VA Health Care: Opportunities Exist to Further Meet Student Veterans' Mental Health Needs
Fast Facts
Research suggests that student veterans are more likely to suffer from mental health challenges, including depression and anxiety, than other students. To help, the Veterans Health Administration partners with some colleges and universities to provide campus-based mental health care and other support for student veterans.
As of October 2023, roughly a quarter of VHA's health care systems offered this program. It may be hard for additional VHA systems to learn how to implement it as VHA only provides information about it on request. We recommended that VHA regularly provide information about the program to all of its health care systems.
Highlights
What GAO Found
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides health care to veterans for mental health conditions, such as depression and substance use disorders. VA data showed that the percentage of student veterans who received mental health care at VA facilities increased from fiscal years 2017 through 2022, and at a higher rate than that of the total veteran population. (See figure.) VA data show student veterans were primarily treated for depression-related disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety-related disorders. VA officials said younger veterans typically seek mental health care more than older veterans, and most student veterans are younger than age 34. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated mental health conditions for the general population, including for veterans.
Comparison of Student Veterans and All Veterans Receiving Mental Health Care at VA Facilities, Fiscal Years 2017 through 2022
Note: The percentages reflect student veterans and all veterans receiving mental health care (i.e., at least one visit for any mental health diagnosis), among student veterans and all veterans who received any health care at VA facilities, respectively. In fiscal year 2022, 261,000 student veterans and 5,966,000 veterans in total received health care at VA facilities.
VA administers the Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership program to support the mental health needs of student veterans. Under this voluntary program, VA health care systems—including medical centers and other facilities—can partner with local colleges and universities to provide campus-based mental health support to student veterans. As of October 2023, 32 of 139 health care systems have such programs. However, GAO found VA does not communicate comprehensive information to its health care systems to help them consider when and how to implement programs, such as the types of staffing needed. Instead, VA communicates information about the program upon request. By more regularly communicating comprehensive information across its health care systems, such as through guidance, VA could help ensure its systems all have the information they need to consider participating in the program. This, in turn, would help ensure VA's ability to support the mental health needs of its student veteran population.
Why GAO Did This Study
Mental health conditions have been a persistent and growing issue for the nation's veterans. Research suggests that student veterans—those pursuing a course of education using VA's educational assistance benefits—are more likely to experience anxiety, stress, depression, and suicidal ideation than their nonveteran peers.
The Support the Resiliency of Our Nation's Great Veterans Act of 2022 includes a provision for GAO to study the mental health needs of student veterans. Among other objectives, this report (1) describes what available VA data show on the use of mental health care by student veterans and (2) examines VA efforts to address the mental health needs of student veterans through its Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership program.
GAO reviewed VA documentation and data for fiscal years 2017-2022 (the most recent available) on mental health care use and diagnoses and conducted a literature search. GAO also interviewed officials from VA and a non-generalizable selection of three veterans service organizations, as well as 12 student veterans identified by one of the veterans service organizations.
Recommendations
GAO is making one recommendation to VA to communicate comprehensive information on when and how to implement a Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership program across its health care systems on a regular basis, such as by distributing guidance. VA concurred with GAO's recommendation.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Veterans Affairs | The Department of Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Health should communicate comprehensive information across VHA's health care systems on a regular basis about when and how to implement a Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership program. Such communication could include distributing a memorandum or guidance to health care systems. (Recommendation 1) |
VA concurred with the recommendation. As of July 2024, the Office of Mental Health provided a briefing at a weekly meeting to Veterans Integrated Service Network Chief Mental Health Officers about the Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership program. Information shared included guidance to start a program. VA stated that all Veterans Integrated Service Networks are required to have representation on the calls with the intent that they will pass on relevant information to the behavioral health leaders at the medical centers. The Office of Mental Health plans to present this information on an annual basis by the close of each fiscal year. In addition, the Office of Mental Health shared relevant resources for when and how to implement a program to their Student Veteran Community of Practice SharePoint, to which health care system staff have access. The resources include the GI Bill Comparison tool which allows health care system staff to figure out which schools in their systems catchment area serve the greatest number of veterans. Additionally, the site includes a sample business plan and executive decision memo to assist health care system staff in making a pitch for starting a program to their leadership.
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