Difference between enlisted & officer ranks:
Enlisted: include persons with a GED, high school diploma, bachelor's, or advanced degree at any point of service prior to or while in service
Officer ranks: persons with a bachelor's degree or advanced degree -- are commissioned prior to beginning service
Is it okay to call anyone who serves "solider"?
No - "Soldier" only refers to members of the Army
Different branches have different names
Marine Corps = Marine
Navy = Seaman/Sailor
Air Force = Airman
Space Force = Guardians
Are all service members automatically enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare & Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits upon separation from service?
Everyone is eligible, but does not automatically indicate enrollment -- must apply for and engage with the VHA & VBA to determine eligibility, entitlement, and access to services/treatments and/or supports
Can any veteran join the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)?
Must meet specific requirements - 1) honorable service, 2) service in war, campaign, or expedition on foreign soil or in hostile waters
Active duty & reserves do not receive the same benefits post-service?
No - they receive similar benefits but not the same while service and post-service
Active Duty: an individual who is full-time employed and working for the Department of Defense (War) under a military contract
Transitioning Service Member (TSM): an individual who is preparing to separate from service
Veteran (V): an individual who has fully separated from service & is no longer on active duty, in the reserves or National Guard
Dependant(s): military family members including the spouse (military spouse/milspouse) & children
Military community: encompassing active duty, reserves, national guard, transitioning service member, & dependents
medical v. separated v. retired --> timeline to prepare
healthcare/health needs
education/training
employment opportunities
housing & food security
family needs & family support
identity shift
culture shock
loss of community & support
disability identity & adjustment
Expiration term of service/end active obligated service (honorable discharge)
VA Healthcare eligible
Retired (medical or time in service 20+ years)
VA Healthcare eligible
Tricare eligible (lifetime)
Conduct/ administrative separation (involuntary)
dishonorable/major offense
No VA or other healthcare benefits provided (being adjusted)
general (under honorable conditions)
possible VA healthcare eligible
AD
rank & respect, treatment in care
health & disability impact on career
stigma
transition from service & disability claims
family involvement in care
access to healthcare prior to the military
TSM/V
family experiences disability collectively
impact of separation from service
"status" in the military community
shame/guilt
whole family needs/priorities (Maslow's hierarchy of needs)
family member personal skepticism about care
For both AD & TSM/V, level of education & experience navigating systems where self-advocacy is required can impact help seeking behavior, engagement, & expected level of "respect"/perceived level of care
centered on the premise that disability is the physical or mental impairment of the person
does not take into consideration environmental or social factors
disability is something that needs to be fixed or changed
focused on finding treatment, care, remedies to "alleviate" the person of their disability
disability is the person's responsibility to pay for treatment, care, or needs
heavily rooted in the pharmaceutical & healthcare as a "business" that persons with disabilities should engage in, often not considering their wants/desires or best interest
deficit-based, focused on negative and/or challenging factors of disability
what a person cannot do vs. what a person can do - functional impact and/or limitations of the disability or condition
practical-based model
In military culture
military value while on active duty is rooted in physical fitness & capability
medical limited duty status and/or medical discharge can negatively impact a servicemember's perception of self & their potential long-term disability and/or condition
V can receive a disability rating from the Dept of VA
access to treatment & care is deeply centered on the VA rating system
Rating is expressed a % - representing how much your disability decreases your overall health & ability to function
VA rating % = functional impact of disability
centered on the person with a disability as a "victim"
need to be pitied, helpless, dependent on others
often about making others feel better about disabilities & "helping the less fortunate"
actions typically come from a medical model -- focused more on "fixing" the condition or unsolicited help
efforts under charity/tragedy center on charitable acts that don't always include disability voice/experience in resolutions or solutions o the problem
person with a disability is "helpless" and therefore, others need to take care of them or find solutions for them
In military culture:
avoid seeking services while in and after service, because they don't want to be seen as a charity case and/or needing handouts
well-intended organization use heart string media/events of veterans who "overcome it all" or are desperately "in need of help"
stigma of being seen as helpless or week, goes against "warrior ethos"
for some being a "disabled" veteran" is not a tragedy, it's just "doing their job"
disability is the result of moral actions of the individuals, parents, and/or ancestors
religious beliefs and/or superstitions
person is "at fault" under the religious/spiritual practices or beliefs, they deserve it
"praying away" disability as a "cure"
disability is seen as either a bad thing or a blessing/test
In military culture:
ethics and morals or war, combat, & service are highly complex
Veterans may be viewed as "deserving of their disability" per the military actions, depending on religious/spiritual beliefs of others
challenge of spiritual faith in service
acceptance/perception of their own disabilities based on their own religious/spiritual background
feeling they "deserved" what has happened
questioning where they went "wrong"
"gods way" of teaching them and/or punishing them
moral injury: the violation of deeply held beliefs as the result of personal actions by self, within the constraints of an institution, or by an institution
disability is the result of moral actions of the individuals, parents, and/or ancestors
religious beliefs and/or superstitions
person is "at fault" under the religious/spiritual practices or beliefs, they deserve it
"praying away" disability as a "cure"
disability is seen as either a bad thing or a blessing/test
In military culture:
ethics and morals or war, combat, & service are highly complex
Veterans may be viewed as "deserving of their disability" per the military actions, depending on religious/spiritual beliefs of others
challenge of spiritual faith in service
acceptance/perception of their own disabilities based on their own religious/spiritual background
feeling they "deserved" what has happened
questioning where they went "wrong"
"gods way" of teaching them and/or punishing them
moral injury: the violation of deeply held beliefs as the result of personal actions by self, within the constraints of an institution, or by an institution
was created in response to the medical & charity/tragedy models by Mike Oliver in 1983
disability is centered on the social and/or environmental factors rather than by their own disability or condition
emphasizes looking beyond the person and at the larger barriers in societal practices of environments that limit a person's ability to engage fully
influenced universal design practices, considerations for disability laws, & creating more points of access & inclusion
In military culture:
Veterans who acquire disabilities through military service join the greater disability community
disability or condition may be exacerbated by the societal & environmental barriers
ex. veteran using a wheelchair may need a ramp and/or chair lift but locations without such options create the disabling barrier more so than their condition
veterans are adjusting to late-in-life and/or acquired disabilities
often do not know about this model and operate from the medical model
not aware of their rights as a person with a disability/being part of the larger protected class
Human Rights - includes societal attitudes, systemic barriers, & inequitable structures which can contribute to disabling a person
disability is per
centered on disability culture & community - disability experience results in shared experienced and ways to connect with one another
disability culture/community at large and within each disability type of persons other intersectionality with disability (e.g. disabled veterans)
gives ownership of disability-first or person-first language for how they identity
person with disability
disabled person
"disability type" person
embraces components of each of the other models-
understanding for seeking care/treatment should a person need and/or want to seek it
engaging with resources, supports, and programs
knowing personal rights and developing advocacy skills
In military culture:
ways veterans may identity that is different than other persons who use identity-first language
may not identify as disabled (despite having disabilities/conditions)
service-connected veteran/rated veteran
% - this veteran
do you rate high enough to identify as "disabled"
Purple Heart Veteran
some don't see disability outside of combat worthy of discussion or acknowledgement
Disabled Veteran vs. Disabled Person
each branch of service has their own culture
identity can strongly tie to branch of service and the unit they served with
The ways in which a disability may change, alter, or limit how you function in daily life, school, & work
functional impacts vary from individual to individual but often have commonalities
impacts may be immediate or progressive/ongoing
impacts may different depending on the setting, demand, & existing accommodations
knowing how to talk about functionla impacts is important because this knowledge is part of being a self-advocate in helathcare, daily functioning, learning & work environments as well as directly related to workplace or educationla accommodations
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Accommodations: services, items, and/or adjustments made so that a person has equal access to environments, information, and task-completion
individual is expected to be their own advocate and to know what they need for accommodations
must be the one to request accommodations -- not automatically granted
How to request accommodations
Higher Ed: Office for students with disabilities/Disability office, or 504/ADA Coordinator
Work: HR, 504/ADA coordinator, equal employment opportunity (EEO) office
VR: program that supports persons who have significant barriers to obtaining competitive employment because of their disability
always includes a meeting with a trained counselor who understands disabilities and functional impact
counselor will consider the functional impacts and desired career goal when developing an employment plans
Reemployment track - veteran with service-connected disability - help return to your former job & support your employer in meeting your needs
Rapid access to reemployment track - finding a job or career that uses your existing skill set, track can help your with your job search
Self-employment track - most difficult to go through - service member or veteran with a service-connected disability and employment barriers, track can help you start your own business
Employment through long-term services track - have a service-connected disability and employment barriers, can help get the education or training needed to find work in a different field
Independent living track - can't return to work right away, can qualify for services that can help you live as independently as possible
National Resource Directory: https://nrd.gov/
Home Base | Mass General Hospital, Boston MA: https://homebase.org/
Warrior Care Network: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/programs/warrior-care-network
Road Home | Rush Memorial Hospital, Chicago IL
Veterans Program | Emory Healthcare, Atlanta GA
Operation Mend | UCLA Health, Los Angeles CA
Disabled American Veterans: https://www.dav.org/
Paralyzed Veterans of America: https://secure.pva.org/
Wounded Warrior Project: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
PB Abbate: https://www.pbabbate.org/home-0
Dead Reckoning Collective: https://deadreckoningco.com/
VET S.O.S Podcast: https://vetsospodcast.com/
Home Improvements/Structural Alterations (HISA) Grant: https://www.prosthetics.va.gov/psas/HISA2.asp
Specialty Adaptive Housing (SAH) and Special Home Adaptation (SHA) Grant:
Home Base | Mass General Hospital, Boston MA: https://homebase.org/
Blue Star Families: https://bluestarfam.org/
Veterans Affairs Family/Dependent Resources: https://choose.va.gov/family-members
Veterans Affairs Caregiver Program: https://www.caregiver.va.gov
Dept. Veterans Affairs Healthcare - https://www.va.gov/health-care/eligibility/
Dept. Veterans Affairs Benefits – https://benefits.va.gov/benefits/
Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) – https://www.benefits.va.gov/vocrehab/index.asp
Vet Center - https://www.va.gov/springfield-ma-vet-center/
Veterans Inc - https://www.veteransinc.org/
Home Base - https://homebase.org/
Blue Star Families - https://bluestarfam.org/
NE Chapter - https://bluestarfam.org/chapters/new-england/
VFW -https://www.vfw.org/
Florence, South Hadley, Belchertown, Easthampton, etc Find a Post - VFW
American Legion - https://www.legion.org/
Marine Corps League - Marine Corps League – Marine Corps League
Westfield Chapter - http://www.mclwrv141.com/
Military Culture Training for Providers: https://psycharmor.org
Community Provider Toolkit: https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/communityproviders
Self-awareness Assessment for Providers (to support cultural competence): https://deploymentpsych.org/self-awareness-exercise
Military Culture Learning Modules: https://deploymentpsych.org/military-culture-course-modules
Extensive list of vetted questions to ask service members/veterans: https://deploymentpsych.org/system/files/member_resource/MCT_M04_cultural_vital_signs_final-8oct13.pdf
War & Homecoming: Veteran Identity and the Post-9/11 Generation by Dr. Travis L. Martin (Army)
Once a Marine: An Iraq War Tank Commander's Inspirational Memoir of Combat, Courage, and Recovery by Gunnery Sergeant Nick Popaditch (USMC)
God is Not Here: A Soldier's Struggle with Torture, Trauma, and the Moral Injuries of War by Lieutenant Bill Russell Edmonds (Army)
Combat Stress Injury, by Charles Figley (USMC) and William P. Nash (Navy)
Rock Eater, by Mason Rodrigue (USMC)
Odysseus in America, by Jonathan Shay, M.D., Ph.D.
Achilles in Vietnam, by Jonathan Shay, M.D., Ph.D.
Trauma and Recovery, by Judith Herman, M.D.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D
VET S.O.S Podcast – host Shawn Welsh (Army)
Lessons Learned from Veterans, host Lori Norris
Tango Alpha Lima Podcast, produced by the American Legion
Herb Thompson (Army) – military transition & self-awareness
Jill Hinton Wolfe (Army) – veteran identity & disability adjustment
Alfredo Torres (Navy) – military transition & mental health
Dr. Theresa Larson, DPT (USMC) – adaptive fitness & wellness
Amber Kulesza (Air Force) – disability travel & adventuring resources