National Guard and Reserve Members:Returning to Work from War

Jennifer Bornemann, M.S.S.W. Lieutenant, United States Public Health Service

Reserve Components of the U.S. Armed Forces

Reserve Components of the U.S. Armed Forces

Federal State

National Guard Reserves

* National Guard is subordinated to the states except when called into federal service by the President of the United States or as provided for by law.

Unique Activations as of 07 June 2011

Source: Produced by the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC)

Demographic Summary

Age 41% between the ages of 21 - 30

Gender 82% male

Education 38% at least some college

Marital Status 54% married

Officer Status 85% Enlisted

Race/Ethnicity 66% white, non-Hispanic

Who Are They?

Please note that all photographs are used by permission from Nina Berman, Photographer.

Active Duty vs Reserves

While Reserve units are combat-trained and can be deployed overseas like Active Duty Service Members, they are just as likely to serve in their home communities

So What Happens When They Return from Deployment?

Unlike Active Duty, Reservists transition back to civilian world, including their civilian workplaces

Civilian Employment Status

60.8%

8.5%0.1%

8.7%

21.9%Full Time

Part Time

Specialized Volunteer

Student

Not Employed/Not a Student

Source: CEI 2010, DMDC – represents 70% Selected Reserves

Issues of Reintegration into the Workplace for the Reservist

• More frequent and longer deployments with less advance notification

• Resultant changes in health, functionality, attitude, or world view

• Time needed for return to prior job performance level

• Stability of employment and career progression

• Relationship issues

• Societal attitudes about military service

Psychological and Behavioral Outcomes May Affect Work Performance

• PTSD or other anxiety disorder• Depression • Substance abuse• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)• Adjustment disorder• Alterations in attitude or world view

Issues of Reintegration into the Workplace for the Employer

• Treatment or job support needs

• Short and long term

• Timing of outreach and member readiness to utilize

services

• Usefulness of treatment or job support services

• Added demands on employers

• Productivity and state of the economy

• Retraining or work accommodations

Looking Forward…

• Some companies are aligning resources with the needs of the service members/veterans

• Wall Street jobs are a challenge as the skills needed are interpersonal and cognitive

• America’s Heroes at Work and Military OneSource are two of many resources assisting returning service members and their employers

• Bottom line: There is very little information regarding the success of work reintegration – more needs to be done

SummationThe return of National Guard and Reserve members to their workplace creates a challenging problem in terms of service delivery. So… what do we need to do next?

Collaborate Create new partnerships

Employ strategic thinking

Rethink current service delivery models

Eliminate stigma

Research

Questions