Employing America's Veterans: Perspectives from Businesses

Employment is an important aspect of reintegration into civilian society for many transitioning service members. Despite general American goodwill and intent to support veterans, many companies must emphasize business-related reasons to hire veterans. Thus, any effort to improve veteran employment outcomes must consider employer perspectives and the institutions and processes in place to facilitate and incentivize the hiring of veterans.This report provides empirical data representing the experiences of 69 companies of varying size, location and industry. In this report, the authors discuss to what extent, and for what reasons, employers think it is good business to hire veterans. Additionally, from the experiences of those employers who hesitate or have concerns about hiring veterans, Harrell and Berglass also describe the challenges to veteran employment and make recommendations for policy changes to improve the employment situation of veterans

Losing the Battle: The Challenges of Military Suicide

This report, by Dr. Margaret Harrell, CNAS Senior Fellow and Director of the Joining Forces Initiative, and Nancy Berglass, CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow, suggests that the health of the all-volunteer force is dependent on our nation's ability to take care of its service members and veterans.According to the report, "Suicide among service members and veterans challenges the health of America's all-volunteer force." From 2005 to 2010, service members took their own lives at a rate of approximately one every 36 hours. This tragic phenomenon reached new extremes when the Army reported a record-high number of suicides in July 2011 with the deaths of 33 active and reserve component service members reported as suicides. Additionally, the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates 18 veterans die by suicide each day. Yet the true number of veterans who die by suicide, as Harrell and Berglass point out, is unknown. As more American troops return home from war, this issue will require increasingly urgent attention. Harrell and Berglass present a number of concrete policy recommendations that will help reduce the number of service member and veteran suicides, including establishing an Army unit cohesion period; removing the congressional restriction on unit leaders discussing personally owned weapons with service members; and increasing coordination between the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to improve the analysis of veteran suicide data. Despite the efforts of the DOD and the VA to address military suicide, obstacles remain, and policymakers must bring a renewed urgency to their efforts if America is to both honor the sacrifices made by the all-volunteer force and protect its future health and ability to defend the nation

Investing in the Best: How to Support the Nonprofits that Serve Veterans, Service Members and Their Families

Over 2.4 million men and women who have fought the most protracted wars in American history are coming home to rejoin their families, neighborhoods, workplaces and communities. Most will return with skills and talents that will enhance the quality of life in their communities and continue to serve the nation. Some will bear scars both visible and invisible, and face needs that were previously unknown. For those veterans and their families who need support, a broad range of nonprofit organizations stands ready to help.Yet, donors who wish to support the most effective organizations that help meet the needs of veterans and the military community face a staggering array of choices. There are over 40,000 nonprofit organizations in the United States with missions that specifically focus on the needs of service members, veterans and their families. Meanwhile, thousands of organizations with broader aims also offer programs that serve this population. Given this range, it can be difficult to determine which organizations operate most effectively and would best serve veterans, given additional philanthropic support

Well After Service: Veteran Reintegration and American Communities

Most veterans successfully transition out of uniform and into civilian life. However, some recent veterans face service-related challenges, and there is no government agency, program or mechanism that properly and holistically addresses their wellness. Instead, communities across America, many of which are unfamiliar with the military and service-related needs, are left to support those recent veterans that need assistance reintegrating into civilian life.This report begins with a new definition of veteran wellness, a concept that differs from both military wellness and civilian wellness. The authors also analyze the efforts of current community-based models for delivering services to veterans. Building upon this new understanding of wellness and the best practices of community-based models, the authors outline a new framework for stakeholders, including government agencies, policymakers, community leaders and business, offering concrete recommendations for how the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs and community-based and private organizations can work together successfully to reintegrate veterans into civilian society

Serving Those Who Have Served: Santa Barbara County Veterans Assessment

This assessment focuses on the veteran population of Santa Barbara County. This assessment presents a comprehensive review of the pertinent demographic and landscape data, for important context, and provides observations about qualitative findings that may inform improvements to policies, systems, and organizations, in service to addressing the needs of those who have served. Where possible, this paper distinguishes between issues facing veterans that are service connected, and issues that affect veterans which may have little or no relation to service. Where appropriate, data, observations and recommendations pertain to active or reserve service members, military families, and/or veterans' families, however the focus of this assessment is specifically on veterans, not those currently serving or the family members of service members or veterans