March 2005

Going Back to Your Day Job

Going back to your pre-deployment job may cause anxiety and stress similar to that caused by going home. Worries about changes that have taken place, how co-workers will respond to your return, and whether you'll still be interested in the day-to-day activities are common.

Fortunately, the transition is rarely as difficult as it’s made out to be, especially if those returning apply the same ideas they used for reunion with family to their return to work. Once again, focus on communicating, being patient, anticipating and accepting changes, and using this as an opportunity to start over again.

Consider these ideas:

Ask your supervisor for a briefing on the current situation. Ask about how your responsibilities were handled during your absence, changes in personnel, and about any other important developments.

Avoid taking charge. Just like at home, your absence may have forced co-workers to take on new tasks or responsibilities, and they may resent it if they feel you’ve come back only to “take control” again.

Be supportive of decisions that have been made in your absence. And, like at home, remember that even what appears to have been bad decisions made during your absence were probably made under stress.

Know your entitlements, both civilian and military. Ask the appropriate person at work to review the status of your benefits and how your absence affected them. You’ve probably been briefed about your military entitlements, but it’s a good idea to keep the phone numbers on benefits provided to you.

Take advantage of employee assistant programs or related programs. If your employer provides an employee assistance program or if similar services are available in the community, use them. Such programs often provide excellent resources for making your transition back to work and family a healthy one.

—Cynthia E. Crawford

Be Sure to Get Your Free Credit Reports -

March 1 was an important date – the first date Missouri residents could all access their credit report for free.

A recent amendment to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. The three consumer reporting companies have set up one central web site, toll-free telephone number, and mailing address through which you can order your free annual report.

To order, visit www.annualcreditreport.com, call 877-322-8228, or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. The form can be printed from the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/credit. You may order your reports from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies at the same time, or you can order from only one or two.

Do not contact the three nationwide consumer reporting companies individually.

The FCRA promotes the accuracy and privacy of information in the files of the nation’s consumer reporting companies. The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, enforces the FCRA with respect to consumer reporting companies.

A credit report contains information on where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you’ve been sued, arrested, or filed for bankruptcy. Nationwide consumer reporting companies sell the information in your report to creditors, insurers, employers, and other businesses that use it to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, or renting a home.

There are three nationwide consumer reporting companies – Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union.

Free reports are being phased in during a nine-month period, rolling from the West Coast to the East beginning December 1, 2004. Beginning September 1, 2005, free reports will be accessible to all Americans, regardless of where they live.

If you haven’t reviewed your report yet in 2005, this is your friendly reminder. As many as 25% of all credit reports contain errors. Identity thefts are often discovered by reviewing credit reports.

Don’t skip requesting your free credit reports! It is how I found out a man in Florida was fraudulently using my Social Security number and good credit report a few years ago.

Your credit report is overused

It certainly is appropriate for lenders to use your credit report to determine whether to loan you money or not.

More and more, though, employers are reviewing credit reports of prospective employees. Insurance companies may review credit reports to determine whether they will issue insurance policies and what premiums to charge.

Prospective employers may even check your credit report before deciding whether to hire you. They may even check your credit report to decide if you are a terrorist threat before you board an airplane! Appropriate or not, be aware that more and more people are interested in what your credit report contains.

—Cynthia