University of Arizona Veterans Rehabilitation Program Started With Grijalva’s Help Receives $500,000 Funding Stream

The University of Arizona’s Disability Resource Center got a new $500,000 funding stream in mid-July to enhance its injured and disabled veterans assistance program. The school’s Veterans Education and Transition Services (VETS) effort is nationally recognized for its commitment to helping injured veterans seeking higher educational opportunities.

Rep. Grijalva arranged startup funding for the program in 2008 and has been its strongest supporter in Congress. The University now has the largest adaptive athletic program in the country and a highly regarded rehabilitation faculty. The Resource Center supports reintegration and academic success for veterans with disabilities and documents its work through empirical studies designed to be replicated elsewhere in the country.

“Making sure veterans have the assistance and resources they need to succeed is a great public service, and I’m proud to have supported this program from the beginning,” Rep. Grijalva said when the school learned it had received the funding from the Department of Education. “Reintegration is often difficult for wounded veterans, and the University has been making that transition possible for hundreds of Southern Arizonans each year. Veterans everywhere should get the assistance they need to integrate fully into civilian life if they so choose, and that’s why I continue to support this program.”

The program has received Congressionally directed funding for the past three years, and Rep. Grijalva has vowed to continue his support in the future. The VETS office, which is staffed and managed by veteran students, assists approximately 500 student veterans on campus each year.

Learn more about the program at the U of A VETS page.