Post-Deployment Support: Lasting Victories on the Homefront So what is Military OneSource? Many things to many people.   Military OneSource is your OneSource, available 24/7, providing information, resources and assistance for your best MilLife. A community with a deep understanding of Military Life – powered by people with extensive training and experience in military culture. It’s all about helping our entire community – service members and military families – take advantage of all the resources and services you have available, for the most positive and fulfilling military experience. Today, we’re going to talk about how Military OneSource can help you return home from deployment and reintegrate successfully.

Tools and Resources for Reintegration Find your new normal with Military OneSource resources and tools: The Plan My Deployment tool has information and resources to help service members and families post-deployment The Military OneSource website offers information, health and wellness resources and more for reintegration Expert support is available 24/7 at no cost There are things you can do that will help you feel at home faster. Military OneSource has resources to help.   The Plan My Deployment tool has information and resources to help service members and families post-deployment • Tasks and considerations for you to take care of upon your return • Articles with tips to ease the challenges of reintegration • Access to programs and organizations that help service members and their families settle back into home life • To access Plan My Deployment, go to www.PlanMyDeployment.MilitaryOneSource.mil The Military OneSource website offers health and wellness resources • Tips to help service members reconnect with their loved ones • Ideas to help service members, spouses and kids transition to new routines • Discounted activities and travel to enjoy as a family • Reintegration information and resources for members of the National Guard and reserve forces, like links to the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program Expert support is available 24/7 at no cost. • After homecoming, you may need to address employment, legal and financial concerns. • Military OneSource has confidential support available to service members and their families. Let’s look more closely at some specific resilience tools and then dive into Plan My Deployment and the resources you’ll find there. www.MilitaryOneSource.mil • 800-342-9647

Resilience Tools and Products for Your MilLife MoodHacker Don’t let stress rule your life. This self-management tool helps you track and improve your mood. CoachHub Personal online coaches help you manage stress and reach goals with online support. Love Every Day Rekindle the romance. Text messages encourage couples to connect in a fun and meaningful way. Military OneSource offers resources to help service members and their families remain resilient through the deployment cycle. Here are a few resilience tools for you to try out:   MoodHacker is scientifically-tested and evidenced-based. You enter your activities and mood levels throughout each day, and MoodHacker tracks and compares activities to help you understand which activities boost your mood and which ones drag you down. You can use this tool for as long as you like. It: Provides charts to show your top mood-boosting and mood-lowering activities Reminds you of new activities to try to lift your mood Offers access to a library of activities proven to increase your happiness CoachHub  This is different from the health and wellness coaches we mentioned. If you don’t have time to meet up with a coach at a specific time, CoachHub may be the coaching experience for you. You can communicate through the interactive website when you have time and the coach will respond when they are online. Topics that coaches address include: Physical fitness testing Nutrition Weight loss Stress reduction You select your coach through a listing that matches coaches with the goal you are trying to achieve. Coaches will help you stay on track to meet your goals, by: Making appointments Posting answers to your questions Viewing your progress Holding you accountable for each step you say you are going to take toward your goal Setting alerts if you start to decrease your efforts or reverse direction Love Every Day texts you and your partner a question each morning for 21 days. You both respond when it’s convenient and you’ll be notified when your partner’s answer is ready to view. Love Every Day helps you get to know your partner better, learn new ways to show your love for each other, and discover “did you know” facts about relationships. It’s a fun way to create a new normal for your relationship. Chill Drills Chill Drills are available as audio files on the Military OneSource website. Click “Products” in the website footer – it’s the first link under “Quick Access” – then search “Chill Drills” to view available exercises. Different drills help you: • Become focused, calm, relaxed and alert • Fall asleep • Release stress • Ease back pain Chill Drills Reduce stress and improve resilience with simple exercises that lower your blood pressure. www.MilitaryOneSource.mil • 800-342-9647

Plan My Deployment Is for Reintegration, Too The Plan My Deployment tool has reintegration resources including: Tasks and considerations for legal, financial, medical and administrative tasks to address upon your return Access to confidential counseling Articles with information to help service members get back into healthy routines Information about what to expect during the different phases of reintegration www.PlanMyDeployment.MilitaryOneSource.mil Plan My Deployment is a tool with information to help with every stage of deployment, including post-deployment. Find:   Lists of legal, financial, medical and administrative items to address upon your return • Tasks and considerations to help you make sure you don’t forget any important to-dos • Access resources to help with tasks such as: • Legal help revoking powers of attorney • MyPay to review how your earnings will change • Forms to adjust savings allotments • Financial counseling Access to confidential counseling • Military OneSource offers 24/7 access to confidential non-medical counseling. • Access a list of Department of Defense-wide and branch-specific programs that help service members and their families address challenges associated with post-deployment life abnormal levels of stress and depression, injury and more. Articles with information to help service members get back into healthy routines • An overview of what to expect during the five stages of reintegration • Tips to make reconnecting with loved ones easier • Advice for adjusting to changes in home life • Tools like reintegration webinars and booklets Information about what to expect during the different phases of reintegration www.MilitaryOneSource.mil • 800-342-9647

Handling Money Post-Homecoming Online resources and financial counselors offer information and support to help you: Manage changes in pay and recalculate budgets Return to employment (for members of the guard and reserve) Make the most of your eligibility for benefits like tuition assistance Get a handle on debt, mortgages, loans and more Returning from a deployment often necessitates re-evaluating financial changes that may have occurred.   Manage changes in pay and recalculate budgets  Since you’re no longer deployed, you will no longer receive special duty or family separations pay –figure out how to adjust your budget accordingly with financial planning tools from Military OneSource Return to employment (for members of the guard and reserve) Members of the National Guard or reserve forces will resume civilian roles with different pay rates upon return from deployment. Military OneSource’s financial experts can help you decide whether you should make other financial adjustments. Make the most of your eligibility for benefits like tuition assistance • Military OneSource helps service members and their families understand and access benefits like tuition assistance and lifetime learning tax credits. • Learn how to enroll in an apprenticeship or get on-the-job-training. • Connect to help finding a job or starting a business. • Spouses can also get help receiving technical training, applying for jobs, networking and more. Get a handle on debt, mortgages, loans and more • Financial counseling is available in person, by phone and video • Specialized financial consultations are provided by accredited financial counselors on topics like: • Budgeting • Credit-card debit management • Foreclosures and mortgages • Identity theft • Permanent change of station housing issues • Financial calculators can help you in many aspects of financial decision-making. (Should I refinance? How much car can I afford? Should I rent or buy? What will my investment be worth in the future? How long will my retirement savings last?) www.MilitaryOneSource.mil • 800-342-9647

Reuniting on the Homefront Turn to Military OneSource for tips, info and guidance: Know what to expect during reunion and the different stages of reintegration Make home life adjustments, understand conflicting emotions Get the most out of time off with travel discounts and on-base activities Reconnect with each other using proven communication techniques Finding a new normal isn’t always easy, but Military OneSource has guidance to help your relationships prosper.   Know what to expect during reunion and the different stages of reintegration • Family members can read a full run-down of what to expect • The “Coming Home” booklet helps service members prepare for the challenges of reintegration Making home life adjustments • Articles explain what different stages of reintegration can mean for home life and routines • Tips help service members and their families understand and address the conflicting emotions often experienced during reintegration Getting the most out of time off with travel discounts and on-base activities • Learn about and access discounts on airfare, lodging, sporting events and other fun experiences • Get information about activities and programs happening around your home installation with MilitaryINSTALLATIONS Reconnect with each other using proven communication techniques • Learn about balancing your time after coming home • Tips for discussing tough topics • How to talk about changes, needs and stressors with the people you care about • Tips for rebuilding a loving and supportive partnership with your spouse www.MilitaryOneSource.mil • 800-342-9647

Reunion Preparations for Military Families Set up your family for the new normal: Get tools, info, articles and more to support children and reconnect after deployment Prepare kids mentally and emotionally for reunion — and afterward Learn how to manage expectations and recognize stress Find ways to celebrate and spend quality family time together (without costing a fortune) If you have kids, you know that each one is different. Likewise, every child reacts differently to homecomings Military OneSource resources can help parents build healthy, positive relationships upon returning from deployment whether they are coming home to infants, toddlers, pre-teens or teenagers.   Prepare your kids mentally and emotionally for reunion and the time that follows • Get ideas and materials – including “Talk, Listen, Connect: Deployments, Homecoming and Changes” from Sesame Workshops • Watch a pre-recorded webinar on helping kids cope. Helps to understand the different reactions their kids might have to a homecoming and offers strategies for facilitating reconnection • You can also turn to us for information about how to address injury, changing routines and more Learn how to manage expectations and recognize stress • Get guidance on what to expect for supporting children and reconnecting after deployment • Articles tell you how to recognize stress in children and offer ways to field difficult questions Find ways to celebrate your reunited family • View and access discounts on travel, lodging, events and more to make the most of family time • Learn how to access Morale, Welfare and Recreation Digital Library resources, including interactive titles for early readers through high school. Some of the books also have accompanying puzzles, games and language learning • Learn about facilities and services available at your installation through the MilitaryINSTALLATIONS website Remember, support is available to all eligible family members Your kids can access support from Military OneSource or Military and Family Life Counselors too. www.MilitaryOneSource.mil • 800-342-9647