NEW GI BILL SIGNED INTO LAW
On the morning of June 30th, the President signed the GI Bill into law to provide increased educational benefits to OIF/OEF veterans. This is a huge success for Coalition organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), who has been working for over a year with lawmakers to pass the bill. The bill provides $63 billion over 10 years for college aid to military service members and veterans who served after September 11, 2001. The benefit value can in many cases fund a full four-year college education. It provides in-state tuition and fees for enrollment in public colleges, housing stipends and money for books. Those who have served for three years get full benefits, while those who serve less receive between 40 to 90 percent of the benefit. READ MORE »
Veterans Issue Area: Military and Veteran Families
What are the issues?
The American Psychological Association reports that “3 out of 5 service members have family responsibilities that include a legal spouse or children.” The toll of multiple deployments is felt by the family members at home as well. Some military families have support systems, while others may be isolated in civilian communities.
While service members are deployed for the Global War on Terror, their families at home need support and services from the American public. As service members leave their uniforms behind, their spouses or parents may become more involved advocates and caregivers in their care. The challenges of being the spouse, parent, child, or loved one of a combat veteran all too often go unseen and unnoticed by the civilian population. Multiple deployments are challenging for both the military member and their loved ones at home.
The responsibility of family members are not alleviated upon separation from the military; and in fact, the burden of care intensifies after the commitment to the military is complete. Given that the wait for health care and disability benefits can be long, even if received in the near term, families are ultimately responsible for the care of their veteran.
What the CIAV is doing:
Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) provides educational, recreational, social and religious programs and services for military personnel and their families.
California National Guard Family Program offers services focused on encouraging the well-being of the family, including: State Advocacy Program, Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), Emergency Placement Care, Family Member Employee Assistance Program, Relocation Assistance Program, Emergency Financial Assistance, Food Locker, Family Referral and Out Reach, and Consumer Affairs and Financial Assistance. Visit http://www.guardfamily.org/Public/Application/Welcome.aspx for more information.
Coming Home Project offers many free services such as psychological counseling, workshops and retreats, training for care providers, and community forums which address the mental, emotional, spiritual, and relationship challenges faced by veterans and their families. Click here to see a calendar of upcoming retreats and forums in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond: http://www.cominghomeproject.net/calendarch/
Fisher House Foundation donates “comfort homes” built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. Housing for families while the military members recuperate is a healing and integral part of recovery.
Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund has a Handbook for Families of a Deceased Servicemember to assist survivors by providing a brief summary of the resources available from the military and other government and private institutions, and a discussion of certain issues surviving family members are likely to confront.
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation provides financial assistance in the form of scholarships to children of current or former Marines in their pursuit of higher education. Find out more about eligibility requirements and deadlines here.
National Military Family Association (NMFA) provides a voice for military families. Their programs include fun activities for kids as well as practical services for spouses. Community members can also nominate military families to recognize their commitment and sacrifice.
Our Military Kids provides grants for enrichment activities and tutoring to foster and sustain development during parent deployment. Find out more about grant offerings and how to apply at www.ourmilitarykids.org/
Salvation Army’s Liberty Program in Los Angeles helps OIF/OEF active duty, veterans, Guard, Reserve, and their families by providing: individual, group & family counseling and a variety of services for children.
Scholarships for Military Children Program was created to celebrate the role of the commissary in the military family community. Dependent unmarried children under age 21 (23 if enrolled as a full time student) of active duty personnel, reserve/guard and retired military members, or survivors of deceased members, may apply for a scholarship. You must be planning to attend a college or university on a full-time basis.
Sesame Street Workshop offers free bilingual (English and Spanish) multimedia kits designed to support military families with children between the ages of two and five who are experiencing deployment, multiple deployments, or a parent’s return home changed due to a combat-related injury. To download a free kit, visit Military OneSource.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation’s Unmet Needs Program seeks to alleviate the stress on the family while a spouse is deployed through mortgage assistance, home repair, transportation assistance, help with medical expenses, etc.
Operation Uplink is a program of Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation which provides free prepaid phone cards to active-duty military personnel and hospitalized veterans.
United Through Reading Military Program allows deployed servicemembers to read to any child in his/her life (e.g. son or daughter, younger sibling, younger niece or nephew, grandchild) through video. To view their current list of available program site locations, visit their website at http://www.unitedthroughreading.org/united.htm.
Zero to Three’s Military Projects provide a wealth of resources to strengthen the resilience of young children and their families who are experiencing separation or grief during deployment or loss.
Veterans Issue Area: TBI
TBI
What is TBI?
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is caused by blunt force injury to the head and/or the concussive force of explosions which cause the brain to push against the skull. TBI results in a broad range of physical, cognitive, behavioral, emotional and social challenges. Diagnosis can be difficult because there need be no obvious injury or penetration of the skull and the symptoms are diffuse and mimic those of PTSD.
Indeed, PTSD and mild to moderate TBI are often co-occurring because the veteran remembers the trauma which resulted in the injury. For example: witnessing an IED explosion which killed and injured friends and peers. Survivors may appear normal but their memory is diminished; they act irrationally, lose their temper, and have difficulty maintaining concentration, family relationships and employment.
Prevalence: Recent screening of returning troops show that 20% of infantry and 10% of other troops have at least mild brain injury.
What the CIAV is doing:
Project Victory and the Memorial Hermann TIRR Challenge Program have joined together to provide rehabilitative care for military service members injured in OIF/OEF. TIRR’s Project Victory, seeks to enable soldiers with a traumatic brain injury regain skills and functions that were lost through their injury.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is dedicated to educating the public about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, advocating on behalf of those who have served, and fostering a community for troops, veterans, and their families. The IAVA has a comprehensive issues library on their website.
Check out their TBI research, as a veteran or advocate here.
Veterans Issue Area: National Guard and Reserves
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.
Veterans Issue Area: PTSD
PTSD
What is PTSD?
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a natural reaction to the extreme trauma and chaotic circumstances of war. For Iraq and Afghanistan veterans this can include trauma from combat, sexual assault, repeated deployments, and urban warfare. Symptoms may include: hypervigalence, loss of sleep, disassociation, flashbacks, numbing, and avoidance. Symptoms of PTSD may be onset or not appear for months or years after the traumatic event(s). The National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (NCPTSD) and the VA have resources that can help veterans and their families.
Prevalence: As of October 2007, over 100,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD or other mental health conditions. Women veterans are showing higher rates of PTSD, with nearly 3,800 treated for it in 2006 alone.
What the CIAV is Doing:
- ONE Freedom, Inc. www.onefreedom.org provides returning veterans and their families with meaningful education and training on prolonged stress, trauma, and personal, self-managed skill-sets for maintaining strength after service.
- The National Veterans Foundation, Inc. www.nvf.org manages and operates the nation’s only toll-free helpline for all veterans and their families as well as spotlights the needs of America’s veterans and provides much needed outreach services.
- New Directions, Inc. www.newdirectionsinc.org , like many of the members of the CIAV is made up of veterans helping veterans. They have licensed staff you can call 24/7, seven days a week with mental health concerns. If they can not help you, they will find someone who can.
