The number of military personnel incurring disability in current military conflicts is the highest in over three decades. Since 2001, over 1.6 million service members, Reservists, and National Guard have been deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other Middle Eastern nations. As noted by Lew et al. (2007), advances in medical innovations and body armor have enabled 90 percent of soldiers to survive injuries that would have likely been fatal in previous wars, but many service personnel survive with serious physical and psychological. 
This report provides an overview of Federally-funded employment services and supports that can be accessed by veterans with disabilities, including those designed to meet the needs of the disabled veteran population specifically, the veteran population in general, and the disability population in general. The purpose is to present a comprehensive cataloging and review of all employment resources of which veterans with disabilities could access in pursuit of wage and self-employment.
Employment services and support programs are identified in seven major areas: Department of Veterans Affairs; Department of Defense; Department of Labor; Rehabilitation Services Administration; Small Business Administration; Social Security Administration; and Cross- Agency initiatives. In each instance, we provide an overview of each program, describe the eligibility criteria, and identify the type of services provided. We then discuss available information related to program participation and performance, as well as the results of any evaluations of each program.
The review identified 22 programs across eight agencies. The programs varied widely in terms of purpose, eligibility criteria and intensity of services. Consistent with previous findings, the programs that we reviewed lacked detailed information on program participation and treatment effectiveness. As a result, we found that many agencies lacked the evaluation information necessary to modify and improve program performance.
Employment services for veterans with disabilities are hindered by a lack of basic information on program participation, performance outcomes, and veterans satisfaction In general, the review found that many of the Federal programs have little or no readily available data regarding the numbers of veterans with disabilities served or their employment outcomes. Lack of sufficient data does not allow rigorous evaluations of program effectiveness. Finally, multiple reports have documented a lack of coordination within and between Federal agencies related to existing veterans employment services. Poor coordination has led to duplicated efforts, confusion on the part of those in need of assistance, and poor outcomes.
Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at Employment Services and Supports Available to Veterans with Disabilities Through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Other Federal Agencies
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