Progressive Goal Attainment Program for Veterans

Veterans with disabilities often have low self-esteem and motivation, significant depression
and a belief that their disability precludes them from gainful employment. The Progressive
Goal Attainment Program (PGAP) is specifically designed to target these psycho-social risk
factors of disability. PGAP is a structured, 10-week intervention that focuses on helping
clients develop a planned activity schedule to assist them in resuming desirable life
activities, including employment. The PGAP for Veterans Project will test the feasibility of
delivering PGAP to U.S. military veterans. The research will focus on the best means of
service delivery, staffing needs and how to coordinate PGAP in a larger veteran service
system. MDRC will also gather information on the target population, recruitment methods, the
feasibility of scaling and replication, and employment outcomes among the sample. Two
hundred veterans will be enrolled and randomly assigned into the study across two sites:
Errera Community Care Center within (part of the VA Connecticut Health Care System) and the
Michael DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Self-reporting a disability.

- Unemployed or under-employed.

- Likely to benefit from PGAP (i.e. unengaged in social and community activities,
difficulty attaining work due to motivational factors).

Exclusion Criteria:

- Does not consent to be in the study.

- Significant barriers: serious substance abuse, significant psychotic disorders and
cognitive disabilities that would preclude them from active participation in PGAP.