Expanding Veteran Sponsorship Initiative+ to help high-risk service members and veterans transition to civilian life using personalized risk tools
Official title: Expanding Veteran Sponsorship Initiative+ to Support High-Risk Transitioning Servicemembers and Veterans: A Precision Medicine Approach (PEC 24-113)
Run by VA Office of Research and Development · NCT07356492 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether matching soon-to-be-discharged service members and young veterans to VA-certified peer sponsors, guided by personalized risk predictions, helps reduce reintegration problems and suicide risk.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 2700 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | VA Office of Research and Development Federal |
| Locations | 1 site (The Bronx, New York) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | January 1, 2026 |
| Main results expected | September 30, 2027 |
| Study ends | September 30, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | January 21, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07356492 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Transitioning service members or veterans aged 18 or older who enroll before military discharge from a participating installation and whose Army STARRS score places them between low and acutely high risk (i.e., not low and not acute high risk).
✕Probably not a fit
Those identified as low risk or as acutely high risk by the Army STARRS score, or those who discharge outside participating sites or fail to enroll prior to discharge, are unlikely to benefit from this program.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
The program pairs transitioning service members and veterans with trained, VA-certified peer sponsors before discharge and connects them to community and VA stepped-care services. Researchers use predictive analytics (developed with Harvard collaborators) to prioritize who receives sponsorship and tailor support. Participants enroll prior to discharge from participating military installations and outcomes include reintegration measures, service engagement, depression, and suicide-related risk. The initiative is a large-scale implementation of an evidence-based peer sponsorship model augmented by precision-risk tools.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help at-risk service members get timely peer support and reduce suicide risk during the vulnerable first year after discharge.
How similar studies have gone: Early evaluations of the Veteran Sponsorship Initiative have shown promising improvements in reintegration, social support, VA engagement, and lower depression and suicide risk, while the precision-matching enhancement is a newer extension.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * TSMVs must be 18-years of age or older * Enroll prior to military discharge * Be planning to transition from one of the target military installations' included in the evaluation during an active enrollment window Exclusion Criteria: * The participants Army STARRS score cannot identify the TSMV as low risk nor as acute high risk for suicide
Where it's running
-
James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY
The Bronx, New York, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Joseph C Geraci, PhD — James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Joseph C Geraci, PhD
- Email: Joseph.Geraci@va.gov
- Phone: (718) 584-9000
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.