The ‘difficulty of reintegrating into civilian life’ is a key reason for high suicide numbers among military members, academic paper says.
A sizable number of military personnel transitioning to civilian life are left uninformed about mental health assistance available to them because of inefficiencies in the military’s communication system, according to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
The Department of Defense conducts an “inTransition”
program connecting military personnel with mental health care services during their transition, such as relocating to another assignment, leaving the military, or returning from deployment.
The GAO found drawbacks in the program’s automatic enrollment process for personnel transitioning to civilian life. Many of these automatic enrollees were never informed of being enrolled in inTransition, according to the July 15 report.
In 2022, the program failed to get in touch with 72 percent of the automatic enrollees, the GAO found. Out of the 72 percent, 66 percent were accounted for as personnel who didn’t answer or return calls from the inTransition program. The remaining 6 percent couldn’t be contacted.
Failure to inform automatic enrollees is a major issue because such enrollments account for 85 percent of the inTransition enrollments.
“Program officials explained that the program’s method of outreach—telephone calls—may help explain the program’s difficulty in successfully connecting with its automatically enrolled service members because cold calls are an outdated form of communication,” the report stated.
“Expanding its outreach methods—such as through email, text, or the use of location services—could improve the program’s ability to successfully connect with its enrollees and potentially increase participation in the program.”
Service members transitioning to civilian life are automatically enrolled if they received mental health or traumatic brain injury care a year before their separation from the military.
It was found that the program enrolls people automatically two to three months after they are separated.
“This delayed timing may leave a gap in assistance to mental health services during a vulnerable period,” GAO said.
The report also questioned a lack of performance targets for the inTransition program. The agency suggested that establishing performance goals could improve outreach efforts.
The Defense Department didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time.
Military Suicides, Transition Struggles
A 2021 academic
paper estimates that there were 30,177 suicides among active duty personnel and veterans post-9/11. This is more than four times the number of service members who died in war operations during this period (7,057).
The paper attributed the suicide numbers to “high exposure to trauma, stress, military culture and training, continued access to guns, and the difficulty of reintegrating into civilian life.”
“In the post-9/11 era, the rise of improvised explosive devices (IED), the attendant rise in traumatic brain injuries (TBI), the war’s protracted length, advances in medical treatment that keep service members in the military longer, and the American public’s disinterest in the post-9/11 wars, have greatly contributed to increased suicide rates.”
According to a 2019
survey by the Pew Research Center, more than a quarter of veterans said they found it “very” or “somewhat” difficult to readjust to civilian life. The share was higher among post-9/11 veterans, with 48 percent sharing such a view.
Only about half of the respondents said they were “very” or “somewhat” well prepared by the military to transition to civilian life. Roughly four out of 10 post-9/11 veterans said the government didn’t give them enough help.
Finding a job in the civilian market is another challenge that former military personnel face.
“Military-to-civilian transition is the most fraught” for many service members as it requires them to make key decisions on where to settle down and what jobs to undertake, according to a June 11
report by the RAND research organization.
The group analyzed several federal military-to-civilian employment programs and found that very little support was given to help veterans “translate their military skills to the civilian labor market.”
Most of the government programs were focused on retraining, upskilling, or further education—which could take months or years to complete.
“However, many veterans want or need to move directly into employment,” the report said.
US Military Fails to Inform Personnel About Mental Health Care Services: GAO
A sizable number of military personnel transitioning to civilian life are left uninformed about mental health assistance available to them because of inefficiencies in the military’s communication system, according to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
The GAO found drawbacks in the program’s automatic enrollment process for personnel transitioning to civilian life. Many of these automatic enrollees were never informed of being enrolled in inTransition, according to the July 15 report.
In 2022, the program failed to get in touch with 72 percent of the automatic enrollees, the GAO found. Out of the 72 percent, 66 percent were accounted for as personnel who didn’t answer or return calls from the inTransition program. The remaining 6 percent couldn’t be contacted.
Failure to inform automatic enrollees is a major issue because such enrollments account for 85 percent of the inTransition enrollments.
“Program officials explained that the program’s method of outreach—telephone calls—may help explain the program’s difficulty in successfully connecting with its automatically enrolled service members because cold calls are an outdated form of communication,” the report stated.
“Expanding its outreach methods—such as through email, text, or the use of location services—could improve the program’s ability to successfully connect with its enrollees and potentially increase participation in the program.”
Service members transitioning to civilian life are automatically enrolled if they received mental health or traumatic brain injury care a year before their separation from the military.
It was found that the program enrolls people automatically two to three months after they are separated.
“This delayed timing may leave a gap in assistance to mental health services during a vulnerable period,” GAO said.
The report also questioned a lack of performance targets for the inTransition program. The agency suggested that establishing performance goals could improve outreach efforts.
Military Suicides, Transition Struggles
A 2021 academic paper estimates that there were 30,177 suicides among active duty personnel and veterans post-9/11. This is more than four times the number of service members who died in war operations during this period (7,057).The paper attributed the suicide numbers to “high exposure to trauma, stress, military culture and training, continued access to guns, and the difficulty of reintegrating into civilian life.”
“In the post-9/11 era, the rise of improvised explosive devices (IED), the attendant rise in traumatic brain injuries (TBI), the war’s protracted length, advances in medical treatment that keep service members in the military longer, and the American public’s disinterest in the post-9/11 wars, have greatly contributed to increased suicide rates.”
Only about half of the respondents said they were “very” or “somewhat” well prepared by the military to transition to civilian life. Roughly four out of 10 post-9/11 veterans said the government didn’t give them enough help.
Finding a job in the civilian market is another challenge that former military personnel face.
The group analyzed several federal military-to-civilian employment programs and found that very little support was given to help veterans “translate their military skills to the civilian labor market.”
Most of the government programs were focused on retraining, upskilling, or further education—which could take months or years to complete.
“However, many veterans want or need to move directly into employment,” the report said.
Multi-Family Building Permits Up 22 Percent
More Than 10,000 Pounds of Meat Products Recalled in 4 US States
Existing Home Sales Register Largest Annual Jump in More Than 3 Years: Report
Lithium Battery Incidents on US Flights Occur Weekly on Average, FAA Data Show