A look at the first year of comprehensive case management at the Chez Veterans Center

The 2024-2025 academic year marked a pivotal moment for military-connected students at the University of Illinois. For the first time, the Chez Veterans Center implemented a comprehensive case management model—and the results tell a powerful story of connection, support, and student success.

The Numbers Tell a Story

Over the course of the academic year, the Center documented remarkable engagement with the military-connected student community:

• 1,161 physical visits from students seeking support and services.
• 282 unique students walked through the Center doors.
• 1,287 case management encounters ranging from quick check-ins to intensive support sessions.
• 217 unique students connected through the new case management system.

Perhaps most telling is this shift: the number of unique students we served this year increased by 25.89%. This suggests the Center is reaching a broader population while providing more targeted, individualized support.

Understanding the Challenges

There were four key areas where military-connected students consistently expressed a need for support:

Identity and Social Adjustment: The transition from military service to academic life presents unique developmental challenges. Students often report difficulty connecting with traditional college-age peers and adapting to civilian campus culture after structured military environments.

Competing Institutional Demands: Students serving in the Reserves and National Guard roles face the ongoing challenge of balancing military obligations with academic requirements, including drill weekends, training schedules, and deployment preparations.

Mental Health and Wellness: Students demonstrate varied approaches to addressing stress, anxiety, and adjustment challenges that often accompany major life transitions and academic pressures.

Financial Complexity and Benefits Navigation: Students frequently encounter challenges with the intricacies of military benefits, educational financing, and the various systems they must navigate simultaneously. The complexity of GI Bill benefits, Chapter 35 eligibility, scholarship coordination, and debt management creates significant stress for many students.

Measuring Success Through Service Delivery

The case management model proved effective across multiple service areas:

• 531 case management encounters focused on coordinated support planning
• 467 general support interactions addressing immediate student needs
• 99 benefits-related services helping students navigate VA and military systems
• 80 internal referrals connecting students to specialized services within the Center
• 77 external referrals linking students to campus and community resources

A Systemic Approach to Student Success

The Center’s evolution from a resource hub to a comprehensive support system demonstrates the value of proactive, coordinated intervention. Rather than waiting for students to reach crisis points, the case management model identifies needs early and connects students with appropriate resources and support networks.

This systematic approach has enabled staff to address both immediate presenting concerns and underlying systemic challenges that might otherwise impede academic success. The model recognizes that military-connected students often benefit from having a single point of contact who understands both military culture and higher education systems.

Looking Forward

The data reveals both the tremendous need within the military-connected student community and the measurable impact of responsive, coordinated support services. As the Center continues to refine its case management approach, these first-year findings provide a foundation for expanding evidence-based practices.

The Center’s commitment to data collection and analysis ensures that services continue to evolve based on actual student needs rather than assumptions about what support should look like.

For our alumni and broader community, this represents a significant advancement in the comprehensiveness and sophistication of support available to today’s military-connected students. The combination of accessible front-door services, scheduled appointments, and proactive case management creates multiple pathways for students to receive the support they need to succeed academically.