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Returning Vets Face PTSD Stigma in Job Search
By Blythe Lawrence
The Herald [Everett, Washington]
OLYMPIA - They serve their country in war. Then they come home and can't find a job.
That's the story veterans returning from active duty have been telling state lawmakers.
The House of Representatives passed several bills last week dedicated to aiding veterans who have seen combat and are still active in the military. The package is on its way to the Senate.
But the issue of helping returning veterans find a job may have been overlooked.
The major problem is veterans "are being treated as if they have no skills," said Sue Ambler, chief of operations for the Snohomish County Workforce Development Council.
Snohomish County veterans and veterans organizations say they haven't heard complaints about job discrimination. Instead, returning soldiers are having a tough time translating their skills into employment.
The military provides vocational training that qualifies veterans for jobs, but serving in the military alone may not be enough for employers.
"After you go on active duty, everybody will tell you that your life is a heck of a lot more structured and you're more trainable and able to follow instructions better," said Patrick Martinez, a Vietnam-era veteran who heads Snohomish County's WorkSource Veterans program.
Ambler would like to see more "crosswalks" between the military and schools so soldiers who have been trained as nurse assistants or paramedics can demonstrate they qualify for a certificate or license without having to retake classes.
"They're not necessarily recognizing the military education they're getting," she said. "No one will even look at them because all they have is military training."
Not all employers are standoffish, said Rin Causey, president of the county's workforce development council.
"I think it goes almost in the other direction," she said. "It's a little bit like helping families from the Gulf hurricane disasters. They go out of the way to be supportive."
Support is what the Legislature had in mind last week when it passed House Bill 2564, which prohibits discrimination of veterans when it comes to jobs, insurance and credit.
At least one combat veteran thinks that support is in the wrong place.
"A lot of folks won't hire me because I'm military," state Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, said a young soldier told him. "They say, 'I'm afraid you'll go PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) on me,' or 'I'm afraid you'll be redeployed.' "
Both scenarios are possible for those returning from combat who are still in the military.
"With what these kids are seeing over there, it's virtually impossible not to have some form of PTSD," said Ernie Butler, a Vietnam-era veteran and spokesman for the Northwest Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America.
Some expect to be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan for a second or third tour of duty. With the threat of losing a worker at any time, employers may opt not to hire a soldier, said Tim Probst, chief executive officer of the Washington Workforce Association.
"It's not that there's any culprit. It's a tough situation. You need to have a system that adapts to this new reality and finds out how to get them employed," Probst said.
By 2010, an estimated 40,000 state-based soldiers will be discharged from the armed forces. Of those, 28,000 will stay in Washington. Some will head to school, while others will look for jobs.
"We're going to be inundated with veterans who come back and need more services," Martinez said. "Hopefully we can get ahead of the game."
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