Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program About Us

The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) is a Department of Defense-wide effort to promote the well-being of National Guard and Reserve members, their families and communities, by connecting them with resources throughout the deployment cycle. Through Yellow Ribbon events, Service members and loved ones connect with local resources before, during, and after deployments. Reintegration during post-deployment is a critical time for members of the National Guard and Reserve, as they often live far from military installations and other members of their units. Commanders and leaders play a critical role in assuring that Reserve Service members and their families attend Yellow Ribbon events where they can access information on health care, education and training opportunities, financial, and legal benefits. We work with government partners, including the Small Business Administration and Departments of Labor and Veterans Affairs, to provide up-to-date and relevant information to the members of the All-Volunteer force and their families.

Organization

YRRP falls under Military-Civilian Transition Office (MCTO). MCTO is a function within Defense Human Resource Activity's (DHRA) Defense Support Services Center (DSSC). MCTO is responsible for designing, overseeing, and evaluating the DoD Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP). Our mission is to efficiently deliver resources, information, and deployment-cycle support to transitioning service members, their families and communities worldwide. Each Reserve Component (RC) implements the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program to meet the unique needs of their Service culture and in accordance with the Department of Defense Instruction 1342.28.

History

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 established the YRRP to assist National Guard and Reserve members as they transition between their military and civilian roles. By providing deployment cycle information, resources, and programs, YRRP addresses the unique challenges facing the Guard and Reserve community, including geographic dispersion away from military support networks and fewer deployment resources than the Active Component.

YRRP events provide National Guard and Reserve Service members and those who support them with dynamic and engaging delivery of information before, during, and after deployments. Events connect attendees with local information on health care, education/training opportunities, and financial and legal benefits. These resources help to prepare and guide attendees through the hardships of deployment, then enable Service members to successfully reintegrate back into their families, communities and careers.

Commanders and leaders play a critical role in assuring that National Guard and Reserve Service members and their families attend Yellow Ribbon Events. Each National Guard and RC executes its own YRRP support services in the manner that best meets their unique missions and challenges. The multi-Service program has impacted more than 2 million individuals since inception and shares a common goal: to help maintain the readiness of the Force and to build stronger, more resilient families.

2022

In FY22, YRRP partnership with the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness, ended and all curriculum and evaluation support transitioned to the Military-Civilian Transition Office and the Reserve Component Coordinator contract ended. YRRP held 735 total events in-person and online with 52,000 Service members and family attending.

2021

The ongoing challenges and concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic continued throughout FY 2021 and impacted YRRP’s ability to host in-person events. According to data released by the Defense Manpower Data Center on September 28, 2021. 84,622 members of the RC had been activated in support of a mission related to COVID-19.

2020

In FY20, YRRP stakeholders were forced to look at how the program could continue to be delivered in a world thrust into virtual meeting spaces, teleconferences, webcams, and microphones. While much of the country was locked down owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, National Guard and Reserve Service members embraced this challenge and mobilized to support the efforts combating a deadly and highly contagious virus amidst a rising death toll. More than 68,000 National Guard and Reserve activations occurred as a direct response to COVID-19. During this crisis, the Office for Reintegration Programs underwent a merger with the Transition to Veterans Program Office, aligning our two missions under the newly organized Military-Civilian Transition Office.

2019

In FY2019, YRRP crossed over into its second decade of supporting The RCs, Service members, and their families. RCs conducted more than 900 YRRP events, affecting 94,499 Service members.

2018

FY2018, marked YRRP’s 10th anniversary. In-person events remained the most impactful and preferred delivery mechanism for program resources and information. However, YRRP recognized the requirement to support RC members and their families who cannot attend an in-person event. Virtual and self-paced online training was developed to fill this need.

2017

In FY 2017, RCs conducted more than 800 YRRP events, directly affecting 91,232 Service members and their families. YRRP has supported more than 1.7 million Service members and families since the program’s inception in 2008. YRRP’s continued dedication to sharing and evaluating resources, tools, and best practices in coordination with each of the seven RCs has led to an event satisfaction of 82 percent in FY 2017. YRRP initiatives continue to be developed and implemented through coordination with each of the RCs as they support RC members and their loved ones throughout and beyond the deployment cycle.

2016

  • YRRP upgrades its website, developing a streamlined and easy-to-navigate design that accommodates the growing use of mobile devices and tablets, as well as improving access to vital information and resources supporting National Guard and Reserve Service members, their families, and YRRP support staff.
  • H2H’s work in connecting National Guard and Reserve Service members to employers was transitioned to the Department of Labor. Nearly 2,500 brick and mortar American Job Centers located nationwide serve National Guard and Reserve Service members and veterans.

2015

Congress amends the Public Law governing YRRP, providing more flexibility to the RC to decide the most effective way to deliver information and resources for their Service members and families.

2014

YRRP embraces a “flexible program delivery” approach. Offering multiple access points for a transitional environment, Service members and their families can easily obtain relevant information and resources through growing technology. The flexibility of having in-person events combined with distance learning gives Commanders the tools to tailor events to their units’ specific needs.

2013

  • JANUARY 28: YRRP celebrates five years of dedicated support to Service members and their families.
  • YRRP documents its highest level of satisfaction with YRRP events (80% overall satisfaction).

2012

  • H2H teams with the Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes program to sponsor 40 job fairs nationwide. Additionally, the H2H Mobile Job Store visits 64 sites enabling the H2H.jobs website to register over 45,000 job seekers.
  • The RC Suicide Prevention Stakeholder Group publishes the Suicide Prevention and Resilience Resource Inventory and RC Suicide Postvention Plan: A Toolkit for Commanders.
  • YRRP launches its new Event Planning Tool: EventPLUS.
  • YRRP marks 1 million Service members and family members supported since inception.
  • DoD YRRP obtains exemption for core program events from the formal DoD conference approval process.

2011

  • JANUARY 7: The 2011 NDAA expands authority of the Joint Travel Regulations to provide travel and transportation allowances to Service members and their designated representatives at YRRP events.
  • The RC Suicide Prevention Stakeholder Group is formed to expand suicide prevention resources and community healing opportunities.
  • MARCH 30: Department of Defense Instruction 1342.28 for YRRP is signed.
  • YRRP’s Employment Initiative Program introduces Hero2Hired (H2H) to connect job-seeking RC Service members and veterans with employers.
  • The YRRP FY 2012-2015 Strategic Plan is published.

2010

  • The Cadre of Speakers initiative is introduced offering a pool of 40 dynamic speakers and facilitators for YRRP events.
  • The first YRRP Advisory Board meeting is held at the Pentagon.
  • YRRP publishes the inaugural edition of its program newsletter, The Ribbon.
  • YRRP conducts the multi-Service “Good to GREAT” training seminar for Event Planners and other professionals.

2009

  • OCTOBER 28: The 2010 NDAA is signed by the President assigning YRRP responsibility for RC Suicide Prevention.
  • Each Guard and Reserve Component (RC), as well as the Department of Veterans Affairs, assigns a Liaison Officer to the DoD YRRP Office.
  • The Program Specialist initiative begins as a pilot with 10 Program Specialists and expands to 27 full-time Specialists nationwide within two years.

2008

  • JANUARY 28: YRRP is established by the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and becomes Public Law 110-181.
  • MARCH 17: The DoD YRRP Office opens and moves permanently to the Pentagon in January 2009.
  • The first of seven Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Policy Academies is conducted to help States develop strategic action plans to reintegrate veterans and their families.