What Happened?
An Indiana town recently approved a pay ordinance to provide financial support to full-time town employees who take a leave of absence to serve in the military. The town will pay the subsidy for up to two years of service.
Goal
The Highland Town Council in Indiana recently approved a pay ordinance that will provide full-time town employees with supplemental income while they are serving in the military. The town will provide additional income to these military families so the employees can receive 100 percent of their pay for up to two years while serving, the Post-Tribune reported.
Prior to the passing of the new ordinance, Highland had a policy in place that provides Indiana National Guard members to receive their full public employee pay for 15 days while on active duty or training. This was provided to military personnel and their families without requiring the employees to use any vacation days to cover an absence associated with training or serving in the military, the Post-Tribune reported.
The new pay ordinance, by comparison, has the town supplement the public employee’s military salary to make up the difference when he or she is called to serve for more than 15 days. The subsidy will last for up to two years, the Post-Tribune reported.
Peer Support
Another way communities are offering support for residents in the military is by providing key services to help them transition back when returning home. According to Harvard researchers, one-third of the 2.6 million veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with a mental illness such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety or depression, KCUR reported.
The costs associated with treating PTSD alone can surpass $28 million annually, underscoring a need for easy access to treatment and resources for returning veterans. One solution proposed - the Clay Hunt SAV Act – calls for a peer support and community outreach program specifically designed for veterans. The program would include an interactive website where veterans could find resources in their local communities to help with a variety of challenges such as mental health, employment and education opportunities.
In addition, the program would offer student loan repayment for psychiatrists who work at the VA to ensure enough professionals are available for returning veterans. The VA and the U.S. Department of Defense would evaluate all healthcare professionals treating veterans and enforcing suicide prevention programs at least once a year to ensure optimal efficacy in quality of care.
Aiding the Military
Many towns across the country are participating in federal programs to provide support and assistance to service men and women, as well as their families. The Strengthening our Military Families initiative is an interdepartmental effort to gather governmental resources to support military families through coordinated programs and assistance. Some of the programs include:
- Protecting Civil Rights of Service Members
- Funding Veterans’ Court Training
- Providing Mentoring and Educational Resources for Children in Military Families
- Offering Student Aid for Veterans
Furthermore, several major cities such as Washington, D.C., and Louisville are constructing housing developments for returning veterans. These initiatives aim to provide veterans with affordable housing options as well as social services, mental health programs, employment guidance and educational support within a mixed-use development, the Tennessean reported.
Helping Those Who Serve
Gov1 has followed several programs focused on providing support for military personnel and their families such as housing and educational assistance.