1.2: Veterans & Military Families

Demonstrate the potential for CNCS-supported national service interventions to 1) positively impact the quality of life of veterans and 2) improve military family strength.

Other Information:

Over the next five years, we will seek to expand national service interventions that improve the quality of life of veterans and military family strength. We will invest in emerging and established programs to address the needs of veterans and military families. We will focus efforts on learning where service-based programs have the greatest potential to improve military family strength and facilitate the reintegration of service members back into civilian life. Our focus includes programs that engage veterans and military family members in service (described in Goal #2), as well as those that provide service to this important population. Engaging veterans and military family members in programs that serve other veteran and military family members has the potential to be an effective approach. Veterans and military family members prefer to receive information about services from friends, family and neighbors. There is extensive research that indicates peers delivering social and mental health services to other peers results in better outcomes. Research suggests that peers are: 1) more able to empathize with other consumers, 2) more able to help them access services, 3) more able to appreciate other consumers' strengths, and 4) more able to be tolerant, patient and responsive to consumers' needs and desires. Finally, the use of peers in a mental health setting has been associated with improvement in illness management, larger social support networks, enhanced self-esteem and social functioning, improvement in skill deficits and use of available resources to meet needs, and lower service costs overall. Based on our work, CNCS will refine a theory of change and a logic model to inform our veterans and military families strategy in 2013. In 2014-2015, we will focus our work in implementing this strategy. A chart outlining the veterans and military families focus area strategy can be found in the Appendix. Below is an overview of our objectives, strategies and performance measures.

Stakeholder(s):

• Veterans


• Military Families

Indicator(s):

Indicator:1

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