National Guard and Reserves
What are the issues?
Approximately 45% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are National Guard and Reserve. Throughout our Nation’s history, National Guard members have been called upon to respond to domestic duties under the jurisdiction of their individual states; the Reserve Forces serve their Nation when called upon, but are know as “weekend warriors,” not accustomed to serving continuously with active duty. As a result, Guard and Reserve have had little familiarity with VA resources. While Reserve and Guard who are activated and serve in Iraq and Afghanistan are eligible for VA benefits, many have difficulty securing those benefits because of a general lack of knowledge.
When National Guard and Reserve are called to duty, they are given a very short time period to transition out of their civilian lifestyle and employment before serving stateside or deploying. After a tour of duty, which can last up to 15 months at a time, the Weekend Warriors and National Guard are then thrown back into the civilian sector, with no adjustment time afforded them. National Guard members usually stop receiving pay and numerous benefits within two weeks of returning home. Even if the solider successfully regains his or her previous employment, the lack of a proper period of time for a solider to decompress in order to successfully re-enter civilian society can contribute to future employment instability.
Moreover, National Guardsmen returning home often do not reside near the men and women they served thereby limiting the amount of peer support. These veterans and their families also have had difficulty securing post deployment support systems because they typically do not live in a military community. They and their families are isolated in civilian communities where few understand the stresses of deployment and few are aware of military/veteran specific issues and resources.
What the CIAV is doing:
The California National Guard Financial Assistance Fund (CNGFAF) was developed to help California National Guard Members who have financial difficulties because of their deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
The Michigan National Guard Family Fund assists Air and Army National Guard families who experience financial difficulties with temporary emergency financial assistance, and to fund programs and training to maintain and improve the quality of life of Michigan Naitonal Guard Families.
Our Military Kids, Inc. provides tangible support to the children of deployed and severely injured National Guard and Military Reserve personnel through grants for enrichment activities and tutoring that nurture and sustain the children during the time a parent is away in service to our country.
