awareness of the combat experiences of  post-9/11 active-duty servicemembers and the readjustment experiences  of veterans. Raise public awareness and understanding  1. We identified publicly available sources that contain lists of relevant  federal programs. We sent our preliminary list of programs to officials at DOD and  VA for comment and verification. To help convey our findings, we developed categories to group the types  of service provided by the programs. Because some  programs offer more than one type of service, programs can fall into more  than one category or service type. Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)

	Program Name

Mental health  and  substance  abuse  description  of “Other”
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the    Effects of Combat (Objective 1)

	Program Name

Mental health  and  substance  abuse  description  of “Other”

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the   Effects of combat (Objective 1)

Program Name

Mental health  and  substance  abuse  description  of “Other”
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the   Effects of combat (Objective 1)

Program Name

Mental health  and  substance  abuse  description  of “Other”
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the   Appendix II: Programs Addressing the   Effects of combat (Objective 1)  Effects of combat (Objective 1)

Program Name

Mental health  and  substance  abuse  description  of “Other”
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the   Effects of combat (Objective 1)

Program Name

Mental health  and  substance  abuse  description  of “Other”

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the   Effects of combat (Objective 1)

Program Name

Mental health  and  substance  abuse  description  of “Other”
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the   Effects of combat (Objective 1)

Program Name

Mental health  and  substance  abuse  description  of “Other”
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the   Effects of combat (Objective 1)

Program Name

Mental health  and  substance  abuse  description  of “Other”
Service- member,  Veteran, and  Family  Marine  Forces  Reserve                                                                                                                                             (MARFORR ES)  Psycholog- ical Health  Outreach  Program (P- HOP)
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the   Effects of combat (Objective 1)

Program Name

Mental health  and  substance  abuse  description  of “Other”
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the   Effects of combat (Objective 1)

Program Name

Mental health  and  substance  abuse  description  of “Other”
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the   Effects of combat (Objective 1)

Program Name

Mental health  and  substance  abuse  description  of “Other”
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the  Effects of combat (Objective 1)

Program Name

Mental health  and  substance  abuse  description  of “Other”

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the   Effects of combat (Objective 1)

Program Name

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the   Effects of combat (Objective 1)

Program Name

Mental health  and  substance  abuse  description  of “Other”

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the   Effects of combat (Objective 1)

Program Name

Mental health  and  substance  abuse  description  of “Other”

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the   Effects of combat (Objective 1)

Program Name

Mental health  and  substance  abuse  description  of “Other”
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1)
Appendix II: Programs Addressing the   Effects of combat (Objective 1)

Program Name

Mental health  and  substance  abuse  description  of “Other”
Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)
Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to  Civilian Life (Objective 2)
Mental  health and  substance  abuse  “Other”
Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)
Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and  Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Program Name

Mental  health and  substance  abuse  “Other”
Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)
Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and  Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Program Name

Mental  health and  substance  abuse  “Other”

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and  Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Program Name

Mental  health and  substance  abuse  “Other”
Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)
Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and  Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Program Name

Mental  health and  substance  abuse  “Other”
X  Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)
Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and  Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and  Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)  Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Program Name

Mental  health and  substance  abuse  “Other”
X  Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)
Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and  Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Program Name

Mental  health and  substance  abuse  “Other”
Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)
Mental  health and  substance  abuse  “Other”
Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)
Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and  Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Program Name

Mental  health and  substance  abuse  “Other”

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and  Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Program Name

Mental  health and  substance  abuse  “Other”

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and  Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Program Name

Mental  health and  substance  abuse  description   of “Other”

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and  Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Program Name

Mental  health and  substance  abuse  description   of “Other”

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and  Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Program Name

Mental  health and  substance  abuse  description of  “Other”

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and  Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Program Name

Mental  health and  substance  abuse  description   of “Other”

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and  Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Program Name

Mental  health and  substance  abuse  description   of “Other”

Appendix IV: Comments from the Department of Defense

Appendix V: Comments from the Department of Veterans Affairs

Appendix VI: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments

	GAO Contact

	Staff Acknowledgments

In addition to the contact named above, individuals making key  contributions to this report were Brett Fallavollita, Assistant  Director; James Whitcomb, Analyst-in-Charge, Deitra Lee, and  Joel Marus.
Why GAO Did This Study

DOD and VA play key roles in offering post-combat support to servicemembers and veterans through various programs and activities. Congress mandated that GAO identify DOD and VA programs designed to address the effects of combat on servicemembers who have served during recent conflicts, assist servicemembers and veterans with the transition to civilian life, and raise public awareness of these issues.
In this report GAO identified the number of programs, including the types of services offered that: 1) address the effects of combat on post-9/11 active-duty servicemembers and their families, 2) help post-9/11 servicemembers and veterans transition to civilian life, and 3) help raise public awareness and understanding of servicemembers' and veterans' combat and transition experiences. Also, GAO examined how the lists of programs identified compare with program inventories prepared by DOD and VA pursuant to law. To address these objectives, GAO established and applied its definition of “program.” In general, GAO defined programs as federally funded, organized sets of activities agencies undertake that are directed toward specific purposes or goals and are being administered in fiscal year 2014. GAO also searched publicly available sources that contain lists of programs; sent preliminary lists of programs to DOD and VA for verification; and reviewed relevant reports and 2013 program inventories for DOD and VA.
This report contains no recommendations.

What GAO Found

GAO identified 99 programs provided by the Department of Defense (DOD) to help address the effects of combat on post-9/11 servicemembers, their families, or both. These programs often offer multiple types of services. The services most common are mental health and substance abuse (50), information and referral (37), and case management or care coordination (15).
GAO identified 87 programs administered either by DOD or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to help post-9/11 servicemembers and veterans transition to civilian life. Some of the 87 programs offer more than one type of service, such as the Transition Assistance Program, which offers employment, education, and information on veterans' benefits, among other services (see figure).
Note: The numbers of programs by type of service do not equal 87 because some programs provide more than one service. The frequency of a type of service does not necessarily indicate its utilization.
GAO identified 12 programs administered by either DOD or VA to raise public awareness and understanding of servicemembers' and veterans' experiences in combat, coming home, and transitioning to civilian life. For example, among the nine DOD programs identified, the Briefings with the Boss program convenes employers and National Guard and Reserve members to discuss issues linked to military service and civilian employment.
The lists of programs that GAO developed using its definition are not comparable with those in DOD's 2013 program inventory and have only limited comparability with VA's 2013 program inventory. This limited comparability is primarily due to differing contexts in which the lists were compiled. While GAO's lists address specific mandated questions, DOD's and VA's lists were developed following Office of Management and Budget guidance, which generally provides flexibility in how agencies define their programs. Both DOD and VA chose to identify programs at a broad level. For example, DOD's inventory is partially organized by its strategic goals. One goal is “preserving and enhancing the all-volunteer force,” for which wounded warrior care is cited as a high priority. Under this goal, DOD lists “hospitals” and “regional defense facilities” as programs. In contrast, GAO identified individual programs, such as the Army Wounded Warrior Program and Warrior Transition Units, which were not listed in DOD's inventory.