National Guard & Reserve

Each world has its own pace, language and expectations. Some people feel most like themselves in uniform, then a little lost the rest of the month. Others feel the opposite.

Things that help

• A short routine to “switch over” after drill, like a drive with music or a walk
• Keeping a shared family calendar for drill, training and orders
• Telling family what kind of day you had, even briefly
• Planning a rest day after long training

Without a base nearby, it can be hard to find people who “get it”. Civilian friends may not know what a deployment or state mission asked of you.

Staying in touch with people from your unit between drills can make a big difference.

Knowing you could be called up, for a deployment or a disaster at home, can be stressful for you and your family. Having a plan ready can ease some of that worry.

Under the 2016 law, anyone eligible for reserve component retirement benefits is considered a veteran, even if they were never activated on federal orders for more than 180 days outside of training.

The change is an honor. It doesn’t add new retirement benefits.

For VA health care, current and former Guard and Reserve members must have been called to active duty by a federal order and completed the full period. Active duty for training only does not qualify.

Rules can be complex. Even if you aren’t sure, ask. Other kinds of support, below, don’t depend on this.

The Veterans Crisis Line serves National Guard and Reserve members, whether or not you are enrolled with VA. Vet Centers say they look for reasons to qualify people rather than turn them away.

In that study, concerns about relationship conflict grew fourfold between the first and second screening, and many soldiers reported concerns about alcohol.

Reserve component soldiers who were back in civilian life were referred for care more often. The researchers said this could reflect worries about keeping health coverage.

• Check what health coverage you have, and when it changes
• Keep in touch with people from your deployment
• Notice changes in sleep, temper or drinking
• Take the post-deployment health checks seriously
• Ease back into work and family roles over weeks, not days

Responding where you live can mean helping neighbors, seeing familiar places destroyed, or worrying about your own home and family while on duty. Those mixed feelings are normal.

After a hard mission

• Talk it through with people who were there
• Give yourself rest before jumping back into work
• Notice if images or sounds keep coming back
• Reach out if sleep, mood or drinking change

Vet Center counseling is open to Guard and Reserve members who served on active duty in response to a national emergency or major disaster declared by the president, or under a governor’s orders in response to a disaster or civil disorder in that state.

Vet Center services are free and confidential.

The National Guard Psychological Health Program supports Guard members and families with any psychological health need. Directors assess what you need and connect you with qualified local help.

Care itself is received through TRICARE, the Veterans Health Administration or private insurance through a civilian employer. You can look up your state’s program on Military OneSource.

Military OneSource serves National Guard and reserve members regardless of activation status. It offers free, confidential counseling options and support around the clock.

Vet Centers serve Guard and Reserve members who served in a combat theater, experienced MST, or served in disaster or emergency missions. Current Reserve members in a drilling status with a service-related behavioral health concern can also qualify.

Family members can join when it supports the service member’s goals. Call 1-877-927-8387, 24/7.

Qualified Selected Reserve members and their families can buy TRICARE Reserve Select coverage. Individual Ready Reserve members don’t qualify.

If you completed federal active-duty orders, you may be eligible for VA health care. In a mental health emergency, you can go to any VA medical center.

Military OneSource and Vet Centers offer confidential counseling. The Guard Psychological Health Program says its services are tailored to your needs and connect you with local help.

Ask any counselor at the start how your information is shared, so you know what to expect.

DoD says service members can self-refer for mental health evaluations under the Brandon Act, and it has expanded telehealth options.

You can choose what to share at work. If your workplace has an employee assistance program, ask what private counseling it offers. It can help to plan what you’ll say if you need time off for appointments.

• Check in by text or call between drills, not just on drill weekends
• Notice who stops showing up or goes quiet
• Leaders: talk openly about mental health and share where to get help
• Follow up after hard missions and deployments

Because Guard units often don’t have mental health staff built in, members looking out for each other matters even more.

• Ask returning employees what would help, and listen
• Allow flexible time for appointments
• Make your employee assistance program easy to find
• Welcome them back without expecting them to pick up exactly where they left off

• Ask: “Are you thinking about killing yourself?” Asking does not put the idea in their head.
• Help put time and distance between them and firearms during hard times.
• Listen without judging.
• Call the Veterans Crisis Line together: dial 988 then press 1. It serves Guard and Reserve members too.

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988
• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741
• Military OneSource: 800-342-9647, 24/7
• Vet Center Call Center: 1-877-927-8387, 24/7
• Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255

If you serve in another country’s reserve forces, ask your country’s defense or veterans’ agency what support exists. Veterans: coming home & life after service lists lines in the UK, Canada and Australia, including services for reservists.

Findahelpline.com lists free, confidential helplines in many countries, searchable by country and topic.