Civilian Social Work: Serving the Military and Veteran Populations (Report)

Media coverage highlighting service delivery problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center has led to heightened public scrutiny and congressional oversight regarding the care provided to returning Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) service members and their families. A multitude of factors may have contributed to the breakdown of services at one of the U.S. military's premier medical facilities, and it would be shortsighted to believe that military and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities are solely responsible for the challenges faced by returning service members and their families. Although U.S. military operations in the Middle East began in October 2001, clear leadership has not emerged for civilian social workers regarding their role in supporting the needs of returning service members, veterans, and their families. NASW's (2003) Peace and Social Justice policy statement includes a call to "continue using qualified professional social workers to serve the armed forces and military dependents to ensure that a high priority is given to human values and social welfare needs in those settings" (pp. 268-269). Nevertheless, the social work literature provides little practical guidance to civilian social workers on how best to serve the military and veteran populations. Social work organizations have failed to emphasize or disseminate information and tools to aid social workers in assisting a population in need of social work services. Finally, universities preparing social workers have done little to integrate content on this special population into the social work curriculum. Given that our country has been at war for nearly eight years, the deficit in guidance and paucity of research promulgated by the social work profession is alarming. As practitioners bound by a set of core principles emphasizing service, social justice, and competence, social workers must acknowledge the factors affecting the health and well-being of military and veteran families and integrate this knowledge into practice. This article describes some of the current challenges facing military and veteran clients and their families, highlighting opportunities for civilian social workers to address these challenges.