A New Approach for Assessing the Needs of Service Members and Their Families (Rand Corporation Monograph)

The authors developed a new methodological framework for assessing military personnel and military family needs that fills a gap not currently being met. The framework places personnel and spouse perceptions of problems and needs and the prioritization of those problems and needs at the center of the analysis. This monograph describes the development and testing of a survey tool based on that framework that the Department of Defense and local military commanders can use to gauge the problems and problem-related needs of service members and their families, how well those needs are being met, and the barriers and bridges to accessing services. It discusses how this approach differs from others, the challenges to implementing such a survey, and the value of the survey results to different types of military leaders and support service professionals. The framework could be applied to other types of research questions, such as the problems, needs, and resources for military personnel serving in war zones, and the content of the survey could be modified to address other populations, such as wounded service members. A sample survey is included as an appendix.