Grant to Help Veterans with Spinal Cord Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury

The Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Workplace Supports and Job Retention has been awarded a grant to provide supported education services to veterans with spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury who require intensive supports to achieve success in postsecondary education. This project represents a collaborative effort with the Spinal Cord Injury and Disorder Service and Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center at Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond, Va.

The Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative Trust Fund awarded $445,060 to fund the project “Preparing Veterans with SCI and TBI for Post-Secondary Education: Development and Implementation of a Mobile Supported Education Model.” This three-year project will involve the design and delivery of innovative supports through proactive case management strategies, the use of educational coaches, and the development of an education and career support plan to assist veterans across Virginia entering or enrolled in postsecondary programs.

The Post-9/11 Veterans Assistance Act of 2008, also known as the new GI Bill, will provide education benefits to veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. military since September 11, 2001. According to recent estimates, over two million veterans returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars will be eligible to enroll in postsecondary education. Many of these veterans will have survived battlefield injuries resulting in physical, emotional, and neurological disabilities. Approximately 20 percent of those injured will have experienced brain and/or spinal cord injuries.  

Through this project, veterans with SCI and TBI will receive individualized supports which structure community and university resources around veterans’ career choices to enable them to work toward earning a degree and successfully enter their chosen career. The focus of the project is to assist veterans to increase their capacity to direct and manage their education and ultimately their careers.