TWE, part of the VA Compensated Work Therapy Program, helped participants develop work restoration plans and provided a real, rehabilitative work setting within the VA, other federal agencies, or private businesses in the community. TWE participants received at least 30 hours per week of structured vocational rehabilitation activities and were assigned to therapeutic work placements for six months to one year. Participants also received case management to help them gain and enhance their employment skills and find and maintain competitive employment. Length of participation in TWE depended on participants’ vocational goals and needs but did not exceed one year. As of 2020, the VA continues to offer similar services to eligible participants. The target population for TWE included veterans experiencing homelessness who met all of the following criteria: (1) they were not receiving VA health services, (2) they expressed a desire to participate in competitive employment, and (3) they were diagnosed with a psychiatric disability or substance use disorder. TWE was implemented in nine VA medical centers across the United States.
The effectiveness of TWE when compared with CE indicates the effect of the services that are unique to TWE, or how much better TWE meets participants’ needs than CE. TWE participants received up to a year of structured vocational rehabilitation services and therapeutic work placements. CE participants received standard VA services but no specific employment-focused intervention.
This study was part of the Therapeutic Employment Placement and Support demonstration, which also evaluated the Individual Placement and Support program, TWE followed by CE, and CE only.
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