Military and Veterans’ Issues

By Abigail Calkin

The Military/Veterans (MilVet) SIG is entering its twentieth year of ABAI operation. The SIG focuses on how the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) can contribute to those who have served our country. There are also many issues the military and veteran communities currently to address (autism, suicide, PTSD, and TBI). Chair Abigail Calkin and members remain excited about discussing the issues and needs of this specific population. During the SIG’s 20 years of existence, a significant amount of time was devoted to increasing membership, while also examining viable ways of accessing the military and veteran community. Finally, some projects are officially in progress, which we hope increases the activities of the SIG members.

At present, the Tricare ECHO program for treating autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among the children of active-duty beneficiaries remains federal law and the only official entry point into the Department of Defense (DOD) healthcare system for behavior analysts. According to the most recent data, behavior analysts are currently treating .059% of the military/veteran population through these official and reimbursable means that includes qualifying beneficiaries diagnosed with ASD. Moreover, the only federally authorized positions for behavior analysts within the DOD and the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) are for those who practice as licensed psychiatrists, psychologists or social workers. There are no known official positions or other policies addressing the role of behavior analysts within the DOD and the DVA healthcare systems. Given these challenges, the current activity of the MilVet SIG continues to work to raise awareness about the obstacles that lie in the path of delivering applied behavior analysis to a broader audience in the military and veteran population other than just those on the autism spectrum. We continued our grassroots approach to penetrating the DOD and the DVA in order to spread ABA to the MilVet community.

At the 2024 ABAI Annual Convention the SIG was involved in three activities. A new group of people, some active duty and others military spouses, attended the 2023 SIG meeting and have taken a very active role in the group. This continued during the year and at the 2024 ABAI convention. This is an exciting and significant landmark for the SIG given that immense barriers remain to opening doors within the DOD and the DVA.

Four members presented the symposium, “Behavior Analysis in the Military and Veteran Families: A Review of the History, Current Efforts, and Suggestions for the Future”– Abigail Calkin, Selena Kalapatapu Cruz, Joshua McQuillen, and Daniel Coe. The other events were the MilVet Sig poster at the EXPO, and the business meeting. The chair is pleased with the SIG’s membership growth. When Kent Corso and Abigail Calkin, then cochairs, first applied to be a SIG there were 14 members. The membership in 2016 was 50 members. One of the MilVet SIG members, Megan Miller, created a Facebook page on 28 May 2014, Behavior Analysis in Military and Veterans’ Issues SIG. The site, a closed group, grew to 86 members in its first year and as it approached the end of its second year, it then hosted 190 members – an increase of 220%. In 2024, membership stands at 719.

Other critical news includes Dr. Corso continuing to work on and lead more behaviorally based suicide prevention projects. He now conducts a third direct suicide prevention work in Wyoming with military and civilian communities. For several years, he has participated in dozens of projects with suicide prevention in the military. Dr. Corso has resigned as co-chair of the Behavior Analysis in Military and Veterans Affairs due to his workload on suicide prevention within the military. Dr. Calkin is now the sole chair.

The field of ABA can contribute much to evaluate functional communication deficits associated with TBI, improve the management of suicidal behavior and prevention programs, aid those with PTSD using the standard celeration chart to monitor individual and program changes, and offer occupational training for veterans and service members.

Membership in the Mil/Vet SIG is free and the SIG will continue its presence at future ABAI EXPOs. This remains a great opportunity to meet prospective members of the Mil/Vet SIG, current members, and the chair. Any parties interested in the MilVet SIG, contact Dr. Calkin at abc@abigailbcalkin.com.