Disability Accommodations for Veterans
ACCESS welcomes our military-connected students to the SIUE and values your experiences and perspectives that you bring to our community. In partnership with the Office of Military and Veteran Services, we are here to support students by providing reasonable accommodations which meet your individual needs. There are laws in place that protect veteran students who may experience medical or mental health diagnoses such as traumatic brain injuries (TBI), hearing or vision loss, chronic pain or other physical or non-apparent diagnoses.
Even if you have not been determined to have a disability through the military or VA, you may still be eligible to receive services through ACCESS and we encourage you to speak with us to see what accommodations may be available based upon the functional impacts experienced and how it may create barriers to your educational pursuits. To begin the process, please apply today and fill out our application to the best of your ability. Once received, a member of the ACCESS staff will reach out for further dialogue regarding your concerns and ways in which we can help.
What if I don't have any documentation?
There are several resources available identified by Vance and Miller (2009) as being helpful for veteran students to gain access to their medical records and other documentation that could be requested by a postsecondary educational institution:
- Standard Form SF-180, Request Pertaining to Military Records - This form provides a student with the opportunity to obtain missing records. A student veteran may submit this form to The National Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records, 9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63132-5100.
- Recent student veterans can request their records.
- VA Form 105345a (May 2005). The form is the individuals’ request for a copy of their own health information. It allows a veteran to request his or her medical records. This form should be submitted to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Records Management Center, P.O. Box 5020, St. Louis, Missouri 63115-5020.
- ACCESS Accommodation Request - again, the best first step is registering with ACCESS. Every university has their own university-specific disability self-disclosure process. Ours is accessible 24/7 from any electronic or smart device connected to the internet. Once your request is received, a member of the ACCESS staff will reach out to schedule a follow up appointment to discuss your accommodation needs.
For more information, we also encourage you to visit the following links:
