Connecting US Veterans to Benefits: A Mixed Methods Pilot Examining of the Impact of County Veteran Services Offices on Veteran Well-Being

Background and Purpose: County Veteran Service Offices (CVSO) are funded by the state and assist veterans in applying for benefits. Veteran benefits may include education, healthcare and disability (financial). Although research is limited, access to benefits has demonstrated some improvements to well-being (Murdoch et al., 2011; Silver & Zhang, 2026; Trivedi, 2022). However, the impact of services provided by CVSO’s in combination with connection to benefits has yet to be explored. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the impact of CVSO services and benefit connection on veteran well-being.

Methods: Data were collected from 565 veterans who had utilized CVSO services in three California counties within the last five years. Potential participants received an invitation to participate in the study and were provided with a link to complete the survey online. The survey took approximately 30 minutes and participants received a $25 gift card. Respondents answered questions about their employment, housing, food insecurity, financial health, physical and mental health, quality of life and access to healthcare. Participants were asked to report their experiences with these outcomes prior to their work with CVSO and today. Descriptive statistics were utilized to compare the impact of these services on well-being. To further explore the research question, 20 individual 30-minute interviews were also conducted with survey participants who agreed to be followed up with regarding potential interviewers. Participants were asked what brought them to use CVSO services, their experience and satisfaction, and the impact on their well-being. Transcripts were analyzed by the lead researcher using line by line coding and themes identified.

Results: Over half (51%) of the sample reported their quality of life improved after using CVSO services to attain benefits. Improvements were also seen in food insecurity (42% decrease), perceived emotional (43% increase) and physical (14% increase) health, unemployment (40% decrease); financial well-being (30% increase), access to health care (8% increase), and going without needed care (51% decrease). Qualitative analysis revealed several themes, including 1) CVSO services are essential services veterans need; 2) Improvements in financial, relational, health and overall well-being; 3) CVSO services made veterans aware of their benefits and comfortable asking for help; and 4) Veterans needed the expertise of CVSO services and would not have benefits or improvements without them.

Conclusion and Implications: This pilot study is the first to examine how CVSO services assisting veterans in their benefits applications and connecting to benefits improves veteran well-being. Quantitative and qualitative findings demonstrated significant improvements in many aspects of quality of life. Interview results found CVSO services were essential to these improvements, providing the expertise needed to gain benefits. Given the complexity of the benefit process, the lack of information around eligibility, and the number of veterans who do not utilize their benefits, findings indicate CVSO services are important assistance that is provided by state and county budgets. Given the impact, increasing CVSO resources may be beneficial to veteran well-being. As more predatory disability services emerge, such resources will continue to be important.