MILITARY AND 

VETERAN SUPPORT

DOD and VA 

Programs That 

Address the Effects of 

Combat and 

Transition to Civilian 

Life

Report to Congressional Committees

November 2014

GAO-15-24

United States Government Accountability Office
United States Government Accountability Office

Highlights of GAO-15-24, a report to 

congressional committees

November 2014

MILITARY AND VETERAN SUPPORT

DOD and VA Programs That Address the Effects of 

Combat and Transition to Civilian Life

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 post9/11 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).

Transition to Civilian Life: Number of DOD and VA Programs by Type of Service

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.

View GAO-15-24 and a detailed list of 

programs at 

http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-24. For 

more information, contact Andrew Sherrill at 

(202) 512-7215 or sherrilla@gao.gov.
Page i GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Letter 1

Background 6

We Identified 99 DOD Programs That Address the Effects of 

Combat 10

We Identified 87 DOD and VA Programs That Help 

Servicemembers Transition and Veterans Readjust to Civilian 

Life 14

We Identified 12 DOD and VA Programs That Raise Awareness 

and Understanding of Servicemembers’ and Veterans’ 

Experiences 18

Variation in Definitions Limits the Ability to Compare Our Lists with 

DOD and VA Inventories 21

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation 24

Appendix I Scope and Methodology 27

Appendix II Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat (Objective 1) 37

Appendix III Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to 

Civilian Life (Objective 2) 55

Appendix IV Comments from the Department of Defense 70

Appendix V Comments from the Department of Veterans Affairs 71

Appendix VI GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 74

Tables

Table 1: Selected DOD Programs Addressing the Effects of 

Combat 11

Contents
Page ii GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Table 2: Selected DOD and VA Programs for Transitioning and 

Readjusting to Civilian Life 14

Table 3: Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life: Number of 

Programs Offering Each Type of Service by Agency 16

Table 4: DOD and VA Programs for Raising Civilian Public 

Awareness of Servicemembers’ Combat and Veterans’ 

Readjustment Experiences 18

Table 5: Sources Used to Identify Programs for Objectives 1-3 33

Figures

Figure 1: Addressing the Effects of Combat: Number of DOD 

Programs by Type of Service 13

Figure 2: Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life: Number of 

DOD and VA Programs by Type of Services Provided 16

Abbreviations

CFDA Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

DOD U.S. Department of Defense

GPRAMA GPRA Modernization Act of 2010

IC3 Interagency Care Coordination Committee

IDES Integrated Disability Evaluation System

OEF/OIF/OND Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi 

Freedom, and Operation New Dawn

OMB Office of Management and Budget

Post-9/11 GI Bill Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 

2008

PTSD Posttraumatic stress disorder

TAP Transition Assistance Program

TBI Traumatic Brain Injury

VA U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the 

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Page 1 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

441 G St. N.W.

Washington, DC 20548

November 7, 2014

Congressional Committees

To help meet the needs of post-9/11 servicemembers, veterans, and their 

families, various federal agencies administer a number of programs, 

many of which may experience increased demand following more than a 

decade of war and as the United States military looks toward reducing the 

overall size of its forces. After they leave the military, some veterans’ 

readjustment to civilian life will go smoothly, while others may struggle 

with health problems related to their service, employment, and 

relationships.1

The Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans 

Affairs (VA) play key roles in offering various types of post-combat 

assistance to servicemembers and veterans. DOD offers, among other 

things, (1) care to wounded and injured servicemembers during their 

recovery, (2) mental health counseling and suicide prevention efforts, (3) 

support for military families, and (4) assistance to servicemembers who 

are transitioning out of the military. VA offers veterans a wide variety of 

benefits and services, including health care, counseling, education, 

housing, employment-related services, and disability compensation 

benefits.

In addition, researchers, media outlets, and others have 

reported on a gap in public awareness and understanding of the 

challenges many post-9/11 veterans face while transitioning from the 

military to civilian life.

To instill a more coordinated and crosscutting perspective to federal 

performance, among other aims, the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 

(GPRAMA) was enacted.2

 1 We use the term “readjustment” to civilian life for purposes of this report: some refer to 

this instead as “reintegration.”

GPRAMA requires that (1) the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) coordinate with federal agencies to 

develop federal government priority goals, including outcome-oriented 

goals covering a limited number of cross-cutting policy areas; (2) federal 

2 Pub. L. No. 111-352, 124 Stat. 3866 (2011). The acronym “GPRA” in the act’s title refers 

to the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993. Pub. L. No. 103-62, 107 Stat. 

285.
Page 2 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

agencies, in developing their own performance plans, describe how they 

will work with other agencies to achieve their performance goals; and, (3) 

OMB make publicly available a list of all federal programs identified by 

agencies, including information about the purposes of each program, how 

it contributes to the agency’s mission, and recent funding information. 

OMB published the lists of programs—referred to as program 

inventories—developed by 24 federal agencies, including DOD and VA, in 

May 2013.3

Apart from the GPRAMA inventories, Congress mandated that we provide 

a comprehensive list of DOD and VA programs that address a range of 

challenges that servicemembers and veterans who have served during 

recent conflicts may face.4

1. the number of DOD programs addressing the effects of combat on 

post-9/11 active-duty servicemembers and their families,

This report identifies:

2. the number of DOD and VA programs to help post-9/11 active-duty 

servicemembers transition and veterans readjust to civilian life, and

3. the number of DOD and VA programs to help raise public awareness 

and understanding of post-9/11 active-duty servicemembers’ and 

veterans’ combat and readjustment experiences.

In addition, in light of our prior work, we examined:

4. how the lists of programs identified by GAO compare with program 

inventories prepared by DOD and VA pursuant to the GPRA 

Modernization Act of 2010.5

 3 We have reported on the implementation of the GPRAMA inventories in a separate body 

of published work. See GAO, Government Efficiency and Effectiveness: Inconsistent 

Definitions and Information Limit the Usefulness of Federal Program Inventories, GAO-15-

83 (Washington, D.C.: October 31, 2014); and, Government Efficiency and Effectiveness: 

Views on the Progress and Plans for Addressing Government-wide Management 

Challenges, GAO-14-436T (Washington, D.C.: March 12, 2014).

4 Pub. L. No. 113-66, § 4, 127 Stat. 672, 689 and National Defense Authorization Act for 

Fiscal Year 2014 Committee Print, Legislative Text and Joint Explanatory Statement to 

Accompany H.R. 3304, Pub. L. No. 113-66, pp. III and 579-80.

5 Although this question was not included in the mandate, we added this objective given 

the parallels between the mandate and the GPRAMA program inventory requirement.
Page 3 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

This report also provides a description of the types of services provided 

by the programs identified in objectives 1-2.

To address objectives 1-3, we identified DOD and VA programs through 

the following four-step process:

(1) 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.6 We also obtained input 

from our internal (GAO) experts as well as officials from DOD and VA. In 

general, we defined programs as federally funded, organized sets of 

activities directed toward specific purposes or goals that agencies 

undertake and are being administered in fiscal year 2014.7 Given this 

definition, we included activities that were not formally labeled as a 

program, such as the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) and 

the Mobile Vet Centers.8 We further scoped this definition for each 

objective as follows:9

 6 Included in our list of DOD programs are those administered by the military service 

branches, which comprise the departments of the Army, Air Force, and Navy (including 

the Marine Corps); and the reserve components for each of the military services, including 

the National Guard. We exclude U.S. Coast Guard programs because they are 

administered by the Department of Homeland Security.

7 Although the mandate language references “programs,” we include “activities” to 

acknowledge the broad definition of the term “program” and the varying approaches 

agencies use to achieve their missions. 

8 IDES provides a single set of disability medical examinations designed for determining 

(1) both fitness and ability to return to duty, and (2) disability for servicemembers who are 

inhibited from performing their assigned duties as a result of service-connected injury or 

illness. DOD’s assessment of fitness for duty occurs concurrently with the VA disability 

determination process. Mobile Vet Centers provide individual, group, and family 

readjustment counseling to combat veterans to assist them in transitioning from military to 

civilian status through the use of mobile centers, particularly in rural areas.

9 We scoped our definition of programs and activities for the first objective differently than 

for the second and third objectives. Specifically, for the first objective, although 

servicemembers or their spouses or dependents must benefit from a program or activity 

that addresses the effects of combat as we have defined that term, a program or activity 

does not have to only benefit servicemembers that directly experience combat. For the 

second and third objectives, we defined programs and activities as focusing primarily on 

servicemember transition and veteran readjustment to civilian life as well as efforts to 

raise public awareness and understanding of servicemembers’ and veterans’ experiences 

in combat, coming home, and transitioning to civilian life. 
Page 4 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

• Objective 1: DOD or military services’ programs that address the 

effects of combat—including physical, mental, or social heath—on 

post-9/11 active-duty servicemembers or their spouses or 

dependents.

• Objective 2: DOD, military services, or VA programs that focus 

primarily on helping active duty servicemembers transition or veterans 

readjust to civilian life.

• Objective 3: DOD, military services, or VA programs that focus 

primarily on raising civilian public awareness of the combat 

experiences of servicemembers and the readjustment experiences of 

veterans.

(We further elaborate on these definitions in appendix I.10

(2) We identified publicly available sources that contain lists of relevant 

programs, such as the National Resource Directory and Catalog of 

Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA).

)

11

(3) We used the definitions and sources from steps 1 and 2 to review and 

identify the relevant programs for our lists.

We identified these sources 

based on discussions with DOD and VA officials and internal GAO 

experts as well as through online searches. (See app. I for a description 

of the sources we used.)

 10 For all three objectives we excluded (1) research programs/activities; (2) programs or 

activities for which post-9/11 Iraq and Afghanistan servicemembers or veterans are not 

eligible; (3) programs and activities developed and administered by individual military 

installations or VA hospitals specifically for the populations they serve at those locations –

thus our findings are limited to the national perspective; and (4) programs or activities that 

provide a one-way, passive transmission of information (e.g., a directory that lists services 

available). 

11 The National Resource Directory is a partnership among DOD, VA, and the Department 

of Labor that seeks to connect wounded and other servicemembers, veterans, their 

families, and caregivers to programs and services that support them. The CFDA is a 

General Services Administration database of federal programs, projects, services, and 

activities that provide assistance or benefits to the American public.
Page 5 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

(4) We sent our preliminary lists of programs to officials at DOD and VA 

for comment and verification, and we modified the lists accordingly.12

This four-step process identified 170 separate programs, although some 

of them are relevant to more than one objective. Specifically, 26 programs 

are included in more than one objective, such as the Air Force Wounded 

Warrior Program (AFW2) that addresses the effects of combat and helps 

wounded and injured servicemembers transition to civilian life. In addition, 

to present our results, we developed categories to group the types of 

services 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.13

We did not analyze these DOD and VA programs to identify any 

instances of fragmentation, overlap, duplication, or gaps in benefits or 

services. Our scope for the first three objectives was limited to identifying 

DOD and VA programs based on the types of service provided. In 

addition, in carrying out this four-step process, we did not conduct an 

independent legal analysis of the statutory or regulatory basis or 

requirements for any of the programs we identified.

To address the fourth objective, we compared the lists of programs that 

we generated under objectives 1-3 with DOD and VA’s 2013 GPRAMA 

program inventories to identify similarities and differences between the 

agencies’ inventories and our lists. Also, we drew upon our prior work on 

agencies’ GPRAMA program inventories.14

We conducted our work from March 2014 to November 2014 in 

accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 

 12 We did not include state and local government programs, or other entities’ programs, 

such as nongovernmental organizations as this was not included within the scope of the 

mandate.

13 In addition, some programs share a common name, but are independently implemented 

by each military service branch, such as the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. With 

such programs, we separately count each military service’s program because each 

program may have varying features.

14 See GAO-15-83 and GAO-14-436T.
Page 6 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 

findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that 

the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings based 

on our audit objectives.

During the last decade of U.S. military operations, servicemembers have 

experienced numerous deployments, which increase the risk for 

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), two 

common conditions that many post-9/11 servicemembers and veterans 

suffer.15

Less than 1 percent of the American population has served on active duty 

in an all-volunteer, professional military—an historic low—resulting in a 

so-called “military-civilian” gap. While Americans generally hold the 

military in high regard, there is a reported lack of awareness and 

understanding of the difficult challenges many post-9/11 servicemembers 

have faced while transitioning from the military to civilian life.

Additionally, more seriously wounded servicemembers survive 

their injuries—injuries that in previous wars would have been fatal—given 

improvements to body armor and military medicine, but may be left with 

significant disabilities.

16

DOD and VA play key roles in offering assistance to servicemembers, 

veterans, and their families. In particular, DOD has a role in preparing 

servicemembers, including those who have served from 9/11 onward, for 

careers beyond the military and helping them transition from active duty 

to veteran status. After servicemembers separate from the military, VA’s 

role is generally to help veterans readjust to civilian life. VA provides 

health care and other benefits to veterans who have served in all conflicts 

and wars, such as World War II; Vietnam; and Operation Enduring 

 15 PTSD is a trauma- and stressor-related disorder that develops in reaction to traumatic 

events and TBI is a physical injury to the brain, often caused by exposure to one or more 

explosions, or other blows to the head.

16 Pew Research Center. 2011. The Military-Civilian Gap: War and Sacrifice in the Post9/11 Era. Washington, DC: Pew Social and Demographic Trends; and, Institute for 

Veterans and Military Families and Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism, “A 

National Veterans Strategy: The Economic, Social and Security Imperative.” Syracuse, 

NY: Syracuse University. 

Background

Federal Assistance to 

Servicemembers, 

Veterans, and Their 

Families
Page 7 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn or 

OEF/OIF/OND.

DOD and VA have coordinated in assisting servicemembers and veterans 

and have jointly developed and implemented policies for the care, 

management, and transition of recovering servicemembers. These 

policies address certain issues such as care coordination and the 

disability evaluation process. In a subsequent but related effort, in May 

2012, a joint entity known as the DOD/VA Warrior Care & Coordination 

Task Force began an inventory of DOD and VA programs and 

established the Interagency Care Coordination Committee (IC3) to guide 

the development of shared care coordination policies and practices. 

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.17

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 

VA refers 

to the revised TAP as Transition, Goals, Plans, Success (Transition 

GPS).

 17 DOD and VA recently led the Veterans Employment Initiative Task Force, which 

oversaw the design and development of the revised TAP. Other agencies participating on 

the Veterans Employment Initiative Task Force include the Department of Labor, the 

Department of Education, the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Personnel 

Management, and the Small Business Administration. A new TAP governance structure, 

established in October 2013, steers implementation of TAP and will modify the program, 

as needed, through 2016. The new governance structure is co-led by DOD in 2014 and 

co-chaired by VA and the Department of Labor. See GAO, Transitioning Veterans: 

Improved Oversight Needed to Enhance Implementation of Transition Assistance 

Program, GAO-14-144 (Washington, D.C.: March 5, 2014).
Page 8 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

challenges in providing some benefits and services.18

Other federal agencies also offer assistance to servicemembers and 

veterans and bring to bear a variety of policy tools. For example, as we 

have previously reported, the Department of Labor administers four 

employment programs targeted to veterans.

For example, we 

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. In response, 

a joint DOD-VA council approved the implementation of specific initiatives 

that are intended to improve care coordination procedures by facilitating 

communication between departments and eliminating duplicative efforts. 

As of September 2014, the departments had not fully implemented these 

initiatives, according to a senior DOD official. As previously noted, this 

report does not address fragmentation, overlap, and duplication in 

benefits or services.

19

 18 See for example, GAO, Recovering Servicemembers and Veterans: Sustained 

Attention and Systematic Oversight Needed to Resolve Persistent Problems Affecting 

Care and Benefits, 

In addition, the Department 

of Housing and Urban Development provides permanent housing and 

case management for eligible homeless veterans; and the Internal 

GAO-13-5 (Washington, D.C.: November 16, 2012); and 2012 Annual 

Report: Opportunities to Reduce Duplication, Overlap and Fragmentation, Achieve 

Savings, and Enhance Revenue, GAO-12-342SP (Washington, D.C.: February 28, 2012). 

For additional information, see our Duplication and Cost Savings key issues page at 

http://www.gao.gov/duplication/overview. Veterans Affairs: Better Understanding Needed 

to Enhance Services to Veterans Readjusting to Civilian Life, GAO-14-676 (Washington, 

D.C.: September 10, 2014). For reports by others, see VA, 2013 Performance and 

Accountability Report. Department of Veterans Affairs (December 16, 2013); RAND 

Center for Military Health Policy Research, Programs Addressing Psychological Health 

and Traumatic Brain Injury Among U.S. Military Servicemembers and Their Families. 

(Santa Monica, CA: 2011); and Institute of Medicine, Returning Home from Iraq and 

Afghanistan: Assessment of Readjustment Needs of Veterans, Service Members, and 

Their Families (Washington, D.C.: 2013).

19 One of the Department of Labor’s goals is to “Increase the percentage of participants 

who receive intensive services provided by Disabled Veterans Outreach Program 

Specialists, with a focus on improving employment outcomes for veterans.” Disabled 

Veterans’ Outreach Program Specialists serve veterans through the Jobs for Veterans 

State Grant Program. See GAO, Veterans’ Employment and Training: Better Targeting, 

Coordinating, and Reporting Needed to Enhance Program Effectiveness, GAO-13-29 

(Washington, D.C.: Dec. 13, 2012).
Page 9 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Revenue Service administers tax expenditures, such as tax credits for 

businesses hiring veterans, as well as other special tax benefits.

With various federal programs spread across multiple federal agencies, 

concerns have been raised that no full accounting of the breadth and 

effectiveness of these programs exists. Among its aims, GPRAMA seeks 

to instill a more coordinated and crosscutting perspective to federal 

performance; that is, improving connections across organizations and 

policy tools. As we have noted in our past work and OMB states in its 

guidance, effective implementation of GPRAMA could play an important 

role in clarifying desired outcomes, addressing program performance 

spanning multiple organizations, and facilitating future actions to reduce 

duplication, overlap, and fragmentation.20

• Federal government priority goals: GPRAMA requires OMB to 

coordinate with agencies to establish federal government priority 

goals that include outcome-oriented goals covering a limited number 

of policy areas, as well as goals for needed management 

improvements across the government.

Some of the GPRAMA 

requirements and related OMB guidance that emphasize collaboration 

include:

• Agency priority goals: Certain agencies are required by GPRAMA to 

identify from among their performance goals a limited number of 

priority goals every 2 years. Each agency’s priority goals are to reflect 

the agency’s highest priorities, as identified by the head of the 

agency, and be informed by the federal government priority goals, as 

well as input from relevant congressional committees.21

 20 GAO-15-83 and GAO-14-436T; OMB, Preparation, Submission, and Execution of the 

Budget, Circular No. A-11, (Washington, D.C.: July 2012). OMB updated this guidance in 

its July 2014 revision to the Circular No. A-11.

21 One of DOD’s agency priority goals is “Transition to Veterans.” This goal is intended to 

help fully equip servicemembers for life after the military and reflects both DOD’s care for 

wounded, ill, or injured servicemembers as well as the overall transition of 

servicemembers to civilian life. For its part, VA’s agency priority goals are to (1) ensure 

access to VA benefits and services, (2) eliminate the disability claims backlog, and (3) 

eliminate veteran homelessness.

GPRA Modernization Act 

and Agency Coordination
Page 10 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

• Agency performance plans: Agencies’ performance plans are 

required to describe how the performance goals (including priority 

goals) are to be achieved, including a description of how the agency is 

working with other agencies to achieve its performance goals.

• Strategic reviews: In its 2012 guidance (and subsequent updates) 

for implementing GPRAMA, OMB guidance directs agencies to 

conduct annual strategic reviews of progress toward strategic 

objectives to inform their decision making, beginning in 2014.22

Agency leaders are responsible for assessing progress on each 

strategic objective established in the agency strategic plan, including 

mission, as well as management or crosscutting objectives. Among 

other things, the reviews are intended to strengthen collaboration on 

crosscutting issues by identifying and addressing crosscutting 

challenges or fragmentation.

• Federal program inventory: As previously noted, GPRAMA requires 

OMB to make publicly available a list of all federal programs identified 

by agencies, and to include the purposes of each program, how it 

contributes to the agency’s mission and goals, and recent funding 

information. GPRAMA also requires OMB to issue guidance to ensure 

that this information presents a coherent picture of all federal 

programs. OMB is taking a phased approach to implement this 

provision and published the inventories developed by 24 agencies in 

May 2013.

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. Some of 

these 99 programs we identified share a common name, but are 

independently implemented by each branch of the military service. For 

example, each military service administers wounded warrior programs. 

These programs provide care coordination for recovering 

servicemembers and their families as they transition to and readjust to 

civilian life. This population includes servicemembers and veterans who 

suffer from TBI, amputations, burns, spinal cord injuries, visual 

impairment, and PTSD. Over a third of the 99 programs that we identified 

 22 OMB, Circular No. A-11, Performance Plans, Performance Reviews, and Annual 

Program Performance Reports. (July 2013). 

We Identified 99 DOD 

Programs That 

Address the Effects of 

Combat
Page 11 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

offer multiple types of services. A sample of programs we identified is 

contained in table 1, which we categorize by type of service to illustrate 

the range of services provided. The full array of programs is listed in 

appendix II. In addition, a detailed, interactive list of programs is available 

at http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-24.

Table 1: Selected DOD Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat

Program Type of Service Program Description Agency

Air Force Wounded Warrior 

Program (AFW2)

Case management/care 

coordination

Coordinates care to servicemembers from the 

point of injury, through separation or retirement, 

for life. The program provides a range of services, 

such as transition, employment, and moving 

assistance as well as financial counseling; and 

seeks to integrate servicemembers and their 

families into their local communities. The program 

also coordinates benefits provided by other 

agencies.

DOD - Air Force

Combat and Operational 

Stress Control Program

Mental health and 

substance abuse

Provides content and resources to help Army 

soldiers, leaders, and family members endure the 

stress of combat and military operations.

DOD - Army

Command Suicide Prevention 

Program

Mental health and 

substance abuse

Provides training to increase awareness of suicide 

concerns, improve wellness, and techniques that 

could be used to intervene when someone needs 

help and assistance to families and 

servicemembers affected by suicidal behaviors.

DOD – Navy

Computer/Electronic 

Accommodations Program 

(CAP)

Disability Provides assistive technology and reasonable 

accommodations to servicemembers and veterans 

with disabilities who work at DOD and other 

federal agencies.

DOD

Joint Family Support 

Assistance

Program (JFSAP)

Counseling; Information 

and referral

Provides support for families who are far from a 

military installation, working with National Guard 

and reserve military and family programs to 

augment existing family programs. Service 

providers offer information on military programs, 

military partnerships in the civilian community and 

short-term, confidential non-medical counseling to 

individuals, couples and families.

DOD
Page 12 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program Type of Service Program Description Agency

Marine Forces Reserve 

(MARFORRES) Chaplain

Spiritual health Provides for the free exercise of religion by all 

servicemembers and provides ministry that helps 

enhance the moral, personal, and spiritual growth 

of servicemembers. Counseling of 

servicemembers’ dependents is also provided.

DOD – Marine Corps

Military Adaptive Sports 

Program (MASP)

Physical health; Disability Enhances recovery by engaging ill, injured, and 

wounded servicemembers in individualized 

physical and cognitive activities and competitive 

athletics outside of traditional therapy settings, 

inspiring recovery, physical fitness, and 

encouraging new opportunities for growth and 

achievement.

DOD

Operation: Military Kids (OMK) Information and referral Connects military children and youth with local 

resources to help achieve a sense of community 

support and enhance their well-being. OMK 

objectives are to raise community awareness and 

understanding about how deployment affects 

military children and to provide education and 

training to community organizations to better 

support military children.

DOD - Army

Special Compensation for 

Assistance with Activities of 

Daily Living (SCAADL)

Caregiver support; 

Disability

Helps offset the loss of income by a primary 

caregiver who provides non-medical care, 

support, and assistance for the servicemember. 

This special monthly compensation is for 

servicemembers who incur a catastrophic injury or 

illness.

DOD – all military 

services

Wounded Soldier and Family 

Hotline

Information and referral Offers recovering servicemembers and their 

families a way to share concerns on the quality of 

patient care. The hotline is used to gather

information about medical care as well as suggest 

ways to improve medical support systems.

DOD - Army

Source: GAO analysis of Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs. | GAO-15-24

Note: Some of these 99 programs we identified share a common name but are independently 

implemented by each service branch of the military, such as the Wounded Warrior Program. In these 

instances, we separately counted each military service’s program.
Page 13 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

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 number and types 

of services in the DOD programs are presented in figure 1.23

Figure 1: Addressing the Effects of Combat: Number of DOD Programs by Type of 

Service

 23 The number of programs providing a service is not necessarily an indication of the 

number of servicemembers using the service. 
Page 14 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Notes: Numbers of services do not add up to 99 because some programs provide more than one type 

of service. In addition, under type of service, the “Spiritual health” category includes services such as 

religious ministry, pastoral care, and counseling. For example, the Strong Bonds program provides 

chaplain-sponsored couple and family events to help servicemembers reconnect with family after 

deployments. The frequency of a type of service does not necessarily indicate its utilization.

A detailed, interactive list of programs is available at http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-24.

In addition, for 73 of the 99 programs (about 75 percent), a 

servicemember’s or veteran’s family is also eligible for the services or 

benefits provided. Also, one of these 99 programs—the Federal Recovery 

Coordination Program—is jointly administered by DOD and VA.

Using our definition of “program,” we identified 87 programs administered 

by DOD and VA that help servicemembers transition and veterans 

readjust to civilian life. Some of these programs share a common name, 

but are independently implemented through their respective military 

service branch, such as the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. As a 

result, we separately counted each military service’s program. A sample 

of the programs we identified is contained in Table 2, which we categorize 

by type of service. The full array of programs is listed in appendix III. In 

addition, a detailed, interactive list of programs is available at 

http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-24.

Table 2: Selected DOD and VA Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life 

Program Type of Service Program Description Agency

Clothing 

Allowance

Disability Provides clothing allowances to veterans with service-connected 

disabilities who use prosthetic or orthopedic appliances which 

tend to wear or tear clothing, and to veterans who use a 

prescribed medication for a skin condition (due to a serviceconnected disability) that irreparably damages outer garments.

VA – Veterans Health 

Administration (VHA)

Coaching Into 

Care

Caregiver support Provides a free and confidential coaching service to friends and 

family members of veterans to help them learn new ways to talk 

about their concerns and ways to motivate veterans to seek 

assistance.

VA

Federal Recovery 

Coordination 

Program

Case 

management/care 

coordination

Provides care coordination by tracking care, management and 

transition of a recovering servicemember or veteran through 

recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration.

DOD and VA

We Identified 87 DOD 

and VA Programs

That Help 

Servicemembers 

Transition and 

Veterans Readjust to 

Civilian Life
Page 15 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program Type of Service Program Description Agency

inTransition Information and 

referral; Mental 

health and 

substance abuse

Provides information and referrals to servicemembers receiving 

mental health treatment. Specifically, this program aims to ease 

the transition between health care systems and providers.

DOD – Defense 

Centers of Excellence 

(DCoE) for 

Psychological Health & 

Traumatic Brain Injury 

and VA

Job Fairs Employment 

assistance

Promotes the employment of members of the National Guard and 

Reserves by hosting and sending representatives to attend job 

fairs and by maintaining a website.

DOD – Employer 

Support of the Guard 

and Reserve (ESGR)

Navy Returning 

Warrior Workshop

Counseling Provides workshops to servicemembers and their families to 

teach them how to overcome struggles that come from the 

dramatic transition from combat life to civilian life. Workshops are 

comprised of group presentations, small group breakout sessions, 

vendor informational sessions, and one-on-one counseling in a 

conference-style setting.

DOD - Navy

Post-9/11 GI Bill Education

assistance

Provides post-secondary education benefits for individuals with 

active-duty service after September 10, 2001, or individuals 

discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days. 

Benefits can be used for a range of learning programs, including 

undergraduate and graduate degrees, non-college degree 

programs, and apprenticeship and on-the-job training. Some 

servicemembers can transfer their benefits to dependents.

VA – Veterans Benefit 

Administration (VBA)

Spinal Cord Injury 

and Disorders 

Centers

Disability; Physical 

health

Provides veterans with spinal cord injury with specialized 

rehabilitative services at one of the 24 Spinal Cord Injury Centers 

available through VA.

VA - VHA

Temporary 

Residence 

Adaptation (TRA)

Disability; Other 

(Housing)

Provides grants to eligible veterans and servicemembers who are 

temporarily residing in a home owned by a family member to help 

adapt the home to meet his or her special needs.

VA - VBA

Yellow Ribbon 

Reintegration 

Programs

Information and 

referral

Helps servicemembers and their families connect with local 

resources before, during, and after deployments. Provides 

information, referrals, and outreach.

DOD – Army, Navy, Air 

Force, Marine Corps

Source: GAO analysis of Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs. | GAO-15-24.

The three services most common in the 87 programs are disability 

benefits or services (19); employment assistance (18); and, case 

management/care coordination, counseling, information and referral, as 

well as physical health (the frequency for these types of services is 16). 

The frequency and types of service offered across these 87 programs are 

portrayed in Figure 2.
Page 16 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Figure 2: Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life: Number of DOD and VA Programs by Type of Services Provided

Notes: We separately count programs that share a common name, but are independently 

implemented by each military service branch. In addition, the number of programs shown by type of 

services does not total to the 87 that we identified because some programs provide more than one 

type of service. The frequency of a type of service does not necessarily indicate its utilization.

A detailed, interactive list of programs is available at http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-24.

We also present the number of programs by type of service provided by 

each agency in table 3.

Table 3: Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life: Number of Programs 

Offering Each Type of Service by Agency

Source: GAO analysis of Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs. | GAO-15-24

A detailed, interactive list of programs is available at http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-24

DOD Type of service VA

1 Caregiver support 4

10 Case management/care coordination 8

11 Counseling 7

5 Disability 17

6 Education assistance 10

10 Employment assistance 9

13 Information and referral 6

7 Mental health and substance abuse 6

5 Physical health 12

1 Spiritual health 0

1 Other 5
Page 17 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Notes: The number of programs does not total the 87 we identified because some programs provide 

more than one type of service. Moreover, the total number of services presented in table 3 does not

match the totals in figure 2 because nine programs are jointly administered by the agencies, and we 

count these programs under each agency. In addition, under type of service, the “Other” category 

includes services such as housing. For example, the Specially Adapted Housing Grants provide 

financial assistance to servicemembers and veterans for constructing or modifying a home to meet 

their adaptive needs. The frequency of a type of service does not necessarily indicate its utilization. 

See appendix III for the names of these programs.

Nine of the programs are jointly administered by DOD and VA, such as 

the Pre-Discharge Program for active duty servicemembers or activated 

National Guard or Reserve members. This program affords these 

servicemembers the opportunity to file claims for disability compensation 

up to 180 days prior to separation or retirement from active duty.

Many of the 87 programs we identified not only support servicemembers 

and veterans but also their families. Of the 87 programs, 35 offer services 

to the families of servicemembers and veterans, and 5 provide support to 

the caregivers of wounded, injured, or disabled veterans. These 

caregivers generally include family members and friends, according to a 

RAND study.24

 24 RAND, Hidden Heroes: America’s Military Caregivers. (Santa Monica, CA: 2014).
Page 18 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

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.25 DOD and the military services administer 9 of 12 

programs, which are listed in table 4.26

GAO-15-24

A detailed, interactive list of 

programs is also available at http://www.gao.gov/products/ .

Table 4: DOD and VA Programs for Raising Civilian Public Awareness of Servicemembers’ Combat and Veterans’ 

Readjustment Experiences

Program Program Description

Agency

Are You Listening? Helps service providers on Marine Corps installations, such as the staff 

of installation recreational facilities (e.g., bowling center, fitness center), 

understand their role in supporting servicemembers; learn methods of 

effective communication; obtain an awareness of distress and warning 

signs; and learn about the resources available to assist servicemembers.

DOD – Marine Corps

 25 Our definition of programs does not include DOD and VA programs that provide 

informational services—such as web-based or printed materials—involving a one-way 

transmittal of information. For example, we did not include a VA program that aims to 

convey to civilians, through web-based testimonials, that success is possible for 

servicemembers after leaving the military.

26 Entities other than DOD and VA also offer related programs. For example, Joining 

Forces is a White House program that asks Americans to get involved in supporting our 

military’s needs in employment, education, wellness, and raising the public’s awareness of 

these issues. Moreover, Veterans Service Organizations, such as the American Legion’s 

Operation Combat Warriors, holds events that raise awareness about veteran transition 

issues.

We Identified 12 DOD 

and VA Programs 

That Raise 

Awareness and 

Understanding of 

Servicemembers’ and 

Veterans’ 

Experiences
Page 19 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program Program Description

Agency

Army National Guard 

Funeral and Honors

Renders professional military funeral honors to all eligible veterans when 

requested by an authorized family member. One of the program’s aims is 

to forge positive relationships between the Army National Guard, state 

leadership, and local communities.

DOD - Army National Guard

Boss Lifts Transports employers via military vehicle, aircraft or vessel, to military 

facilities where they observe National Guard and Reserve members on 

duty as part of employer outreach efforts.

DOD - Employer Support of 

the Guard and Reserve 

(ESGR)

Briefings with the Boss Brings together employers, unit commanders, ESGR volunteers and 

community leaders to discuss issues related to service in the National 

Guard and Reserve.

DOD - ESGR

Heroes Program Provides community outreach by sharing the courage of servicemembers 

with the public, as well as recognizing noteworthy acts of bravery 

performed by them. The program coordinates with radio and web 

networks across the country to broadcast pre-recorded and live 

interviews of these military heroes and the situations in which they 

distinguished themselves.

DOD

Operation: Military Kids 

(OMK)

Connects military children and youth with local resources to help achieve 

a sense of community support and enhance their well-being. OMK 

objectives are to raise community awareness and understanding about 

how deployment affects military children and to provide education and 

training to community organizations to better support military children.

DOD - Army

Partnership for Youth 

Success (PaYS)

Intended to attract quality men and women to serve in an all-volunteer 

Army, positively impact local perceptions, build an environment more 

favorable to the Army’s brand and to reconnect America with its Army 

through Army partnerships with America’s business community and 

public sector employers. PaYS partners benefit through access to 

potential employees who bring the skills, professional work habits, and 

pride and personal integrity that an Army background provides.

DOD - Army

Post-Deployment Integrated

Care Initiative

Provides education and training on post-deployment care and support for 

returning combat veterans and their families through presentations and 

trainings for professional organizations, as well as publications and other 

educational material available to veterans, families, professionals, and 

the public at large.

VA – Veterans Health 

Administration (VHA)
Page 20 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program Program Description

Agency

Spouse Ambassador 

Network

Intended to broaden knowledge about military spouse education and 

career resources in communities where military spouses live and work 

through collaborations with community organizations. These efforts 

include creating awareness about the challenges related to military 

spouse employment.

DOD – Military Community 

& Family Policy

Statement of Support 

Program

Aims to help increase employer support by encouraging employers to act 

as advocates for employee participation in the military through the 

National Guard and Reserve.

DOD - ESGR

VA Voluntary Service Programs include: Corporate volunteerism, National Salute to Veteran 

Patients, Volunteer Transportation Network, and Welcome Home events, 

among others.

VA

Veterans Justice Outreach Works to avoid the unnecessary criminalization of mental illness and 

extended incarceration among veterans by ensuring that eligible justiceinvolved veterans have timely access to VA services as clinically 

indicated. Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists are responsible for 

direct outreach, assessment, and case management for justice-involved 

veterans in local courts and jails, and liaison with local justice system 

partners.

VA

Source: GAO analysis of Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs. | GAO-15-24
Page 21 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

The lists of programs that we developed are generally not comparable 

with DOD’s and VA’s 2013 GPRAMA program inventories.27 As we 

reported in October 2014, incomparability is due, in large measure, to 

differences in how agencies defined their programs.28 OMB’s guidance for 

developing the inventories allowed agencies to define their programs 

using different approaches, but within a broad definition of what 

constitutes a “program.”29

However, as we concluded in October 2014, the flexibility afforded to 

agencies limits the usefulness of the resulting inventories as a tool for 

addressing crosscutting issues because the various approaches agencies 

used to define their programs prevent meaningful comparisons and 

connections both within and across agencies.

The guidance presents possible approaches—

by outcomes, customers, products/services, organizational structure, or 

budget structure—and notes that agencies could use a mix of these 

approaches. The guidance also notes that agencies and their 

stakeholders use the term “program” in different ways, and that because 

agencies have varying missions and achieve their missions through 

different programmatic approaches, such differences are legitimate and 

meaningful. 

30

 27 OMB and the agencies plan to update these agencies’ inventories are on indefinite hold 

as OMB re-evaluates next steps for how and when to update them.

As a result, we 

recommended that OMB take several actions to improve the inventories, 

such as revising its program inventory guidance to direct federal agencies 

to collaborate in defining and identifying programs that contribute to 

28 See GAO-15-83. We also reported that OMB identified 12 different program types (e.g., 

block grants, direct federal programs) for agencies to assign their programs; however, the 

list of program types does not include tax expenditures, which represent a substantial 

federal commitment. Tax expenditures are reductions in a taxpayer’s tax liability that are 

the result of special exemptions and exclusions from taxation, deductions, credits, 

deferrals of tax liability, or preferential tax rates. For example, we reported that several 

benefits and services provided to veterans are not taxed, such as disability compensation, 

Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, and pension programs. For more information, see our key 

issues page on tax expenditures at http://www.gao.gov/key_issues/tax_expenditures. 

29 As a starting point, OMB’s guidance cites, in part, the definition of “program” contained 

in GAO’s Glossary of Terms Used in the Federal Budget Process: “an organized set of 

activities directed toward a common purpose or goal that an agency undertakes or 

proposes to carry out its responsibilities.” GAO, A Glossary of Terms Used in the Federal 

Budget Process, GAO-05-734SP (Washington, D.C.: September 2005).

30 GAO-15-83.

Variation in 

Definitions Limits the 

Ability to Compare 

Our Lists with DOD 

and VA Inventories
Page 22 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

common outcomes. OMB staff agreed with this recommendation and said 

that they will consider how to address it as they move forward with 

implementation of the program inventory. Once addressed, this 

recommendation could help facilitate the creation of a more coherent 

picture of all federal programs that could be used for promoting 

collaboration and for identifying potential fragmentation, overlap, or 

duplication, or gaps in services among federal programs or activities.

Within this report, we defined “programs” at a more detailed level than the 

definition used by DOD and VA for their GPRAMA inventories; that is, we 

aggregate fewer activities into a program than what is used in DOD’s and 

VA’s inventories. DOD and VA described their approaches to define a 

program as follows:

• DOD uses its budget structures and areas related to each strategic 

goal, such as Land Forces and Strategic Defense. DOD’s program 

inventory is grouped and aligned to the five DOD strategic goals. The 

programs are aligned to the strategic goals that they support.

• VA designed its approach to closely mirror the budget structure, which 

aligns to the way VA manages. The list of programs in the inventory is 

intended to be recognizable to key external stakeholders, including 

but not limited to Congress and veterans service organizations.

None of the programs that we identified on our three lists matches any of 

the 91 programs that DOD identified on its GPRAMA inventory. DOD’s 

inventory is organized by its budget and the strategic goals contained in 

its 2010 strategic plan.31

 31 DOD’s 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review sets the strategic priorities for the agency, 

including a number of business and management improvements. 

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 
Page 23 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program, or Warrior Transition Units.32 With regard to programs that may 

raise public awareness and understanding, DOD’s inventory cites, “the 

American Forces Information Service, other personnel support activities 

dedicated to enhancing morale and improving community relations—

including bands and choruses and ceremonial and public relations 

activities.”33

Twenty of 49 VA (or joint DOD-VA) programs we identified that help 

veterans readjust to civilian life are also listed in VA’s GPRAMA inventory. 

VA’s inventory contains 93 programs. 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. However, 

VA’s inventory does not include other programs on our lists, such as the 

Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation 

New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) Care Management program and the 

Transition Assistance Program (a joint DOD-VA program).

In contrast, our list includes, for example, the Statement of 

Support Program and Army National Guard Funeral and Honors program, 

as noted previously in table 4.

34 Only one of 

the programs on our list of VA programs that raise public awareness and 

understanding of veterans’ readjustment experiences is listed in VA’s 

GPRAMA inventory. As noted above, such differences may be due to 

differing contexts in which the respective lists were compiled. Such 

differences in how federal agencies define programs go beyond DOD and 

VA, as we recently reported in our review of government-wide efforts to

implement the federal program inventory.

 32 Warrior Transition Units provide clinical and non-clinical case management services to 

wounded, ill, and injured Army soldiers and their families who are expected to require 6 

months or more of rehabilitative care, or those who require complex medical 

management. Individuals are assigned to warrior transition units while they are preparing 

for transition back to duty or to civilian status.

33 We excluded programs like American Forces Information Service because they provide 

a one-way, passive transmission of information.

34 VA’s OEF/OIF/OND Care Management program provides case management and care 

coordination to recovering servicemembers and veterans, aimed at helping them access 

resources within VA and the local community. This program is available at all VA Medical 

Centers. 
Page 24 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

We are not making recommendations in this report. We provided a draft 

of this product to the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs 

(VA) for comment. DOD and VA provided written comments, which are

reproduced in appendix IV and V. DOD and VA also provided technical 

comments that were incorporated, as appropriate.

DOD and VA officials suggested that we include some additional 

programs. We reviewed these programs and revised the report to include 

nine additional programs. The following provides more details. 

In its comments submitted on October 29, 2014, DOD neither agreed nor 

disagreed with our findings. In DOD’s technical comments, DOD officials 

suggested that we delete the Directorate of Mental Health under the first 

objective. We revised the report by removing this program because it is 

an office, not a program. DOD officials also suggested that we consider 

including nearly a dozen additional programs under the first or second 

objectives. After reviewing these programs, we decided not to include

several of them because they did not meet the program definitions we 

had developed for the objectives. However, we revised the report to 

include six programs under the first or second objectives:

• Under the first objective, we revised the report to include (1) the 

Comprehensive Soldier Family Fitness (CSF2) program, (2) predeployment health assessment, (3) post-deployment health 

assessment, and the (4) post-deployment health reassessment. 

• Under the second objective, we revised the report to include (5) 

the Army Retirement Services Program and (6) the Army Soldier 

for Life Program.

In its comments, VA generally concurred with our findings. VA officials

suggested additional programs for inclusion under the second objective

and provided additional information and examples of its efforts related to 

employment and raising awareness of benefits available to children and 

spouses of veterans. Several of these efforts do not focus primarily on 

helping active duty servicemembers transition or veterans readjust to 

civilian life. However, we revised the report to include (1) the Automobile 

and Adaptive Equipment program, (2) Veterans Employment Center, and 

(3) the VA Liaison for Healthcare Program.

Agency Comments

and Our Evaluation
Page 25 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

We subsequently reviewed whether any of the nine additional programs 

that we added to our report were included in the DOD or VA inventories. 

Only one of the nine programs was included. Specifically, the Automobile 

and Adaptive Equipment program was included in VA’s GPRAMA 

inventory.

We are sending copies of this report to the appropriate congressional 

committees, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 

and other interested parties. In addition, the report is available at no 

charge on the GAO website at http://www.gao.gov.

If you or your staff have any questions regarding this report, please 

contact me at (202) 512-7215 or sherrilla@gao.gov. Contact points for 

our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found 

on the last page of this report. GAO staff who made major contributions to 

this report are listed in appendix VI.

Andrew Sherrill

Director,

Education, Workforce and Income Security Issues
Page 26 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

List of Committees

The Honorable Carl Levin

Chairman

The Honorable James Inhofe

Ranking Member

Committee on Armed Services

United States Senate

The Honorable Howard P. “Buck” McKeon

Chairman

The Honorable Adam Smith

Ranking Member

Committee on Armed Services

House of Representatives
Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

Page 27 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

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).

To address the first three objectives, we identified DOD and VA programs 

through the following four-step process:

1. We established a definition for “programs” to clarify the types of DOD 

and VA programs and activities to be included on our lists because no 

standard definition of “program” exists. Past GAO work and OMB 

have defined “program” in very broad terms.1 For this report, our 

definitions reflect the specific area of interest specified in the 

mandate; therefore, we did not attempt to develop a definitive 

definition.2 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.3

 1 GAO, A Glossary of Terms Used in the Federal Budget Process, 

We also obtained input from internal GAO experts on research 

methods and federal programs for servicemembers and veterans, as 

well as officials from DOD and VA. In general, we defined “programs 

or activities” as a federally funded, organized set of activities directed 

GAO-05-734SP 

(Washington, D.C.: September 2005); OMB, Circular No. A-11, Preparation, Submission, 

and Execution of the Budget (July 2013).

2 We do not include programs or activities of other federal agencies that may address 

servicemembers’ transition and veterans’ readjustment to civilian life and assistance for 

their families. For example, agencies such as the Departments of Labor, Health Human 

Services, Housing and Urban Development, as well as the Small Business Administration, 

and the Internal Revenue Service administer programs that serve and support veterans, 

such as employment training, housing, and tax credits and deductions. We also did not 

identify state and local government programs, or other entities’ programs, such as 

nongovernmental organizations because they were not included within the scope of the 

mandate.

3 Our list of DOD programs includes those administered by the military service branches, 

which comprise the departments of the Army; Air Force, and Navy (including the Marine 

Corps); and the reserve components for each of the military services, including the 

National Guard. We exclude U.S. Coast Guard programs and activities because they are 

administered by the Department of Homeland Security.

Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

Identifying DOD and VA 

Programs
Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

Page 28 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

toward a specific purpose or goal that an agency undertakes and is 

being administered in fiscal year 2014.4

• Objective 1: DOD or military services’ programs or activities that 

address the effects of combat—including physical, mental, or social 

heath—on post-9/11 active-duty servicemembers or their spouses or 

dependents.

We further scoped our 

definition for each of our objectives as follows:

• Objective 2: DOD, military services, or VA programs that focus 

primarily on helping active duty servicemembers transition or veterans 

readjust to civilian life.

• Objective 3: DOD, military services, or VA programs that focus 

primarily on raising civilian public awareness of the combat 

experiences of servicemembers and the readjustment experiences of 

veterans.

For the first objective, we scoped our definition of programs differently 

than for the second and third objectives. Specifically, for the first 

objective, although servicemembers and their spouses or dependents 

must benefit from a program or activity that addresses the effects of 

combat as we have defined that term, a program or activity does not have 

to only benefit servicemembers that directly experience combat. For 

example, the Joint Family Support Assistance Program supports military 

families who are geographically dispersed from a military installation. This 

program could support military families in which one or more 

servicemembers are serving in a combat zone or deployed to Germany 

(or other noncombat zone) while the family is living stateside. For the 

second and third objectives, we defined programs as focusing primarily 

on servicemember transition and veteran readjustment to civilian life as 

well as efforts to raise public awareness and understanding of 

servicemembers’ and veterans’ experiences in combat, coming home, 

and transitioning to civilian life. An example of such a program includes 

VA outreach and readjustment counseling services through Vet Centers. 

VA administers other programs that provide interventions or treatments to 

 4 Although the mandate language references “programs”, we include “activities” to 

acknowledge the broad definition for the term “program” and the varying approaches 

agencies use to achieve their missions. 
Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

Page 29 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

help certain veterans, such as the homeless and those contemplating 

suicide. However, we did not include those types of programs or activities 

because helping veterans readjust to civilian life is not their primary focus.

For all three objectives we excluded the following types of programs:

• Programs conducting research.

• Programs in which post-9/11 Iraq and Afghanistan servicemembers or 

veterans are not eligible, such as efforts aimed only at veterans of 

conflicts or wars prior to Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi 

Freedom/Operation New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND).

• Programs developed and administered by individual military 

installations or VA hospitals specifically for the populations they serve 

at those locations. For example, for the second objective we excluded 

the Road to Reintegration, a program designed to serve Michigan 

veterans with a network of resource providers as they return to civilian 

life. Thus, our findings are limited to the national perspective.

• Programs providing a one-way, passive transmission of information 

(for example, a directory that lists services available).

• Programs that may have been created or revised to meet our 

inclusion criteria after fiscal year 2014.

The following further elaborates on these definitions.

General Definition of Terms for Objectives 1–3

• DOD or military services: DOD, Office of the Secretary of Defense 

(OSD) and all subordinate agencies, offices, and programs under 

DOD; departments of the Army; Air Force, and Navy (including the 

Marine Corps); the reserve components for each of the military 

services, including the National Guard. (We exclude U.S. Coast 

Guard programs because they are administered by the Department of 

Homeland Security.)

• VA: All VA administrations, centers, offices, and programs.

• Program or activities: Federally funded, organized set of activities 

directed toward a specific purpose or goal that an agency undertakes 

and are being administered in fiscal year 2014. These activities may 
Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

Page 30 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

include assistance for health, housing, employment, and family 

support, as well as various program types (e.g., direct federal 

programs, direct federal benefits programs, and grants). In addition, 

our definition included tax expenditures (credits, deductions, deferrals, 

or preferential tax rates) that are managed or administered by DOD or 

VA (and related offices and departments as defined above); however, 

we did not identify any such programs.

• Active-duty servicemembers: Those who are currently serving on 

active duty in the United States armed forces. This includes activated 

members of the National Guard and Reserve under Title 10 (full-time 

duty in the armed forces) or Title 32 (duty performed for which 

National Guard receives pay from federal government).

• Veterans: A person who served in the active military, naval, or air 

service and who was discharged or released under conditions other 

than dishonorable. This also includes Title 10 or Title 32 active Guard 

and Reserve components that have deployed but are still serving in 

the Reserve Component.

• Public: The broader civilian community in the United States, including 

citizens, public and private employers, police, and court systems.

Specific Definition of Terms for Objective 1

I. Definition: DOD or military services’ programs or activities that address 

the effects of combat—including physical, mental, or social heath—on 

post-9/11 active-duty servicemembers or their spouses or dependents.

Specific definitions for this objective:

IA. Effects of combat - One or more of the following that results from 

combat, warfare, or armed conflict:

1. Physical health - care for extremity, hearing, vision, burns, or other 

physical injuries and pain, as well as clinical case management and 

coordination support.

2. Mental / emotional health - care for psychological and brain injuries—

such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) psychotherapies and 

traumatic brain injury (TBI) treatments—substance abuse, suicide 

prevention, as well as clinical case management and coordination 

support.
Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

Page 31 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

3. Social domains - support for family and caregivers, legal support, nonmedical case management, support for reserve components, postdeployment reintegration support for servicemembers and their 

families, and spiritual support, and other related effects.

4. While servicemembers and their spouses or dependents must benefit 

from a program or activity that addresses the effects of combat, a 

program or activity does not have to only benefit servicemembers that 

directly experience combat. For example, the Joint Family Support 

Assistance Program supports military families who are geographically 

dispersed from a military installation. This program could support 

military families in which one or more servicemembers are serving in 

a combat zone or deployed to Germany (or other noncombat zone) 

while the family is living stateside.

IB. Criteria for excluding programs

1. 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).

Specific Definition of Terms for Objective 2

II. Definition: DOD, military services, or VA programs or activities whose 

primary focus is to help post-9/11 servicemembers transition or veterans 

or deactivated members of the reserve components readjust to civilian 

life, including their spouses or dependents.

Specific definitions for this objective:

IIA. Primary focus: Key reasons for which the program or activity was 

designed or created (or one of its main missions or objectives) as stated 

in the agency’s description of the program or activity.

IIB. Help: Assist transition or readjustment through services and efforts, 

such as:

• providing physical and mental health services;

• counseling and outreach;

• training, job placement and support, employment benefits, and career 

guidance,

• education benefits;
Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

Page 32 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

• campaigns designed to raise awareness of DOD or VA resources 

available to post-9/11 servicemembers or veterans or their spouses or 

dependents;

• providing technology like assistive technology, equipment;

• case management, legal support;

• housing benefits/support; and,

• support for family or caregivers, benefits counseling, or other related 

efforts.

IIC. Civilian Life: Time after separating from the military, including VA 

care, services, or benefits; nonmilitary employment; or higher education.

IID. Criteria for excluding programs

1. Exclude programs that provide services to post-9/11 servicemembers 

who remain in the military or transition back to active-duty. (These 

types of programs are covered in objective 1.)

2. Exclude programs to enhance overall coordination between DOD and 

VA (e.g., Joint Executive Council).

Specific Definition of Terms for Objective 3

III. 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.

Specific definitions for this objective:

IIIA. Primary focus: Key reasons for which the program or activity was 

designed or created (or one of its main missions or objectives) as stated 

in the agency’s description of the program or activity.

IIIB. Raise public awareness and understanding

1. Welcome home and reintegration events in communities and college 

campuses as well as parades and appreciation events aimed at 

informing the nonservicemember population.

2. Awareness and appreciation campaigns and events as well as public 

service announcements aimed at civilians, and efforts to educate 

business leaders about the skills veterans can provide employers, and 

other related efforts.
Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

Page 33 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

IIIC. Criteria for excluding programs

1. Excludes programs and public awareness campaigns aimed 

specifically at providing assistance, service, or awareness to 

servicemembers, veterans or their families. (These types of 

programs are covered in objective 2.)

2. Excludes DOD and VA efforts to provide stakeholder assistance to 

nonfederal entities, such as nonprofits, that provide support or 

assistance to servicemembers, veterans, and their families.

2. We identified publicly available sources that contain lists of relevant

federal programs. We identified these sources based on discussions 

with DOD and VA officials and internal GAO experts on research 

methods and federal programs for servicemembers and veterans, as 

well as through online searches. Table 5 provides the name and 

description of each source we used by objective.

Table 5: Sources Used to Identify Programs for Objectives 1-3

Source Description GAO objective 

Caregiver Resource 

Directory

The 2014 directory provides information in a manner that is intended to enable

caregivers to quickly identify many of the available government and nonprofit 

resources that address their particular needs and requirements.

Objectives 1 and 2

Department of Defense 

Recovering Warrior Task 

Force 2012-2013 Annual 

Report

The Recovering Warrior Task Force (RWTF) issues annual reports on its 

assessment of the programs and services available to wounded, ill, and injured 

servicemembers and their family members, from case management through 

transition to VA and civilian life. The report contains a reference handbook that 

is intended to provide a baseline familiarity across a wide array of initiatives 

undertaken on behalf of wounded, ill, and injured servicemembers.

Objectives 1 and 2

RAND, Hidden Heroes: 

America’s Military 

Caregivers

The RAND report describes the magnitude of military caregiving in the United 

States, as well as identifies gaps in the array of programs, policies, and 

initiatives designed to support military caregivers. 

Objectives 1 and 2

RAND, Programs 

Addressing Psychological 

Health and Traumatic Brain 

Injury Among U.S. Military 

Servicemembers and Their 

Families

The RAND study provides a “snapshot” of all programs sponsored or funded by 

DOD that address psychological health and traumatic brain injury. The report 

characterizes these programs; identifies barriers to implementing them fully and 

maximizing their effectiveness; and provides recommendations for clarifying the 

role of programs, examining gaps in routine service delivery that could be filled 

by programs, and reducing barriers that programs face.

Objectives 1 and 2

VA’s Federal Benefits for 

Veterans, Dependents, and 

Survivors (2013 edition)

The handbook explains disability, pension, health care, education and housing 

loans, and other benefit programs for veterans and their families, including 

information on survivors’ benefits.

Objectives 1 and 2

DOD and military services’ 

websites

The official websites for DOD and the military services serve as a starting point 

for finding U.S. military information online.

Objectives 1, 2, and 3
Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

Page 34 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Source Description GAO objective 

Military OneSource Military OneSource is a DOD-funded program that provides information and 

referral to services for military servicemembers and their families through a 

website as well as counseling. Information includes, but is not limited to, 

deployment, reunion, relationship, grief, spouse employment and education, 

parenting and childhood.

Objectives 1, 2, and 3

National Resource Directory 

(NRD)

The NRD is a partnership among DOD, VA, and the Department of Labor that 

seeks to connect wounded and other servicemembers, veterans, their families, 

and caregivers to programs and services that support them. Information 

contained within the NRD website is from federal, state and local government 

agencies; veteran and military service organizations; non-profit and communitybased organizations; academic institutions and professional associations that 

provide assistance to wounded warriors and their families.

Objectives 1, 2, and 3 

Catalog of Federal 

Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA)

The CFDA is a General Services Administration database of federal programs, 

projects, services, and activities that provide assistance or benefits to the 

American public. It contains financial and nonfinancial assistance programs 

administered by all agencies of the federal government. The primary purpose 

CFDA is to assist users in identifying programs that meet specific objectives of 

potential applicants and to provide general information on federal programs.

Objectives 2 and 3

VA websites The official web site for VA serves as a starting point for finding information 

about VA and its benefits and services online.

Objectives 2 and 3

Source: GAO analysis of publicly available sources identified during the course of our audit work. | GAO-15-24

Note: To identify tax expenditures (credits, deductions, deferrals, or preferential tax rates), we 

reviewed the list of tax expenditures contained in OMB’s Fiscal Year 2015 Analytical Perspectives as 

well as the Joint Committee on Taxation’s Estimates of Federal Tax Expenditures for Fiscal Years 

2014-2018. However, we did not identify tax expenditures administered by DOD or VA.

3. We used the definitions and sources from steps 1 and 2 to identify 

the relevant programs for our lists. For the programs included on 

our lists, we used the sources identified in step 2 to collect 

information about the (1) program/activity’s name, (2) 

purpose/objectives, (3) the agency and/or office responsible for its 

administration, and (4) the population served. For a subset of the 

programs identified in the searches, we conducted tests to 

determine the degree to which analysts agreed on the same 

programs for inclusion. Once we compiled preliminary lists of 

programs, we provided the lists to internal GAO experts on 

research methods and federal programs for servicemembers and 

veterans for review and comment. We modified the lists 

accordingly.

Next, a GAO analyst reviewed all of the sources and documented 

a judgment about whether the programs identified conformed to 

the definitions we developed in step 1. A second GAO analyst 

then reviewed separately the assessment and documented an 
Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

Page 35 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

agreement or disagreement with the initial decision. If any 

differences emerged, the two analysts discussed the differences 

and made changes based on a verbal resolution of those 

differences. For any instances in which the two analysts did not 

resolve differences, a third GAO analyst adjudicated and a final 

decision was reached.

4. We sent our preliminary list of programs to officials at DOD and 

VA for comment and verification. Agencies either confirmed that 

programs on our preliminary lists should be included, identified 

those that should not be on our lists, or added programs that were 

not included on our preliminary lists. We modified the lists 

accordingly.

This four-step process identified 170 separate programs, although some 

of them are relevant to more than one objective. Specifically, 26 programs 

are included in more than one objective, such as the Air Force Wounded 

Warrior Program (AFW2) that addresses the effects of combat and helps 

wounded and injured servicemembers and veterans transition to civilian 

life. In addition, some programs share a common name but are 

independently implemented by each military service branch. For example, 

the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program provides similar services but is 

independently administered by each service branch. With such programs, 

we separately counted each military service’s program. In carrying out 

this four step process, we did not conduct an independent legal analysis 

of the statutory or regulatory basis or requirements for any of the 

programs we identified. We used the various documentary and data 

sources to corroborate one another and determined that the documentary 

and data sources used together were sufficiently reliable for our 

descriptive purposes.

To help convey our findings, we developed categories to group the types 

of service provided by the programs. The categories include (1) caregiver 

support, (2) case management/care coordination, (3) counseling, (4) 

disability, (5) education assistance, (6) employment assistance, (7) 

information and referral, (8) mental health and substance abuse, (9) 

physical health, (10) spiritual health, and (11) other. Because some 

programs offer more than one type of service, programs can fall into more 

than one category or service type. Although a service may be included in 

many programs or activities, the service may not or may be commonly 

used by servicemembers or veterans. For example, the Transition 

Assistance Program (TAP) is one program, but the services provided 
Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

Page 36 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

through the program are widespread because all eligible, transitioning 

servicemembers are generally required to participate in this program.

Finally, our scope for the first three objectives was limited to identifying 

DOD and VA programs based on the types of service provided; we did 

not analyze these programs to identify instances of fragmentation, 

overlap, duplication, or gaps in benefits or services. In addition, the 

programs included in our review were accurate and up-to-date when we 

issued the report. However, some may change over time.

To address the fourth objective, we compared the lists of programs that 

we generated under objectives 1-3 with DOD and VA’s 2013 program 

inventories—part of OMB’s federal program inventory compiled in 

response to a GPRAMA requirement—to identify similarities and 

differences between the agencies’ inventories and our lists. To help make 

this comparison, we drew upon prior GAO work on agencies’ GPRAMA 

program inventories. Although this objective was not included in the 

mandate, we added it because of the parallels between the mandate and 

the GPRAMA requirement for developing program inventories.

We conducted our work from March 2014 to November 2014 in 

accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 

sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 

findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that 

the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings based 

on our audit objectives.

Comparing Lists of 

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

Page 37 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

Air Force 

Airman & 

Family 

Readiness 

Centers 

(A&FRC)

DOD/Air Force Servicemember and 

Family X

Air Force 

Alcohol and 

Drug Abuse 

Prevention 

and 

Treatment 

(ADAPT) 

Program

DOD/Air Force Servicemember

X

Air Force 

Chaplain 

Corps

DOD/Air Force Servicemember and 

Family

X

Air Force 

Reserve 

Chaplain 

Program

DOD/Air Force Servicemember and 

Family X

Air Force 

Suicide 

Prevention 

Program

DOD/Air Force Servicemember X

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the Effects of Combat 

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

Page 38 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

Air Force 

Wounded 

Warrior 

Program 

(AFW2)

DOD/Air Force Servicemember, 

Veteran and 

Family

X

Air National 

Guard 

Chaplain 

Corps 

(ANG/HC)

DOD/Air Force Servicemember and 

Family X

Air National 

Guard 

Psychological Health 

Program

DOD/Air National 

Guard

Servicemember and 

Family X X

Army 

Chaplain 

Corps

DOD/Army Servicemember and 

Family

X

Army Long 

Term Family 

Case 

Management

DOD/Army Family

X

Army 

National 

Guard 

Funeral and 

Honors

DOD/Army and 

Army National 

Guard

Family

X

Funeral 

Honors and 

benefits

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the 

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

Page 39 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

Army 

National 

Guard 

Psychological Health 

Program

DOD/Army 

National Guard

Servicemember and 

Family X X

Army 

Reserve 

Office of the 

Command 

Chaplain

DOD/Army Servicemember and 

Family X

Army 

Substance 

Abuse 

Program 

(ASAP)

DOD/Army Servicemember and 

Family X X

Army Suicide 

Prevention 

Program

DOD/Army Servicemember and 

Family

X X

Army 

Wounded 

Warrior 

Program 

(AW2)

DOD/Army Servicemember, 

Veteran, and 

Family

X

Behavioral 

Health 

Optimization 

Project

DOD/Air Force Servicemember, 

Veteran, and 

Family

X X

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the 

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

Page 40 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

Behavioral 

Health 

Services in 

Primary Care

DOD/Army Servicemember X X X

Child and 

Youth 

Behavioral 

Consultants

DOD/Navy Family

X X

Combat and 

Operational 

Stress 

Control 

Program

DOD/Army Servicemember and 

Family X

Command 

Suicide 

Prevention 

Program

DOD/Navy Servicemember and 

Family X

Community 

Care Units 

(CCUs)

DOD/Army Servicemember X

Community 

Counseling 

Program 

(CCP)

DOD/Marine 

Corps

Servicemember and 

Family X X

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the 

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

Page 41 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

Comprehensive Soldier 

Family

Fitness 

(CSF2)

DOD/Army Servicemember and 

Family X

Comprehensive Combat 

and Complex 

Casualty 

Care 

Program (C5 

Program)

DOD/Navy Servicemember, 

Veteran, and 

Family X X X X

Computer / 

Electronic 

Accommodat

-ions 

Program 

(CAP)

DOD Servicemember and 

Veteran X

COSC for 

Families 

(Conquering 

Stress with 

Strength)

DOD/Marine 

Corps

Servicemember and 

Family X

CREDO DOD/Navy and 

Marine Corps

Servicemember and 

Family

X X

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the 

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

Page 42 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

Defense 

Center of 

Excellence 

(DCoE) 

Outreach 

Center

DOD/DCoE Servicemember, 

Veteran, and 

Family X X

Defense and 

Veterans 

Brain Injury 

Center 

(DVBIC)

DOD/DCoE Servicemember, 

Veteran, and 

Family

X X X X

Department 

of Defense 

and the 

Armed 

Services 

Young Men’s 

Christian 

Association 

(ASYMCA) 

Military 

Outreach 

Initiative

DOD/MC&FP Servicemember and 

Family

X

Deployment 

Transition 

Center (DTC)

DOD/Air Force Servicemember X Skills to 

reintegrate

DES 

Outreach 

Attorney 

Program

DOD/Navy Servicemember X X legal 

services

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the 

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

Page 43 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

DoDEA 

Student 

Support 

Services 

Branch

DOD/DoDEA Family

X X

DSTRESS 

Line

DOD/Marine 

Corps

Servicemember, 

Veteran, and 

Family

X X

DVBIC TBI 

Recovery 

Support 

Program 

(RSP)

DOD Servicemember, 

Veteran, and 

Family

X X X X

Families 

Over Coming 

Under Stress 

(FOCUS)

DOD/All services Servicemembers 

and Family X

Federal 

Recovery 

Coordination 

Program

DOD and VA Servicemember, 

Veteran, and 

Family

X

Fleet and 

Family 

Support 

Center 

(FFSC)

DOD/Navy Servicemember and 

Family X

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the 

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

Page 44 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

Fort Family 

Outreach 

and Support

DOD/Army Servicemember and 

Family

X

inTransition DOD/DCoE and 

VA

Servicemember and 

Veteran

X X

Joint Family 

Support 

Assistance

Program 

(JFSAP)

DOD Servicemember and 

Family X X

Marine 

Awareness 

and 

Prevention 

Integrated 

Training 

(MAPIT)

DOD/Marine 

Corps

Servicemember

X

Marine Corps 

Combat and 

Operational 

Stress 

Control 

(COSC) 

Program

DOD/Marine 

Corps

Servicemember and 

Family

X X

Marine Corps 

Family Team 

Building

DOD/Marine 

Corps

Servicemember and 

Family

X

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the 

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

Page 45 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

Marine Corps 

Substance 

Abuse 

Program

DOD/Marine 

Corps

Servicemember X

Marine Corps 

Suicide 

Prevention 

Program

DOD/Marine 

Corps

Servicemember X

Marine Corps 

Wounded 

Warrior 

Regiment 

(WWR)

DOD/Marine 

Corps

Servicemember, 

Veteran, and 

Family

X

Marine 

Forces 

Reserve 

(MARFORR

ES) Chaplin

DOD/Marine 

Corps

Servicemember and 

Family X

Marine 

Forces 

Reserve 

(MARFORR

ES) 

Psychological Health 

Outreach 

Program (PHOP)

DOD/Marine 

Corps

Servicemember and 

Family

X X

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the 

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

Page 46 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

Military 

Adaptive 

Sports 

Program 

(MASP)

DOD/DHA Servicemember

X X

Military 

Families 

Learning 

Network: 

Caregiver 

Support

DOD/MC&FP Family

X

Military and 

Family Life 

Counseling 

Program 

(MFLC)

DOD Servicemember and 

Family X X

Military 

OneSource

DOD/Military 

Community 

Outreach

Servicemember and 

Family

X X

Military 

Pathways

DOD Servicemember X

Morale, 

Welfare, and 

Recreation 

(MWR) 

Program

DOD/Military 

Community & 

Family Policy

Servicemember and 

Family X X

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the 

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

Page 47 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

National 

Guard 

Bureau 

Psychological Health 

Program

DOD/National 

Guard

Servicemember and 

Family X X

National 

Guard Family 

Program

DOD/Air and 

Army National 

Guard

Family

X

National 

Guard Office 

of the 

Chaplin

DOD/National 

Guard

Servicemember and 

Family X

National 

Intrepid 

Center of 

Excellence 

(NICoE)

DOD/NICoE Servicemember

X

Navy & 

Marine Corps 

Public Health 

Center

DOD/Navy and 

Marine Corps

Servicemember X X X

Navy Chaplin 

Corps

DOD/Navy and 

Marine Corps

Servicemember and 

Family

X

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the 

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

Page 48 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

Navy MORE 

(My Ongoing 

Recovery 

Experience) 

Program

DOD/Navy Servicemember, 

Veteran, and 

Family

X X

Navy 

Wounded 

Warrior Safe 

Harbor 

Program

DOD/Navy Servicemember and 

Family X

Office of 

Airmen’s 

Counsel 

(OAC)

DOD/Air Force Servicemember X X legal 

services

Operation: 

Military Kids 

(OMK)

DOD/Army Family

X

Operational 

Stress 

Control 

Program

DOD/Navy Servicemember and 

Family X X

Overcoming 

Adversity 

and Stress 

Injury 

Support

DOD/Navy Servicemember

X

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the 

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

Page 49 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

Pay and 

Allowance 

Continuation 

Program

DOD Servicemember X X Military pay

Predeployment 

health 

assessment

DOD Servicemember X X

PREP DOD/Marine 

Corps

Servicemember and 

Family

X

Prevention, 

Treatment 

and 

Outreach 

(PTO)

DOD/Army and 

Air National 

Guard

Servicemember and 

Family X X

Postdeployment 

health 

assessment

DOD Servicemember X X

Postdeployment 

health 

reassessment

DOD Servicemember

X X X

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the 

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

Page 50 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

Psychological Health 

Advocacy 

Program 

(PHAP)

DOD/Air Force 

Reserve and 

National Guard

Servicemember and 

Family X X

Recovery 

Coordination 

Program 

(RCP)

DOD/All services Servicemember and 

Family X

Respite Care 

Services

DOD/All services Family X

Returning 

Warrior 

Workshop 

(RWW)

DOD/Navy Servicemember and 

Family X X X

Soldier and 

Family 

Assistance 

Centers 

(SFACs)

DOD/Army Servicemember and 

Family X

Soldiers’ 

MEB 

Counsel 

(SMEBC) 

Program

DOD/Army Servicemember

X X legal 

services

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the 

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

Page 51 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

Special 

Compensation for 

Assistance 

with Activities 

of Daily 

Living 

(SCAADL)

DOD/All services Family

X X

Special 

Psychiatric 

Rapid 

Intervention 

Team 

(SPRINT)

DOD/Navy Servicemember

X X X

Strong 

Bonds

DOD/Army Servicemember and 

Family

X

Substance 

Abuse 

Rehabilitation Program 

(SARP)

DOD/Navy, Navy 

Reserves and 

Marine Corps

Servicemember and 

Veteran X X X

Survivor 

Outreach 

Services

DOD/Army Family

X

Traumatic 

Stress 

Response 

(TSR)

DOD Servicemember, 

Veteran, and 

Family

X X X

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the 

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

Page 52 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

U.S. Navy 

Reserve 

Psychological Health 

Outreach 

Program 

(USNR 

PHOP)

DOD/Navy Servicemember and 

Family

X X

United States 

Special 

Operations 

Command 

(USSOCOM) 

Care 

Coalition

DOD/USSOCOM Servicemember and 

Family

X

Vets4-

Warriors

DOD/Defense 

Suicide 

Prevention Office

Servicemember, 

Veteran, and 

Family

X

Warrior 

Adventure 

Quest

DOD/Army Servicemember XRecreational

Warrior Care 

and 

Transition 

Program 

(WTCP)

DOD/Army Servicemember and 

Family X

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the 

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

Page 53 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

Warrior 

Transition 

Units (WTUs)

DOD/Army Servicemember and 

Family

X

Wounded 

Soldier and 

Family 

Hotline

DOD/Army Servicemember and 

Family X

Wounded 

Warrior 

Clothing 

Support 

Program

DOD/Army Servicemember

X

Wounded 

Warrior 

Regiment 

Medical Cell

DOD/Marine 

Corps

Servicemember, 

Veteran, and 

Family

X

Yellow 

Ribbon 

Reintegration 

Program (Air 

Force)

DOD/Air Force 

Reserve and 

National Guard

Servicemember and 

Family X

Yellow 

Ribbon 

Reintegration 

Program 

(Army)

DOD/Army 

Reserve and 

National Guard

Servicemember and 

Family X

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the 

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

Page 54 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering 

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver 

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information 

and referral

Mental health 

and 

substance 

abuse

Physical 

health

Spiritual 

health

Other Brief 

description 

of “Other”

Yellow 

Ribbon 

Reintegration 

Program 

(Marine 

Corps)

DOD/Marine 

Corps

Servicemember and 

Family X

Yellow 

Ribbon 

Reintegration 

Program 

(Navy)

DOD/Navy 

Reserve

Servicemember and 

Family X

Source: GAO analysis of publicly available sources and agency information as confirmed by DOD and VA | GAO-15-24

Appendix II: Programs Addressing the 

Effects of combat (Objective 1)
Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Page 55 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and Readjusting to 

Civilian Life (Objective 2)

Program 

Name

Administering

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information

and referral

Mental 

health and 

substance 

abuse

Physical

health

Spiritual

health

Other Brief

description 

of

“Other”

Programs 

Administered 

by DOD

Air Force Alcohol 

and Drug Abuse 

Prevention and 

Treatment 

(ADAPT) 

Program

DOD/Air Force Servicemember

X

Air Force 

Wounded 

Warrior Program 

(AFW2)

DOD/Air Force Servicemember, 

Veteran and 

Family

X

Always a Soldier 

Program (AAS)

DOD/

Army

Servicemember and 

Veteran

X

Are You 

Listening

DOD/

Marine Corps

Caregiver X

Army Career & 

Alumni Program 

(ACAP)

DOD/

Army

Servicemember and 

Family

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

Page 56 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering

Agency &Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information

and referral

Mental 

health and 

substance 

abuse

Physical

health

Spiritual

health

Other Brief

description 

of

“Other”

Army National 

Guard 

Psychological 

Health Program

DOD/Army 

National Guard

Servicemember and 

Family X X

Army Retirement 

Services 

Program

DOD/Army Servicemember and 

Family

X X Retirement

Army Soldier for 

Life Program

DOD/Army Servicemember, 

Veteran and 

Family

X

Army Wounded 

Warrior Program 

(AW2)

DOD/Army Servicemember, 

Veteran and 

Family

X

Comprehensive 

Combat and 

Complex 

Casualty Care 

Program (C5)

DOD/

Navy

Servicemember, 

Veteran and 

Family

X X X 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)

Page 57 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information

and referral

Mental 

health and 

substance 

abuse

Physical

health

Spiritual

health

Other Brief

description 

of

“Other”

Computer/

Electronic 

Accommodations

Program (CAP)

DOD Servicemember, 

Veteran X

DOD Operation 

Warfighter 

Program (OWF)

DOD/OSD Servicemember X

DOD SkillBridge DOD/

Services

Servicemember X X

DSTRESS Line DOD/

Marine Corps

Servicemember, 

Veteran and 

Family

X X

Education and 

Employment

Initiative (E2I)

DOD/OSD Servicemember X X

Hiring Heroes 

Program

DOD/DCPAS Servicemember, 

Veteran and 

Family

X

IRR (Individual 

Ready Reserve) 

Marine Outreach 

Program

DOD/

Marine Corps

Servicemember and 

Veteran 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)

Page 58 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering

Agency &Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver

support

Case

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information

and referral

Mental 

health and 

substance 

abuse

Physical

health

Spiritual

health

Other Brief

description of

“Other”

Job Fairs DOD/

ESGR

Servicemember X

Marine Corps 

Wounded 

Warrior 

Regiment 

(WWR)

DOD/

Marine Corps

Servicemember, 

Veteran and 

Family

X

Marine for Life DOD/

Marine Corps

Servicemember and 

Veteran

X

Medical Care 

Case 

Management 

(MCCM)

DOD/MHS Servicemember

X X

Military Adaptive 

Sports Program 

(MASP) 

DOD/DHA Servicemember X X

Military 

OneSource

DOD/Military 

Community 

Outreach

Servicemember and 

Family

X 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)

Page 59 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering

Agency &Unit

Population 

Served

Caregiver

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information

and referral

Mental 

health and 

substance 

abuse

Physical

health

Spiritual

health

Other Brief

description of

“Other”

U.S. Navy 

Reserve 

Psychological 

Help Outreach 

Program (USNR 

PHOP)

DOD/

Navy

Servicemember and 

Family X X

Navy Returning 

Warrior 

Workshop

DOD/

Navy

Servicemember and 

Family

X

Navy Wounded 

Warrior Safe 

Harbor Anchor 

Program

DOD/

Navy

Servicemember and 

Family X

Partnership for 

Youth Success 

(PaYS)

DOD/

Army

Servicemember X

Recovery 

Coordination 

Program (RCP)

DOD/All 

Services

Servicemember and 

Family

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)

Page 60 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering

Agency &Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education 

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information

and referral

Mental

health and 

substance 

abuse

Physical

health

Spiritual

health

Other Brief

description of

“Other”

Soldier and 

Family 

Assistance 

Centers 

(SFACs)

DOD/

Army

Servicemember and 

Family X

Survivor 

Outreach 

Services

DOD/

Army

Family

X

Troops to 

Teachers 

Program

DOD/DANTES 

and Education

Servicemember X X

Turbo Transition 

Assistance

Program

DOD Servicemember X

United States 

Special 

Operations 

Command 

(USSOCOM) 

Care Coalition

DOD/USSOCOM Servicemember and 

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

Page 61 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering

Agency &Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information

and referral

Mental 

health and 

substance 

abuse

Physical

health

Spiritual

health

Other Brief

description of

“Other”

Warrior Care and 

Transition 

Program (WTCP)

DOD/Army Servicemember and 

Family

X

Warrior and 

Family 

Assistance 

Center

DOD/

Army Reserve

Servicemember and 

Family X

Warrior 

Transition Units 

(WTUs)

DOD/Army Servicemember and 

Family X

Yellow Ribbon 

Reintegration 

Program (Air 

Force)

DOD/Air Force 

Reserve and Air 

National Guard

Servicemember and 

Family X

Yellow Ribbon 

Reintegration 

Program (Army)

DOD/

Army Reserve and 

Army National 

Guard

Servicemember and 

Family 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)

Page 62 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information

and referral

Mental 

health and 

substance 

abuse

Physical

health

Spiritual

health

Othe

r

Brief

description of

“Other”

Yellow Ribbon 

Reintegration 

Program 

(Marine Corps)

DOD/Marine 

Corps

Servicemember and 

Family X

Yellow Ribbon 

Reintegration 

Program 

(Navy)

DOD/Navy 

Reserve

Servicemember and 

Family X

Programs 

Adminis-tered 

by VA

Airborne 

Hazards and 

Open Burn Pit 

Registry

VA/VHA Servicemember and 

Veteran X X

Allowance for 

Aid and 

Attendance for 

Housebound 

Veterans

VA/VBA Veteran

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

Page 63 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education 

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information

and referral

Mental 

health and 

substance 

abuse

Physical

health

Spiritual

health

Other Brief

description of

“Other”

Automobile and 

Adaptive 

Equipment 

(AAE)

VA/VBA Servicemember and 

Veteran X

Blind 

Rehabilitation 

Services (BRS)

VA/VHA Servicemember and 

Veteran

X

Building Better 

Caregivers 

Workshops

VA/VHA Caregiver

X

Clothing 

Allowance

VA/VHA Veteran X

Coaching into 

Care

VA/ MIRECC Caregiver X

Compensated 

Work Therapy

VA/VHA Veteran

X X X

Comprehensive Assistance 

for Family 

Caregivers

VA/VHA Veteran and 

Caregiver X X 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)

Page 64 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information

and referral

Mental 

health and 

substance 

abuse

Physical

health

Spiritual

health

Other Brief

description 

of

“Other”

Dependents 

Educational 

Assistance 

Program 

(DEA) [a.k.a: 

Survivors' and 

Dependents' 

Educational 

Assistance]

VA/VBA Family

X X X

Feds for Vets VA/VESO Servicemember and 

Veteran

X

Grants for the 

Rural 

Veterans 

Coordination 

Pilot

VA Veteran and 

Family

X X

Gulf War 

Registry 

Health Exam 

for Veterans

VA/VHA Servicemember and 

Veteran X X

Home 

Improvements 

and Structural

Alterations 

(HISA) Grant

VA/VHA Veteran

X X Housing

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and 

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

Page 65 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program Name

Administering

Agency & Unit

Populatio

n Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseli

ng

Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information

and referral

Mental 

health and 

substance 

abuse

Physical

health

Spiritual

health

Other Brief

description 

of “Other”

Mobile Vet 

Centers

VA/VHA Veteran and 

Family X X

OEF/OIF/-OND 

Care 

Management

VA/VHA Servicemember 

and Veteran

X

Outreach for 

OEF/OIF/-New 

Dawn Veterans

VA/VHA Servicemember X

Post 9/11 GI Bill VA/VBA Servicemember, 

Veteran and 

Family

X

Post-Deployment 

Integrated Care 

Initiative (PDICI)

VA/VHA Servicemember 

and Veteran

X X

Qarmat Ali 

Medical 

Surveillance 

Program

VA/VHA Veteran X 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)

Page 66 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver

support

Case 

management/

care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information

and referral

Mental 

health and 

substance 

abuse

Physical

health

Spiritual

health

Other Brief

description 

of “Other”

Readjustment 

Counseling (Vet 

Centers)

VA/VHA Veteran and 

Family

X

Service members’ 

Group Life Insurance 

Traumatic Injury 

Protection Program 

(TSGLI)

VA/VBA Servicemember

X

SimCoach VA Servicemember, 

Veteran and 

Family

X

Special Housing 

Adaptation (SHA) 

Grants

VA/VBA Servicemember and 

Veteran

X X Housing

Special Monthly 

Compensation 

(SMC)

VA/VBA Veteran and 

Family X

Specially Adapted 

Housing (SAH) 

Grants

VA/VBA Servicemember and 

Veteran

X X Housing

Spinal Cord Injury 

and Disorders 

Centers

VA/VHA Veteran

X X

Temporary 

Residence 

Adaptation (TRA)

VA/VBA Servicemember and 

Veteran

X X Housing

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and 

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

Page 67 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program Name

Administering

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information

and referral

Mental 

health and 

substance 

abuse

Physical

health

Spiritual

health

Other Brief

description of 

“Other”

The Veterans 

Integration to Academic 

Leadership (VITAL)

VA Veteran

X X X

VA Liaison for 

Healthcare 

VA/VHA ServicememberX X

VA for Vets VA/VESO Servicemember and 

Veteran

X

VA Work-study 

Program

VA/VBA Servicemember and 

Veteran

X X

Veterans Employment 

Center

VA Servicemember, 

Veteran, and 

Family

X

Veterans Housing -

Direct Loans for Certain 

Disabled Veterans

VA/VBA Veteran

X X Housing

VetSuccess on CampusVA/VBA Veteran X X

Vocational and 

Educational Counseling 

for Service

members and Veterans

VA/VBA Servicemember and 

Veteran

X X 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)

Page 68 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Program 

Name

Administering

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregiver

support

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information

and referral

Mental 

health and 

substance 

abuse

Physical

health

Spiritual

health

Other Brief

description 

of “Other”

Vocational 

Assistance

VA Veteran X

Vocational 

Rehabilitation and 

Employment 

(VR&E)

VA/VBA Servicemember and 

Veteran

X X X X X

Programs 

Administered 

Jointly by DOD 

and VA

All-Volunteer Force 

Educational 

Assistance (a.k.a. 

Montgomery 

GI Bill (MGIB))

DOD and 

VA/VBA

Servicemember and 

Veteran X

Federal Recovery 

Coordination 

Program

DOD and VA Servicemember, 

Veteran and 

Family

X

Integrated 

Disability 

Evaluation System 

(IDES)

DOD and 

VA/VBA/VHA

Servicemember X X X X 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)

Page 69 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Source: GAO analysis of publicly available sources and agency information as confirmed by DOD and VA. | GAO-15-24

Program 

Name

Administering

Agency & Unit

Population 

Served Type of Service/Assistance

Caregive

rsupport

Case 

management

/care 

coordination

Counseling Disability Education

assistance

Employment 

assistance

Information

and referral

Mental 

health and 

substance 

abuse

Physical

health

Spiritual

health

Other Brief

description 

of “Other”

inTransition DOD/DCoE and 

VA

Servicemember and 

Veteran

X X

National Guard 

Bureau Transition 

Assistance

Advisor Program 

(NGB TAA)

DOD/NGB and 

VA

Servicemember, 

Veteran and 

Family

X

Pre-Discharge 

Program

DOD and 

VA/VBA

Servicemember X

Reserve 

Educational 

Assistance 

Program (REAP)

DOD and 

VA/VBA

Servicemember X

Transition 

Assistance 

Program (TAP)

DOD, VA/VBA 

and Labor

Servicemember X X X X

U.S. Olympic 

Committee 

Paralympic

Military & Veteran 

Programs

DOD and VA Servicemember and 

Veteran X X

Appendix III: Programs for Transitioning and 

Readjusting to Civilian Life (Objective 2)
Appendix IV: Comments from the 

Department of Defense

Page 70 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Appendix IV: Comments from the 

Department of Defense
Appendix V: Comments from the 

Department of Veterans Affairs

Page 71 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Appendix V: Comments from the Department 

of Veterans Affairs
Appendix V: Comments from the 

Department of Veterans Affairs

Page 72 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 
Appendix V: Comments from the 

Department of Veterans Affairs

Page 73 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 
Appendix VI: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments

Page 74 GAO-15-24 Military and Veteran Support 

Andrew Sherrill, (202) 512-7215 or sherrilla@gao.gov

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. In addition, key support was provided by Bonnie 

Anderson, James Bennett, David Chrisinger, Debra Draper, Alex 

Galuten, Kathy Leslie, Ben Licht, Sheila McCoy, Paul Schearf, 

Stacy-Ann Spence, Walter Vance, and Amber Yancey-Carroll.

Appendix VI: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments

GAO Contact

Staff 

Acknowledgments

(131299)
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