SAPR Changes: Improvements made to increase program's effectiveness Published Dec. 4, 2015 By From Staff Reports AIR FORCE RESERVE COMMAND -- 11/18/2015 - Citizen Airman/Dec. 2015 -- Recent changes to the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program affect program eligibility, the status that traditional Reservists and individual mobilization augmentees can be in to make a report, and the way reports are handled once they are made. Traditional Reservists, IMAs and Air Force civilian employees may now report a sexual assault that they experience regardless of their military status at the time they were assaulted. No longer do traditional Reservists or IMAs need to be in military status at the time of their assault in order to make a restricted or unrestricted report. Those who are not in military status at the time of the assault, as well as Air Force civilians, will receive sexual assault response coordinator/victim advocate support, along with resource and referral information. These are the same services available to military members who report an incident that occurred while in military status, minus the potential to file a line of duty or to receive other associated care. "The ability for traditional Reservists and IMAs to make reports, regardless of duty status, is something the command lobbied for," said Jim Woodyard, Air Force Reserve Command's SAPR program manager. "Members may benefit from assistance for assaults that occurred in their civilian lives or from even prior to them entering service. It's simply a matter of trying to assist all Airmen, military and civilian, who might be in need." In another change, under congressional direction, the Air Force has instituted the Sexual Assault Incident Response Oversight Report. When an unrestricted report is filed with the sexual assault response coordinator, Air Force commanders now have eight days from that filing date to provide non-personally identifying information about the assault. The names of the member filing the report and the accused are not included in the SAIRO Report. In the case of a restricted report being made, the SAIRO Report does not apply due to the confidential nature of restricted reporting. The purpose of the SAIRO Report is three-fold: * To detail the actions taken or in progress to provide the necessary care and support to the adult victim of sexual assault; * To ensure that sexual assault allegations are referred to the appropriate military criminal investigative organizations; and * To provide initial notification of the serious incident to appropriate commanders. In most cases, the victim's immediate commander is responsible for completing the SAIRO Report and passing it on to the first colonel and general officer in the victim's and accused's chain of command. The installation sexual assault response coordinator and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations provide almost all the data that is contained within the report. The SAIRO Report details what progress has been made since the sexual assault was initially reported, including what services have been provided to the victim and the status of the investigating organization's investigation. Woodyard said he hopes the changes will increase the members' confidence that they can receive assistance when needed. "The Air Force and AFRC take sexual assault very seriously and encourage individuals to come forward when they believe they have been assaulted," he said. "I think sometimes there still is a belief among some people that allegations of sexual assault in the military get swept under the rug. Requiring commanders to submit a report within eight days sends a message that reports will be investigated and services will be provided to those in need. The SAIRO Report ensures that everyone knows the processes are in place to provide support and appropriately investigate all reports." For more information on reporting eligibility and the SAIRO Report, contact your installation SAPR office.