Appendix A. Recruitment Letter

Appendix A – Recruitment Letter

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Veterans Benefits Administration

Washington, D.C. 20420

SUBJECT: Invitation to Provide Feedback on the VR&E Longitudinal Study Survey

DEAR FIRST LAST:

Thank you for participating in the Veterans Readiness & Employment (VR&E) Longitudinal Study. I am writing to ask for your help to improve the survey for the VR&E Longitudinal Study.

As stated in Public Law 110-389 Sec. 334, Congress has asked VR&E to complete a 20-year Longitudinal Study that assesses the progress of Veterans who have participated in the VR&E Chapter 31 program. The purpose of the study is to monitor the effectiveness of this program so that we can find ways to improve it and increase the support we provide to Veterans. We are looking for your help in making improvements to the survey questions.

I am inviting you to participate in an interview that will ask you to review the survey questions and provide feedback about the questions and response options. Our goal is to make sure the survey is clear and understandable. We will use your answers, feedback, and comments during the interview to revise the survey questions. You do not have to be currently participating in the VR&E program to participate. Your participation will help us improve the VR&E longitudinal study survey.

The interview will take about 60 minutes to complete and you will receive a $50 electronic Amazon gift card for your time. The interview will take place virtually using Microsoft Teams video conferencing software. The interviewer will guide you through each question on the survey.

Your participation in this interview is completely voluntary. If you decide not to participate, it will not affect your participation in the VR&E program, the services you receive from the VR&E program, or any current or future benefits you may apply for. You can choose to stop participation at any time.

If you are interested in participating, please reply to this email or call us at 1-855-731-0398 to leave a message with your name and the best telephone number to reach you. Someone will follow-up with you directly about participating in the interview. Please understand that we may not be able to interview everyone who expresses interest.

I hope you agree to participate in this very important interview. Thank you for your service to our country!

Sincerely,

Nick Pamperin

Executive Director, Veteran Readiness and Employment Service

Copy of Public Law (see https://VREstudy.org/Public_Law.pdf)