Reintegration Support and Why It Matters

By U.S. Public Health Service Lt. Cmdr. Dana Lee

DCoE licensed clinical social worker

Deployment support programs initially focused on the needs of service members in the pre-deployment phase as they trained and prepared for deployment. With the progression of combat operations during the past 11 years, our understanding of deployment-related challenges for service members, veterans and families is better understood, and the importance of the actual deployment and post-deployment phases is also more apparent.

Reintegration is the process of transitioning back into personal and organizational roles after a deployment. It’s often seen as a series of positive events as the service member reunites with family and friends. However, it can also be associated with increased tension and difficulties readjusting to stateside roles, new family routines and changes at work — all of which can affect a service member’s ability to transition smoothly back to home life.

We now know, it’s common for service members to return from a deployment changed, shaped by their experiences. To help improve our understanding of the issues service members and their families face post-deployment, Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) developed, “A Review of Post-Deployment Reintegration: Evidence, Challenges and Strategies for Program Development.” This report addresses the need for greater understanding of the factors that promote positive reintegration experiences and the importance of support resources during this process.

As important facilitators of the reintegration experience, military leaders, program managers and health care providers will benefit from recommendations that help them define and evaluate support resources across populations and services, a method currently lacking in consensus. A DCoE review of reintegration literature and support resources includes the following recommendations:

■Develop a cross-service, cross-agency definition and approach to reintegration policies and directives

■Implement an integrated approach to reintegration

■Improve access to behavioral health services, education and resources

■Conduct assessments of non-clinical needs (e.g., family support or counseling, finance assistance or counseling)

■Develop and implement reintegration assessment procedures and metrics

The Total Force Fitness model of readiness, resilience and performance informed the DCoE selection of information and resources on the reintegration process and relevant reintegration issues, and suggestions for further resource development to help service members and their families navigate the post-deployment period.

Undoubtedly, the challenges that today’s active-duty military members experience as they reintegrate to life stateside are unique and complex; even more so, for members of the reserve component. And as the military drawdown and plans to reduce the force continues to unfold, it’s now more important than ever for leaders at all levels to provide a unified, sustainable and integrated approach to support the reintegration needs of service members, veterans and families.