Organizational Support involves the channeling of influence and resources in such a way that they encourage success of the model. Streamlined access to Expert Consultations and Guidelines facilitates practice of evidence-based care by all members of the treatment team. Information Technology can be employed towards endeavors such as population registries, appointment reminders, outcome tracking, and integrated care plans. Creating and maintaining Links to Outside Resources channels patients to

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... ervices their home system does not provide, e.g. parenting classes, athletic clubs and social organizations. In addition, ample evidence in the peer-reviewed literature indicates that CCMs can impact outcomes in veterans with mental health conditions treated in the VA healthcare system [17] . A report by the VA Evidence-based Synthesis Program (ESP) analyzing impact of integrated care models on medical outcomes for veterans "with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) found small but significant improvements" in function in two of the four studies analyzed [18] . Subjects carried diagnoses of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder, making them fundamentally different from RVs in terms of age, chronicity, and level of function. However, medical complexity and non-compliance with preventive care makes them comparable to the RV cohort in key respects. Abstract Background: Treatment of Returning Veterans (RVs) involves heterogeneous challenges including posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, and substance dependence. Individual RVs fall along a diagnostic and functional spectrum ranging from remarkably resilient to extremely impaired. Successful treatment requires systems capable of managing such complex, varied presentations and may require adaptations to meet the needs of this population. The Collaborative Chronic Care Model (CCM) may be useful in this regard. Methods: We interviewed 20 staff members at a large urban VA medical center who care for RVs to determine strengths and areas for improvement. We used qualitative methods to assess whether the CCM could be applied to organize care to serve RV needs and prevent chronicity. Results: Analysis of interview data and fit of emergent themes to CCM elements led to consensus that the CCM was likely to be an effective framework for organizing care of RVs provided certain adaptations are made. Need for adaptation was based on analysis of themes that did not match to CCM elements. Of these, "Unique Characteristics of RVs" and "Patient Engagement" were judged to be most essential to informing adaptations to the CCM. Conclusion: Results show the CCM as likely to to be an effective method of organizing care for this non-chronic population if expanded emphasis is placed on understanding unique population characteristics as a means of fostering patient engagement. Follow-up studies using RVs and other non-chronic populations as primary sources and testing of hypotheses at multiple sites would further clarify meaning and generalizability of these findings.