For the newest generation of U.S. veterans, transitioning to civilian life can pose profound challenges. Post-9/11 veterans are younger and more diverse, and they face rising rates of trauma, mental health conditions, underemployment and service-connected disabilities, according to a research team at Penn State. To help veterans tackle these hurdles, the researchers created an online assessment tool that assists veteran-serving organizations identify individualized risks and provide targeted, evidence-informed support.
Developed by the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State (Clearinghouse), with support from the May and Stanley Smith Foundation, the free Veteran Transition Screener (VTS) guides professionals in choosing more personalized interventions that may lead to better transition outcomes for veterans. Findings were published this month in the Consulting Psychology Journal.
“Veterans are not a monolith; each person brings a unique set of experiences, strengths and challenges to the transition process,” said Daniel F. Perkins, co-author on the study, principal scientist at the Clearinghouse and professor of family and youth resiliency and policy in the College of Agricultural Sciences. “The VTS gives providers a scientifically grounded way to understand those differences and connect veterans with supports that truly fit their personal needs.”
The VTS builds on findings from The Veterans Metrics Initiative (TVMI), a large-scale, long-term study that tracked nearly 10,000 post-9/11 veterans beginning when they left the military and over the next six and a half years. By analyzing data on veteran experiences and outcomes across multiple domains, including employment, education, finances, health and social relationships, the VTS enables providers to screen across the full spectrum of transition areas rather than focusing solely on health or immediate social needs.
“One of the real innovations here is that the VTS doesn’t just measure risk, it interprets it through the lens of real-world outcomes,” said Keith R. Aronson, co-author of the study, director of the Clearinghouse, associate director of the Social Science Research Institute and research professor in the Department of Biobehavioral Health. “It allows providers to move quickly and confidently from assessment to meaningful action.”
Unlike previous screeners, the VTS leverages predictive models from TVMI data. This allows the screener to match a veteran’s specific demographic profile and life experiences — such as pay grade, gender, race/ethnicity, type of discharge, service-connected disabilities, adverse childhood experiences, moral injury and combat exposure — to risk factors that are linked to poor transition outcomes. Each veteran’s responses generate a personalized report for their provider that offers research-informed recommendations for targeted interventions or referrals. For example, the report might highlight the benefits of resume preparation, credit transfer services, veteran peer networks or mental health support.
The VTS can be customized to each case and typically takes under 20 minutes to complete. All users complete core sections on demographics and experiences (such as deployments, trauma exposure or disability rating), which are important elements of risk prediction. Providers can then choose additional sections relevant to their client’s circumstances, tailoring the VTS's scope to each veteran.
A 2022 pilot study, conducted in collaboration with two veteran-serving organizations, Zero8Hundred and Hire Heroes USA, beta-tested the tool’s feasibility and utility. Among 32 veteran clients, results highlighted the complexity of veteran transitions:
- Adjustment: Approximately 65% of veterans report experiencing no difficulty adjusting to civilian life, while a third reported experiencing challenges and difficulties.
- Common experiences: 72% of veterans had combat deployments, 66% reported traumatic brain injury symptoms or moral injury and 61% experienced adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse and neglect.
- Employment: 80% of veterans were employed full time, but over a third described themselves as underemployed in education, work experience or salary.
- Education: 62% of veterans held a bachelor’s degree or higher, and 59% were pursuing higher education. Of these 59%, many were utilizing programs to transfer military experience into academic credit.
- Finances: While 44% of veterans reported no issues paying expenses such as housing and food, 37% reported experiencing financial trouble, and 78% carried debt (a quarter of them over $25,000).
- Health: 64% of veterans cited ongoing physical problems; 54% reported anxiety, 39% reported depression or post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, and nearly one in five reported having thoughts of suicide (low risk).
- Social: Most (65%) veterans were married or in relationships, and 7% experienced persistent social isolation.
Feedback from the organizations piloting the VTS was highly positive. Providers reported ease of use, flexibility and satisfaction with the personalized reports and a low burden for participants.
Through its detailed demographic and experience profiling, the VTS can also identify at-risk subpopulations. For instance, female veterans with both combat exposure and adverse childhood experiences are up to eight times more likely to report suicidality than their peers, a disparity now factored into recommendations. Similarly, veterans of color or those in lower enlisted pay grades are flagged for intensified support.
While the VTS is grounded in data from post-9/11 veterans within three to four years of leaving service, the researchers are working to validate its application with additional veteran groups through larger, quasi-controlled studies.
“This isn’t just a tool for today’s providers,” Perkins added. “It’s a foundation for a smarter, more responsive veteran-support system; one that can truly adapt to each individual’s path.”
To learn more about the VTS, visit https://veteranetwork.psu.edu.
Other contributors to the study include Kimberly J. McCarthy, research project manager at the Clearinghouse; Brandon A. Balotti, research and evaluation associate at the Clearinghouse; and Nicole R. Morgan, former assistant research professor at the Clearinghouse.