The Veteran Supported Education Service Treatment Manual: VetSEd

How to Identify Potential Barriers
Steve, a 24 year old Veteran had his hopes set on attending the big state university
with the winning football team to pursue his certification as a plumber. However, upon
exploring the school further he learned that it did not offer the certification he wanted
and that it had no Veteran-specific services outside of a financial aid coordinator.
Steve was very disappointed and approached his peer VetSEd provider saying he was
going to ―forget‖ about school for now. The peer VetSEd provider used effective
communication skills and listened in a non-judgmental manner, then reflected the
frustration that Steve was experiencing. The peer VetSEd provider then asked Steve if
it would be ok for them to spend a few minutes to think about the barriers Steve
experienced. The provider explained that in his own educational pursuits as well as in
working with other Veterans, he has found that there is a way over or around most
barriers. Steve and the peer VetSEd provider engaged in a 10-minute conversation
about barriers. They identified the school‘s lack of a plumbing certification program
and extensive Veteran-specific services as ―external barriers‖ and Steve‘s feelings of
disappointment and wanting to give up as ―internal barriers.‖ The provider
normalized Steve‘s feelings and highlighted how far he had come in recent months.
The peer VetSEd provider then asked Steve if he would consider engaging in
additional school searches to explore what types of institutions provide plumbing
certificates and if any of these instructions have relationships with the local state
university. After this exchange Steve was more motivated to continue the search.
III.
THE GET PHASE OF VetSEd
As a Veteran develops or completes an education plan he will begin the “Get” phase of
Choose, Get, Keep. In the Get phase, we describe those steps that are important to
beginning an educational or training program. The following section provides
information about a) benefits that may be used or available to the Veteran; b)
enrolling/getting admitted to school, and c) setting a schedule.
A. Benefits
Financial benefits are essential for a Veteran to be able to successfully return to school.
There is a range of available benefits. Thus, careful consideration and exploration of
them is needed. Assistance in understanding benefits and what to apply for can help
Veterans sift through what can be a confusing and frustrating process. In order to help
Veterans most effectively, it is best that you are armed with basic knowledge of available
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