United
States Army Warrant Officers Association
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Introduction
Families of our members are
important to us.
We include you in several of our ongoing programs. Among those that include
family members, is our Annual Scholarship Awards Program. Competition for
Family Member Scholarships is open to spouses
and legal dependents (high school senior and above under the age of 23).
Information and an application forms are published in the NEWSLINER, and are
available on the
Member Services page and
USAWOA Scholarship Foundation
website. Many of the benefits shown on that page are also available to
family members. Examples are: rental car discounts; Classic and Gold VISA
cards; services of the Pentagon Federal Credit Union; educational assistance
from Capital for Knowledge; our "10-10" Dial Around Service, memorabilia
items, USAWOA Job Seek and Career Center which specializes in "Military
Friendly" job placement activities for transitioning military, veterans,
spouses & families, and much more.
We also recognize the support
rendered by
warrant officer spouses
through presentation of the annual award of the Virginia Holcombe Memorial
Spouse of the Year. (Criteria
and nomination procedures)
USAWOA is involved in
legislative affairs
through our interaction with
The Military Coalition (TMC). Within this forum we support the quality
of life programs that directly affect the military family. Also, through
TMC, we weigh in on matters concerning military schools, commissaries,
family health care, and a wide range of other subjects that affect the
military family.
Other areas
in which we strive to assist you are
News For Military Families and
family related websites.
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News for Military Families
November is Military Family Appreciation Month
- President Barack Obama's Proclamation
New TRICARE Video Counseling Can Help Military Families See "Eye-to-Eye"
with Their Problems
- November is the Month of the Military Family, but military families
face stress all year long. It doesn’t hurt to get help. From deployment
worries to strained relationships to dealing with a tragedy, TRICARE is
testing a new video counseling service to help military members and families
see “eye-to-eye” with their problems. The TRICARE Assistance Program (TRIAP)
is just one of several ways to get convenient, confidential help through a
licensed behavioral health counselor. Services are available to any active
duty service member (ADSM) in the United States, their spouse, and other
eligible family members 18 years of age or older. All that’s needed is a
computer, Webcam and the associated software. TRIAP “visits” are unlimited
and include assessments, short-term counseling and, if the TRIAP counselor
determines more specialized care is necessary, referral to a more
comprehensive level of care. Get details and get linked up to the
appropriate TRICARE region at
http://www.tricare.mil/TRIAP.
11/10/09
Quick hire of military spouses started in September
- Under a
personnel rule some military spouses could be
quickly hired for federal jobs without going through the usual competitive
process. The new hiring authority takes effect Sept. 11. The Office of
Personal Management issued the authority's final regulatory guidelines Aug.
12. The guidelines are posted in the Federal Register under the title:
"Noncompetitive Appointment of Certain Military Spouses."-
see more. 8/19/09
Sesame
Workshop Aims to Help Military Children, Keep Families Connected.
"Sesame Street"
usually conjures visions of Muppets teaching young children their letters
and numbers, but they also teach life lessons to help military children cope
with deployments, injuries, and now, loss. Sesame Rooms provide a
child-friendly place for military children to play. Sesame Street will send
a "room-in-a-box" (pictured left) to 35 locations across the United States,
including military hospitals, libraries, child care centers, and family
support centers. Photo courtesy of Sesame Workshop. See more information in
the
American Forces Press Services Release.
Law Gives Military Renters More Protection
Against Foreclosures
-
President Barack Obama's latest efforts to look after
home renters gives military members additional protection if the homes they
rent are foreclosed. The president's Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act
of 2009 was signed into law on May 20. The legislation ensures that renters
aren't forced out of their homes if foreclosure occurs and a new landlord
takes over. Renters in every state now have more time to find new homes. The
new law greatly benefits the military, as the vast majority of active duty
service members rent homes throughout the United States. See more at
www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=54747.
6/19/09
Paternity
Leave for Married Soldiers in Effect
- The Army is now
issuing a new entitlement allowing married active duty Soldiers 10 days of
non-chargeable administrative leave if their wife has given birth since
October 14, 2008. Paternity leave is limited to no more than 10 days and
must be taken consecutively within 45 days after the birth of the child. To
learn more about this entitlement read more at
http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2009/03/army_paternity_leave_031609w/.
4/2/09
Army Disaster
Personnel Accountability and Assessment System (ADPAAS)
(the Army's way of accounting for personnel and families
after catastrophes. It is a web-based, user-friendly system
that enables the Army to collect accurate and timely reports
in times of emergency. All Soldiers, civilians, family
members and overseas defense contractors must report their
status and whereabouts following any natural or man-made
disaster, if directed to do so by the Secretary of Defense.)
DoD Relocation Tool for Families
- It's almost peak moving
season again for military families, and Defense Department leaders want
families to know new resources are available to help. "Plan My Move," is the
next generation of DoD's Military Homefront tools to provide an integrated
"e-moving" solution. Moving to a new community can be a stressful event for
all service and family members, This tool helps to ease that burden. It will
put our Servicemembers and their families in direct contact with those who
can help every step of the way, from their current home and community to the
new one -
see more.
Web Site Helps Troops, Families Adjust After Deployments
-
A Military Health System Web
site continues to help returning service members and families adjust after a
deployment ends. About 20 percent of service members returning from Iraq and
Afghanistan experience adjustment difficulties such as stress, irritability
and sleep problems. The afterdeployment.org project is one of several core
projects within the National Center for Telehealth and Technology, known as
"T2," located at Fort Lewis, Wash. T2 is a directorate of the Defense
Department's Center for Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic
Brain Injury. Possible barriers to obtaining services, including a perceived
stigma, stop many service members from seeking out care. Ciulla emphasized
that online resources have many advantages. "Users can log on to
afterdeployment.org in the privacy and comfort of their own homes and work
with the site's resources anonymously.
-
see more.
Disney, Army Resort Make Vacations
More Affordable for Troops
-
see more.
Busch Gardens presents "Here's to the Heroes"
Program
- Any active duty, activated or drilling
reservist, or National Guardsman is entitled to free admission under
the Here's to the Heroes program. He or she need only register,
either by
clicking here and submitting his or her information or in the
entrance plaza of participating parks, and show a Department of
Defense photo ID. As many as three direct dependents of military
personnel also are entitled to free admission. Dependents may take
advantage of the offer without their service member, though an adult
must accompany minor dependents, and dependent ages 10 and over must
present valid dependent I.D. Busch Gardens Williamsburg, SeaWorld
San Antonio and Sesame Place. Military personnel interested in
visiting those parks should check operating schedules.
Click here for Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Click here for SeaWorld San Antonio.
Click here for Sesame Place. Make sure you print your
registration form on line. Forms are also available at all of the
Busch Gardens locations. For more information visit
www.herosalute.com/cavatx/overview.html.
Are
you moving and have children, check out the Local School Directory at
www.localschooldirectory.com.
Family-Support Program
Expands; DoD, YMCA Strengthen Partnership
-
The letter that
appeared in a soldier’s mailbox promised an offer almost too good to be
true: a home improvement loan approved by Congress and backed up by a
government agency. Officials at the Federal Citizen Information Center
fear it’s a scam targeting military members that uses the center’s
credibility to lure victims in. An eagle-eyed soldier notified the
Federal Citizen Information Center after receiving the ad from the “Home
Information Center” linked to post office boxes in Dallas and in Owasso,
Okla. The letter included a reference to FCIC’s Web site in an apparent
attempt to show a federal endorsement -
see
more.
Free Training Program for Military Spouses
- Operation Life
Transformed created Education Purple, a free credited training certification
program for military spouses. Spouses of Servicemembers who have received
the Purple Heart since 2001 are eligible for the program. For more
information on the certifications offered and application requirements,
visit
www.lifetransformed.org and click on “Education Purple.”
TSA policy for family members of military
personnel departing and returning from deployments
-
According to Security Directive
1544-01-10w, families of military members may be granted access to sterile
concourse areas to escort the military passenger to departure gates or to
meet a military passenger at arrival gates. The family member should go to
the airline that the military member is flying on, present a copy of the
Soldier's orders, and provide proper identification to receive a gate pass.
Family members will still be required to go through the normal security
screening checkpoints as other passengers. Although most airports and
airlines have been operating under these guidelines already, the new TSA
directive will help ensure that Soldiers and family members are properly
afforded access to see Soldiers off to and welcome them back from theater.
America Supports You: Postal Service Offers Discount
- Military families have long used the U.S. Postal Service’s flat-rate
shipping boxes to send care packages around the globe. Beginning March 3,
they’ll get a price break. The discount applies only to the new “Priority
Mail Large Flat-Rate Box,” which normally carries a $12.95 price tag for
shipping. However, when the 12-by-12-by-5.5-inch box is sent to an APO or
FPO address, a $2 discount applies, dropping the cost to $10.95. The new
boxes will be available in post offices nationwide on March 3. Those who
can’t wait to start packing the boxes, however, can order them from www.usps.com/supplies. They’re also available by calling
1-800-610-8734 -
see more.
MyArmyLifeToo (MALT) Web System
- the Website of Choice for Army Families - The
MyArmyLifeToo.com Web Portal is a
Web site that highlights Family Programs services in Army Community Service,
the Army National Guard and Army Reserve Family Programs. It is written in
easily understood language for Family members versus Army terms, acronyms
and program names. It is the face of Family Programs and serves as the Web
site of choice for information on programs and services. To date, there are
over 66,000 registered users. The Web site is easy to navigate with most
information available for the user within four clicks. Users who register on
the site receive the monthly newsletter, Family News. The site is publicly
accessible thus available to all Soldiers and to immediate and extended
Family members.
Free Space-A Flights for Families of Deployed
-
Military families of deployed personnel may be able
to save some travel money thanks to a new Space A policy for families. As of
Dec. 6, 2007, spouses and children of personnel deployed 120 days or longer
now can use military transport in CONUS, to/from CONUS, and within/between
theaters, provided they have a verification letter from the military
member's commander -
see
more.
Program
expands services to Families of fallen - As
part of ongoing efforts to better assist Families of fallen Soldiers, Army
Long Term Family Case Management added 11 new categories to the Support
Program section on its Web site. Each category contains brief summaries and
contact information for both national and local programs related to careers,
children and youth, counseling, finances, emotional support, education,
healthcare, legal assistance, military and government, peer support,
religion, and substance abuse. The information can be found in the Support
Programs section of
www.ALTFCM.army.mil. Families of
fallen Soldiers are encouraged to contact ALTFCM for personal assistance, or
benefit concerns, by calling toll-free 1-866-272-5841; visiting the Web
site, or by e-mail to
ALTFCM@conus.army.mil. Army Long Term Family Case Management's support
coordinators personally provide ongoing support to Families of fallen
Soldiers the months and years following their loss. ALTFCM is a service
provided by the Army's Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operation Center. To
date, ALTFCM has served over 3,000 Family members and distributed more than
600 million dollars in retroactive benefits.
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See listing of Family Related Web Sites &
Downloads |
We continue to look for additional services and
benefits for our families. We encourage you to
submit your ideas to the Home Office by mail, fax
to 703-742-7728, call 1-800-587-2962, or
.
(Many files throughout this site
are a PDF files.
A free reader is available for download.)
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USAWOA Online
11/10/2009