Transition from military to civilian life can present unique challenges for Grads becoming veterans, with mental health issues such as depression and suicidal ideation being of particular concern. While the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) provides an understanding of the health of the veteran population, it falls short in many aspects: only a fraction of servicemembers enroll in the VA’s care; a mere thirty percent apply for a disability rating; and because the VA is not able to gain a holistic understanding of service member’s health before leaving service, it is difficult to determine how much a service member’s health has changed after leaving service.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Health Equity outlines the five social determinants of health impacting new veterans: healthcare access and quality, education access and quality, social and community context, economic stability, and neighborhood and built environment. Each of these impacts a new veteran’s health in a variety of ways such as mental health, stress, sleep, heart rate variability, and recovery.

This pilot is a distinct implementation of the Onward Ops program. The pilot creates a partnership between the West Point Association of Graduates, the Department of Veteran Affairs through its partnership with ETS Sponsorship and the Veteran Services Inititave (VSI), and the Long Gray Line Society. The objective is to provide detailed and actionable insights starting up to a year before Grads leave service and continuing for twelve months thereafter. The pilot will provide an anonymized, de-identified, statistically significant understanding of the overall new veteran grad population’s health before, during, and after transition to civilian life. This data will allow AOG to establish a strong position in serving the graduate community through a superior understanding of transitionning graduate health, performance, and data driven insights into the factors that significantly impact well-being. The ability for Onward Ops to early enroll service members before leaving service, combined with AOG leadership and support, will allow West Point to gain a one-of-a-kind understanding of the veteran graduate population.

		The West Point Association of Graduates is a certified Onward Ops Community Integration Coordinator®. Grads Helping Grads supports a direct enrollment process to VA Health Care through the VA's Virtual Care Clinic. Graduates may enroll through Onward Ops as a participant or as a sponsor. Sue Irons '89, leads Veterans Services at AOG and serves as the first Community Integration Coordinator.
		The ETS Sponsorship Program® operates exclusively to promote social welfare for transitioning service members, Veterans, and the communities where they live. This pilot is designed to support Graduates through a digital community. ETS Sponsorship is federally registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt social welfare organization founded by Graduates. The ETS Sponsorship Program accomplishes its mission by partnering with local experts, local government, and certified partners. Program sponsors all complete a VA-certified sponsor training course. BG (ret) Mike Eastman '91 is the Executive Director of the ETS Sponsorship.
		The Long Gray Line Society® is an independent member-supported organization which, promotes the study and discussion of military history, defence, security and international affairs, inseparately linked to support for West Point Cadet activities, for the benefit of its members, the Corps of Cadets and the interested public, through the provision of exceptional events and services within a fraternal spirit in support of our Country and Allies. Ken Fleischer '81 is the Executive Director of the Long Gray Line Society. The Long Gray Line Society, Inc. is a registered New York not-for-profit corporation.

These are examples for discussion that can be changed/associated/amalgamated...

Veterans Onward • Veteran Center