Continuing Down the Road to Reintegration

de Carra S. Sims, Christine Anne Vaughan, Kayla M. Williams

"The U.S. Air Force (AF) wanted to gain greater insight into the well-being of its members who have sustained mental or physical injuries in combat or combat-related situations, with an eye toward improving services provided and enabling wounded airmen to become fully functioning members of society. It also wanted to take advantage of ongoing research into how best to do so. Areas of interest include quality of life and the challenges that will impede wounded veterans' reintegration after they leave AF. AF asked RAND Project AIR FORCE to help gauge the current status of AF's wounded warriors, including their use of and satisfaction with AF programs designed to serve them. The research team surveyed AF wounded warriors (wave 1) and published the results in 2015. This report presents the analysis of the second such survey, called wave 2. The team developed a notional model that drove a survey that assessed well-being on a range of critical indicators. These indicators included psychological health, social support, housing instability, and perceived financial security. They also included questions to assess AF services used, focusing on the AF Wounded Warrior, AF Recovery Care Coordinator, and Family Liaison Officer programs. Because the programs were established relatively recently, this longitudinal investigation represents an independent program evaluation to determine the array and extent of the needs of intended program recipients, assess how well the program meets these needs, and suggest ways to improve the programs"--Publisher's description.