Employment and vocational rehabilitation services use among veterans with spinal cord injury

Abstract

Although there is a considerable body of literature documenting poor return towork rates among persons with SCI in the general population, little attention has been given to understanding patterns of return to work and use of vocational rehabilitation services among veterans with SCI. The purposes of the present study were to investigate the extent to which veterans are able to obtain competitive employment after a spinal cord injury and to explore veterans' use of existing vocational rehabilitation services. This study surveyed 30 veterans receiving healthcare at the VA North Texas Healthcare System Spinal Cord Injury Center. Thirty percent of our sample had a history of employment after SCI, a rate that is comparable to figures reported in prior studies of employment rates among non-veterans with SCI. Most veterans were unaware of vocational services either within or outside of the VA, and awareness of services was significantly lower for persons with tetraplegia compared to veterans with paraplegia. Of those who were aware of vocational services, only a minority used them. The findings of this study emphasize the need to educate veterans, especially those with more severe injuries, about vocational rehabilitation services as a possible means of improving employment outcomes in this special population.