Veterans the Hiring Process

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Research and various surveys also indicate that many HR professionals do not have adequate understanding on the value that veteran employees would bring to their organizations (Hall et al., 2014). For instance, veteran employees have the experience of leading and finding grounds for working effectively with teams. The success of any war combat depends on the ability to lead and work with groups. Since veterans understand this concept as crucial, many civilian HR professions may not be able to realize and take opportunity of this benefit. Additionally, veteran employees come with the ability to remain flexible and endure working in a rapidly changing environment with little stress as opposed to their civilian counterparts. Commitment to the overall objective is another major value that is evidently presented by the veteran employee since failure in mission achievement would mean a negative impact on personal and team morale.

Additionally, Hall et al. (2014) argue that loyalty and integrity are among the key characteristics of every individual in the military sector. In fact, many organizations should consider the fact that veterans are trained to remain dedicated to effectively work in a team whose value in integrity and loyalty is unparalleled, something that eventually delivers success in performance. Another study by Lussier and Hendon (2013) also examines that veteran employees are able to portray high levels of performance and meeting job expectations as opposed to their non-veteran peers. Finally, veterans also have the experience for working in a highly diverse environment. With increase in cultural diversity in many workplaces, there is need for HR professionals to ensure the recruitment, attraction, and maintenance of culturally competent individuals in order to promote its goal realization (Ntim, 2015).

There is also the concept of self-medication in terms mental health substance abuse. One of the widely cited common themes between the barriers for veteran employment as the risk factors affecting VA veteran clients is that of unaddressed substance abuse coupled with mental health. The unaddressed factors complicate the chances for veterans for securing employment by matching their military acquired skills and experiences with the requirements of civilian professions. The perspective of self-medication as such takes the form of alcohol and drug abuse. The veterans usually find that the consumption and abuse of such substances as Marijuana and alcohol help mitigate the various effects brought forth by PTSD.

Veterans after their discharge return home to experience detrimental conditions that range from medical, economical, and social. Veterans come home to struggle from PTSD that result from experience with terrifying events such as deadly mines and death, which continuously haunt them and cause mental challenges and discomfort such as flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety. PTSD eventually results to inability for veterans to find employment. The current status of job placement programs is also not favorable for veterans struggling with PTSD. According to a report by VA, 31% of Vietnam War veterans are struggling with the mental illness. The same report also shows that approximately 10% of veterans from Gulf War and 11% of Afghanistan War are also struggling from the disorder (Seung, 2015).

For veterans, the stigma that accompanies PTSD is hard to overcome. This stigma of PTSD makes job placement increasingly challenge since veterans do not find the proper means for helping themselves. However, the issue of job placement is usually is way beyond the idea of mental illness. The strictness attached to the rigorous training for military affects the ability of veterans to transition into civilian life. With the symptoms of PTSD, veterans find themselves in a complicating situation that needs treatment. However, instead of seeking recommended interventions, these veterans resort to the use of drugs and alcohol as a form of self-medication. This approach further complicates the situation of veterans and their quest for finding employment and transitioning to the civilian life.

Coping with PTSD, for many veterans, is a challenge when it comes to making transition into the civilian life. Servicemen from various missions have to deal with the real aftermath of facing psychological challenges. And while most of these veterans address these concerns through therapy and medication, many others prefer using self-medication as remedy. In most cases, veterans who choose self-medication resort to all or drugs or sometimes combine both. In this case, consuming alcohol is perceived by many veterans as helping in terms of reliving the event, relieving negative changes in feelings, avoiding situations that bring back the events of combat and attaining the feeling of hyperarousal.

While many veterans experience symptoms such as sleeplessness, sudden irritation, the feeling of jittery, poor concentration, and depression, they do not consider the necessity for seeking medication as the better means of addressing the same. To these veterans, the approach to self-medication is more sensible than the approach of medical intervention. However, in reality, self-medication in terms of substance abuse presents a darker future in terms of leading to minimal chances for employment, homelessness, and poor health conditions (Hue et al., 2014).

Although the VA appreciates that alcohol is the most commonly method approach of self-medication used by many veterans, Sheerin et al. (2016) argue that the VA does not recognize the need for awarding benefits for other conditions that are likely to arise from alcoholism. Such conditions may include cirrhosis, digestive complications, and cardiac diseases. In this case, the VA does not provide any direct support to conditions that are linked to alcohol abuse among veterans. However, the VA grants benefits to service-connected conditions such as PTSD. Therefore, it is also important that there are service-connected conditions such as depression and certain diseases that result from PTSD. In this case, although the eligibility policies for programs and services may lock out some veterans, it is significant to identify that substance-related conditions worsens the possibility of a veteran to gain employment since they may not access the support services and programs provided by VA.

Mental health and substance abuse are always interconnected toward the need for veterans to find a means of self-medication for the challenges they face after discharge. In fact, this connection is evident since veterans are likely to abuse substances as self-medication aimed at lingering challenges such as depression and PTSD. These problems are characteristic of manifesting themselves in many ways that are also related