Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Doctor of Public Administration (D.P.A)

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Michael L. Brewer

Abstract

Female veterans are increasing and are anticipated to make up 20% of all veterans; however, they are less likely to apply for and use their veterans’ benefits, such as medical, mental health counseling, educational, and other programs that can benefit warriors and their family. South-Central Texas Veteran Service Organization (SCTVSO) has outreach initiatives to reach female veterans and assist during the veterans’ benefits application process. The study’s overarching question centered on obtaining insights from female veterans on their familiarity with SCTVSO and experiences with the benefit application process. This study focused on the largest population of women veterans in the South-Central Texas metropolitan area. Schneider and Ingram’s social construction of the target population and policy conceptual framework were used to examine the impact of political policies based on policymakers’ perceptions of specific groups, and Rouse and Rouse’s human-centered design framework provided insights on the experiences with the veteran benefit application process. Sixteen women veterans were interviewed by telephone and contributed substantive feedback, which was analyzed using NVivo and resulted in three themes: (a) the uniqueness of SCTVSO’s services, (b) the challenging benefits application process, and (c) the need for expanded SCTVSO visibility. More women veterans may apply for and use veterans benefits if the outreach was more tailored and personnel available to assist, which SCTVSO can provide. Potential positive social impact includes access to resources that would benefit the veterans and family members.

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