Receipt of employment services among Veterans Health Administration users with psychiatric diagnoses

1
Receipt of employment services among Veterans
Health Administrationusers with psychiatric
diagnoses

• Kristen M. Abraham, PhD Dara Ganoczy, MPH
  Matheos Yosef, PhD Sandra G. Resnick, PhD Kara
  Zivin, PhD

2

• Aim
• Examine population-based reach of Veterans Health
  Administration (VHA) employment services to VHA
  patients with psychiatric diagnoses.
• Relevance
• VHA patients with schizophrenia, bipolar
  disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
  depression, or substance use disorder are more
  likely to be unemployed, disabled, or retired
  than patients without psychiatric diagnoses.

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Method

• Using clinical administrative data, we identified
  patients with psychiatric diagnoses among a
  random sample of all patients receiving VHA
  services in 1 yr.
• Among VHA patients with psychiatric diagnoses, we
  examined their likelihood of receiving
• Any VHA employment services.
• Specific employment services
• Supported employment, transitional work,
  incentive therapy, and vocational assistance.
• We identified clinical and demographic
  characteristics associated with receiving
  employment services.

4
Results

• 4.2 of VHA patients with psychiatric diagnosis
  received employment services.
• Those with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
• More likely to receive any employment services
  and supported employment, specifically, than were
  patients with depression, PTSD, or other anxiety
  disorders.
• Those with depression and PTSD
• More likely to receive transitional work and
  vocational assistance than patients with
  schizophrenia.

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Conclusion

• Future studies should
• Examine system-level barriers to receiving
  employment services.
• Identify types of employment services most
  appropriate for Veterans with different
  psychiatric diagnoses.
• VHA should consider expanding employment
  services, especially those that are
  evidence-based (i.e., supported employment)