Working with Veterans in the Community: The Role of Military Identity and Reintegration

There are currently over 22 million veterans living in the United States and over 2.7 million service members who have been deployed since 9/11.  As of 2013, there were about 9 million veterans enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System.  That would mean that the majority of veterans are getting health care services in the community.  It is imperative that community social workers have a working knowledge of military culture and a conceptual understanding of reintegration to best serve this population as they will inevitably work with a veteran.

Reintegration is a term that is used for both the event; when the service member leaves the military to live in the civilian sector and a process; the impact of military service over the lifespan.  For some military personnel, reintegration happens over and over again with each deployment.  An understanding of reintegration, how it is evaluated and the impact it can have on developmental stages over the lifespan is necessary when considering treatment options for military personnel and his or her family.

This roundtable discussion will begin with an overview of the military and military culture and how a veteran’s military experience can shape one’s identity.  Presenters will focus on signature physical and mental health issues of each of the eras of military conflict; WWII, Vietnam, Gulf War, peace keeping efforts and Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn. Using system theory and Erikson’s developmental stages, the role of reintegration will be discussed as both an event and a process.  Finally, guidelines for assessment, evidence based practices and programs available to veterans and their families will be discussed.  Our goal is to provide community based social workers a working knowledge of military culture and strategies for working with veterans and his or her family members in the community.