Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-114). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Northwestern University, 2000. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 61-11, Section: A, page: 4505. Adviser: John O. Hunwick.

This report is part of a larger dissertation project and examines the American political development of the veterans' pension policy subsystem and its transformation into the military personnel policy subsystem. Despite extensive academic literature on the history of veterans' pensions, no scholar has pursued this research agenda through the lens of the dynamic policy subsystem. This report argues that from the nation's founding through World War II, military pension policy developed by way of an evolving policy subsystem with the help (and hindrance) of elite policy entrepreneurs, interest group lifecycles, bureaucratic consolidation, and legislative reorganization. Further, subsystem actors and institutions leveraged military pensions at various points in American history to recruit, retain, separate, and reward service members. Drawing from the historical record, original archival research, and previous scholarly works, this report makes four significant findings. First, a dynamic policy subsystem emerged in the wake of the Civil War and persisted well into the twentieth century. Second, powerful veterans' interest groups come about in the wake of war, thrive in the policymaking process for a period of time, and slowly fade away making room for new veterans' groups to influence policy. Third, bureaucratic consolidation of disparate governmental agencies handling veterans issues in the post-World War era facilitated bureaucratic innovation and autonomy, ushering in a professional workforce with streamlined processes to ensure veterans services were delivered in a more timely and effective manner. Finally, legislative reorganization in the wake of World War II effectively split veterans' pension policy and military personnel policy into two separate policy subsystems, minimizing the scope of conflict with regard to military personnel policy. This work reveals historical insights for contemporary defense and military policymaking in the post-Iraq/Afghan war era and opens the path for future research agendas exploring the military personnel policy subsystem. / text

Thesis (M.S.P.H.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Title from PDF of title page. Document formatted into pages; contains 119 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 98-101).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Supervisor: Allen Rubin. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Supervisor: Daron R. Shaw. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison. / Typescript. Title from title screen (viewed Sept. 5, 2007). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 98-101). Online version of the print original.

This study is primarily a descriptive account of the development and the work of the Social Service Division in its background setting of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. It covers the historical development of the various Canadian departments of government concerned with the ex-serviceman's welfare from the beginning of World War I in 1914 to the present time. Information was drawn from annual reports and publications, mimeographed material of the Department of Veterans' Affairs, including statistical reports of the British Columbia Division, supplemented by interviews with staff members of the British Columbia District Office. The veterans' department was born of a military program and of the resulting physical need of wounded discharged soldiers for medical treatment. From this beginning developed the recognition of the value of a rehabilitation program for those physically handicapped because of war service. This need for rehabilitation was extended gradually until it covered all veterans of World War II and preceding wars. The coverage has moved steadily from the medical to the total welfare needs of the veteran. The Department has emerged as one of Canada's largest welfare agencies, veterans being segregated from their fellow civilians by legislation granting special benefits because of special risks. The role of the profession of social work in this setting has been exploratory. In the early 1920's, the social worker is described as being a nurse with special training; the profession of social work was not recognized. Today, only social workers trained in an accredited School of Social Work are accepted as employees of the Division. As far as direct case work is concerned, the Division operates largely as a referring agency although direct service is given in some instances. The Division is now experimenting with an in-service training program in social work concepts for Veterans' Welfare Officers and other Departmental personnel. This would make the social worker available to these persons on a consultative basis. In the present setting, the professional social worker has to prove the value of her work by performance. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

The study was instituted in an attempt to find any factors that might have contributed to the rather unexpected success of the veterans as university students. A secondary aim was to seek evidence bearing on the contention that veterans are superior students to the non-veterans. In order to compare the veterans and non-veterans, a questionnaire was devised by members of the psychology department. It covered a range of topics including vital statistics, motives for university attendance, interest in courses, and attitudes to study, to extra-curricular and outside activities, and to factors considered as aids or; barriers to university success. The questionnaire was given to 1600 students taking the introductory course in psychology. From their papers, three hundred were selected at random from the ex-service group and three hundred from the civilian group. Their answers were tabulated, changed into percentages and compared for significant differences. In addition, the service experiences of the veteran group were evaluated for their bearing on university success or failure. The academic records of both groups were then examined for two consecutive years and compared for significant differences. The veterans were found to have attributed their success to a variety of factors. Chief among these were the financial support afforded under the government plan, the helpful quality of the instruction, the widened experience gained in the services, the salutary effects of service discipline, increased age, university counselling, and married status. Statistically significant differences favouring the veteran group were found in their attitudes toward extra-curricular and outside activities, interest in course and in the importance attached to the vocational aspects of university training. Married veterans were found to show significant differences from both single veterans and civilians with regard to housing and financial problems. A pronounced tendency toward greater self reliance was also found among the ex-service group. In academic achievement, no significant differences were found between veterans and non-veterans, as such. However, a difference of high statistical reliability favouring the married veterans was found when their accomplishments were compared with those of the single veterans and the civilians. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate