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Program Description

The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) Vet Corps 

program engages AmeriCorps members to help veterans and their family 

members to take advantage of educational benefits and services earned 

through their military service. Vet Corps provides necessary services to 

veterans to improve their academic outcomes, graduation rates, and 

postsecondary success after college. Those services include peer mentoring, 

direct support, resources, and referrals to veterans in college. Vet Corps 

AmeriCorps members also educate faculty and administrative employees 

about veteran needs, increasing veteran cultural competence and informing 

policy at educational institutions. All Vet Corps AmeriCorps members are 

veterans, themselves. Participants can form a connection with a peer who has 

a shared experience to help them with the transition to the education 

institution. The lived experience of WDVA AmeriCorps members can be 

particularly useful in mentoring participants. WDVA engages approximately 

50 AmeriCorps members each year.

AmeriCorps, the federal agency 

for volunteerism and national 

service, provides opportunities for 

Americans to serve their country 

domestically, address the nation’s 

most pressing challenges, improve 

lives and communities, and 

strengthen civic engagement. 

Each year, the agency invests 

more than $800 million in grants 

for local nonprofit, community, 

tribal, and state organizations; 

places more than 250,000 

AmeriCorps members and 

AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in 

intensive service roles; and 

empowers millions more to serve 

as long-term, short-term, or onetime volunteers. Learn more at 

AmeriCorps.gov.

RESEARCH BRIEF − ROI PROJECT

Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs 

Vet Corps

AmeriCorps.gov 
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Return on Investment Analysis

To better understand the impact of the program in relation to costs, AmeriCorps commissioned a return on 

investment (ROI) analysis by ICF, an independent research firm. ROI analyses of national service programs 

estimate the monetary value of benefits that a program generates for per dollar invested. 

The ROI analysis of total benefits per funder dollar estimated the WDVA program’s ROI to be between $0.82

and $13.66, depending on how long AmeriCorps members experience increased earnings as a result of the 

program. Total benefits per federal dollar are higher, between $1.05 and $17.52. These results are driven by 

favorable employment and education outcomes for AmeriCorps members following their service, as well as 

by improved employment outcomes for program participants. 

Overview of Benefits and Costs

To calculate the ROI, the program benefits were identified, quantified, and compared to the program’s costs. 

Benefits of WDVA include: 

• Additional lifetime earnings resulting from improved employment outcomes. Program 

participants receive educational support and services as they pursue higher education, which result in 

higher earnings.

• Additional earnings by AmeriCorps members. Serving in AmeriCorps leads to increased wages 

and reduced unemployment post-national service through skill acquisition, as well as increased 

educational attainment post-service.

• Living allowances, stipends, and education awards. AmeriCorps members receive living 

allowances and stipends during their national service and receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education 

Award after successful completion. 

• Increased tax revenue for government. The government receives more income tax revenue from 

increased AmeriCorps member earnings post-service, as well as additional sales tax revenue related 

to those earnings. Government also realizes tax revenue from the taxable living allowances, stipends, 

and education awards provided to AmeriCorps members. Further, government realized tax revenue 

from increased earnings by program participants as a result of increased educational attainment.

• Reduced lifetime spending on corrections, public assistance, and social insurance. Because of 

the increase in post-secondary educational attainment for AmeriCorps members and program 

pariticpants, government spends less on these items. 

Program costs for WDVA program totaled $1,116,364 and came from the following sources:

• Federal government (AmeriCorps) 

• State and local government
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ROI Results

The table below shows the ROI results. Each row represents a different ROI calculation depending on which 

benefits are considered (all benefits or only benefits to the federal government) and which funding is 

considered (federal funding only, or all funding including contributions and non-federal grant, other 

contributions, and program fees ). The ROIs are presented as dollars returned for every $1.00 of investment. 

The analysis used three different scenarios to estimate benefits under different assumptions. Specifically, the 

study assumed that increased earnings attributable to the programs last for one year (short-term scenario), 

15 years (medium-term), or 30 years (long-term).

ROI Calculation

ROI Scenario

Short-Term Medium-Term Long-Term

Total Benefits per Federal Dollar $1.05 $12.75 $17.52

Total Benefits per Funder Dollar $0.82 $9.94 $13.66

Federal Government Benefits per Federal Dollar $0.19 $3.16 $4.65

The program produces strong returns for the medium- and long-term scenarios when benefits to 

AmeriCorps members, program participants, and state/local governments are included. This is indicated by 

the results of the total benefits per federal dollar and the total benefits per funder dollar ROI calculations for 

these two scenarios. 

In the short-term scenario—where benefits for only one-year post-program are included—the ROI results 

indicate that there is a short-term loss to investing given the results of the total benefits per funder dollar and 

the federal government benefits per federal dollar ROI calculations. An ROI that is below $1 in the first year 

post-program is common in programs where there is an initial one-time investment made and benefits

accrue in the following years. This is because it often requires several years of benefits to recoup the initial 

investment and generate positive returns. 

The magnitude of the positive ROI estimates in the medium- and long-term scenarios are driven by the 

following factors:

• Educational attainment of program participants. Program participants receive educational support

and services as they pursue higher education, which results in higher educational attainment and

subsequently higher earnings. Those earnings accumulate over participants’ years in the workforce.

• Additional earnings by AmeriCorps members. Serving in AmeriCorps leads to increased wages

and reduced unemployment post-national service through skill acquisition, as well as increased

educational attainment post-service.

• Reduced lifetime spending on corrections, public assistance, and social insurance. Because of

the increase in secondary and post-secondary educational attainment for AmeriCorps members and

program participants, government spends less on these items. 

For more information, please contact evaluation@cns.gov.

The report summarized in this research brief was commissioned by AmeriCorps’ Office of Research and Evaluation under 

Contract # GS00Q14OADU209 and Order # 5332A20R0013. Information in the report is in the public domain. Please, direct 

communications related to the report to Lily Zandniapour at lzandniapour@cns.gov and Sarah Yue at syue@cns.gov. Cite the report as 

follows: Clark, D., Borgida, J., Kulka, L., Miller, B., Modicamore, D., Pershing, J., Thompson, P., Sarwana, M., & Voigt, G. (2022). Return on 

Investment Study: Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs Vet Corps. ICF.