IBM’s GRIT mobile app helps Veterans and their families transition

Getting Results in Transition, or better known as GRIT, was developed in response to the growing concern about the rate of suicide among Veterans, especially during the transition from activity duty to civilian life.

Social determinants, like health, employment, housing, social connectedness, and finance all play a large role in Veterans’ mental and physical health. Active Duty service members report that finding a job once leaving military service is their number one concern.

IBM designed the GRIT mobile solution to help service members, National Guard members, reservists, Veterans, care givers and their families gain personal insight into their emotional well-being. It provides resources to improve their individual situations, and serve as a tool to build resiliency and overall well-being. The first-use case incorporated into the GRIT app today is Employment, with a feature that provides personalized job matching.

According to Nextgov, Total Brain CEO Louis Gagnon said the app uses neuro-scientific tests that can be done in less than 20 minutes to assess brain function and evaluate how users are doing across their emotions, feelings, cognition and self control. It offers gamified exercises to boost memory, focus, planning and positivity.  These exercises are custom-tailored to improve individual users’ specific weak areas, and includes built in scientific screening tests for depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, social phobia and sleep apnea. 

GRIT is conducting a field test to give service members, reservists, and Veterans early access to the app. In this real life setting, users evaluate the experience, the usefulness of the app, and collect feedback for improvements. It is looking to find between 500-1000 Active Duty, Active Reservist or National Guard members, or recently transitioned Veterans who would like to participate in the field test. It also encourages family members and care givers to participate. GRIT has identified the following characteristics for the participants:

• Lives within one of the following geographic locations –
  • California
  • Florida
  • New York
  • Washington D.C.
  • Texas
  • Pennsylvania
  • Ohio
• Currently in need of a job, looking for a job change, under-employed, or about to transition out of military service and looking for a job.
• Interested in any employment or specifically in one of the five Industries: IT, Engineering, Business Management, Construction, Logistics.
• Owns iOS or Android phone.

To access the GRIT app:

iPhone users:

1. Register to participate
2. Invitations to receive the GRIT app consist of two emails. You need both emails to download the GRIT app.
3. The first email will come from grit@us.ibm.com and will contain a link to the Apple App store where you can download the free Apple TestFlight app. This app is required to access the GRIT app while it is still being tested.
4. The second invitation email will come from Apple TestFlight. You will need to click the link to access and download the GRIT app from within Test Flight.

Android users:

1. Register to participate
2. The invitation email will come from grit@us.ibm.com and will contain a link to agree to participate in the field test.
3. Once you have agreed to participate, follow the link to download the GRIT app from the Google Play Store.

The GRIT field test runs until November 8.

To learn about how GRIT can assist you, visit Getting Results in Transition or call their help desk at 1-888-971-9770.