Academic Reasonable Accommodations for Post-9/11 Veterans With Psychiatric Diagnoses, Part 1

Such letters need to contain only the basic information required by the disability resource center at each school. Common information required for such a letter includes a clear statement that the disorder and diagnosis are present, the symptoms experienced by the student veteran as a result of the diagnosis, and the impact of those symptoms on the veteran’s learning abilities. If possible, the letter also should specify recommended accommodations that can help the student veteran compensate for the disability. Additional details that some schools may request include associated psychological or medical diagnoses and a listing of medications prescribed to the veteran with AEs experienced. Depending on the institution’s individual policy, the letters may require yearly updates. Federal law forbids schools from requiring onerous amounts of documentation to support the need for academic accommodations.

How many of the preapproved accommodations are used is up to the student veteran. Depending on their baseline functional status and mental health issues, eligible veterans may not need to use all the accommodations each semester or for every class. However, formal accommodations are much easier to implement when needed if the student veteran already has the school preapprove them.

Conclusion

Acquired learning disabilities can prevent successful transition to the student veteran role. Implementation of academic reasonable accommodations is an important avenue by which qualifying post-9/11 student veterans with psychiatric diagnoses can compensate for the negative impact mental health symptoms have on learning styles and academic performance. Because academic stressors and emotional stability are closely intertwined, it is crucial that eligible post-9/11 veterans understand and accept the benefits that formal academic accommodations provide in postsecondary education. Academic accommodations should be offered to empower veterans with mental health concerns. A summary of academic reasonable accommodations is provided in Table 2.

The way clinicians approach this topic will greatly influence veterans’ perspective on academic accommodations. Because there can be a stigma associated with the term learning disability in addition to a general lack of understanding about formal academic accommodations, post-9/11 veterans may not readily pursue the accommodations. Therefore, HCPs should be aware of the best methods for addressing student veterans’ concerns regarding identification of learning disabilities and use of academic accommodations. Unfortunately, information regarding these topics is not readily available in peer-reviewed literature or popular media. Therefore, in part 2, practical interventions for holding crucial conversations with post-9/11 veterans are discussed using a theoretical framework.