Veterans
UTSA veterans come from all of our military branches (Army, the largest military branch; Navy, Air Force, Marine, National Guard, and Coast Guard). Most of our veterans served for one enlistment (of four years or less), followed by those who enlisted for a second term. Though we have veterans who have served longer, few have made the military a career.*
Veterans typically experience some challenges when returning to civilian life. Those challenges are associated with the same or similar challenges a regular student faces (i.e., academic or career related issues). However, they may also experiences difficulties with financial concerns, lack of social support, emotional issues, and dealing with a less structured environment.
Many veterans have also had problems dealing with civilians both in their personal and professional lives. Some feel they're misunderstood, under appreciated, and segregated from the more traditional student population. Given the United States' current efforts in Iraq and conflicting civilian views, many veterans may experience some of the discussed problems to a greater degree. If you're having trouble dealing with anything mentioned in this section, please visit Counseling Services for help.
A few other offices at UTSA that will be helpful to our veterans may be:
UTSA Veterans Web Portal
Disability Services
Career Center
Tomas Rivera Center
Work Study Program
Child Care Center
Services are available to all students who are currently attending class. All services are confidential. Please know that Student Health Services is willing to assist you at any time during the normal work day or in an emergency, you can access an on-call clinician from Counseling Services after hours.
* The statistics for this section were gathered from a survey conducted by the Texas State Institutional Review Board.
Websites and Resources
You can likely find support in Health and Mental Health Services (that offer individual and group therapy support) offered at your local Veteran's Administration medical center:
The Department of Veterans Affairs
The Veteran's Administration Medical Center
Brooks Army Medical Center
San Antonio Vet Center |
Veterans Service Center: 1-800-827-1000
|
South Texas Veterans Health Care System |
Frank M. Tejeda VA Outpatient Clinic |
Links with information on PTSD:
http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/
http://www.healthyminds.org/multimedia/ptsd.pdf
http://www.ptsdalliance.org/
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/HealthInformation/ptsdmenu.cfm
http://grunt.space.swri.edu/vetorgs.htm
http://www1.va.gov/vso/index.cfm?template=view
http://www.army.mil/veteransorganizations/
http://ida.net/ysers/lamar/vetorglinks.html
Vocational Assistance and Rehabilitation:
Vocational Assistance
Eligibility Forms
Other Links of Interest:
VA Benefits
GI Bill
Government Records
Disabled American Veterans
Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center
Veterans of Foreign Wars
American Legion
Lakeland Air Force Base
Veterans Friends Locator
Military Connections Locator
Texas National Guard
Military.com
MilitaryOneSource.com Stateside: 1-800-342-9647 | Overseas: *800-3429-6477 (* Access codes can be found online)
