On June 4, the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel held a hearing on the FY2010 Defense family support budget. The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel held a similar hearing on May 21 (see The Source, 5/22/09).
Sheila Casey, wife of General George W. Casey, Jr., chief of staff for the United States Army, expressed her concerns about the “cumulative effect of eight years of war” on families “stretched” thin and “stressed.” She testified that forces and families under “immense strain” have led to instances of domestic violence, child neglect, suicide, increased alcoholism, as well as a slight increase in divorce rates. Mrs. Casey noted that the effects of multiple deployments on children and families are “not easily reversed” and that the full effects may not be known until much later, after servicemembers have had more time to reintegrate into their families.
Mrs. Casey also mentioned three specific challenges facing military families: the lack of access to quality heath care, especially mental health care; the lack of access to quality education for children and spouses of servicemembers; and the inability of military spouses to find new or transfer their old jobs, and urged the committee to address these challenges.
Access to quality services, health care, and ample on-base housing were among the concerns outlined by Colleen Smith, wife of a United States Marine. With regard to quality services, she noted that professional counselors should be available to families of servicemembers wounded or killed in the line of duty, and that such counseling also should be available outside of the base. She also emphasized the need for what she called “quality respite care,” which she said includes fitness centers with child care so that spouses can release stress and maintain healthy lifestyles.
Ms. Smith discussed the restricted availability of medical appointments, noting that several doctors limit the number of complaints per visit, causing parents to have to schedule multiple appointments for their children on different days. She urged the committee to support medical care that is more “in tune” with the needs of parents whose spouses are deployed and do not have the ability to take leave from their jobs on multiple occasions. She also requested that the committee provide funding for on-base housing. Several families appreciate the security and comfort of on-base housing, which provides a sense of stability for children, and support networks for spouses.
Patricia Davis, a retired Air Force servicemember and wife of a United States Air Force Airman, informed the committee that many spouses are unaware of the support networks available to them since pre-deployment briefings are not mandatory and therefore tend not to be well attended by military families. She said that the programs discussed at the briefings can help families feel less isolated, but need to be available after work hours.
Ms. Davis also expressed her concern that working spouses who relocate from base to base with their military spouse can have difficulty finding work or obtaining unemployment benefits in their new city or state. She noted that there is little reciprocity between jurisdictions in recognizing professional licensures or certifications and that spouses who leave their jobs voluntarily due to relocation may be ineligible for unemployment benefits.
During the second panel, Arthur Myers, acting deputy undersecretary of Defense (Military Community and Family Policy), said that the total FY2010 Defense-wide family assistance budget is $472 million, which includes funding for child care expansion, non-medical counsel, financial education, and access to training and certification opportunities for spouses.
With regard to child care, Mr. Myers said, “The department considers care for children of military members to be a key work force issue with a direct impact on the effectiveness and readiness of the force. Though the department has a strong commitment to child care and youth programs, some components still have unmet demand for child care. Efforts are ongoing to address an estimated shortage of approximately 37,000 child care spaces needed for active duty, Guard, and Reserve families. The FY2010 Defense-wide budget includes $60 million to expand child care in civilian communities for public-private ventures. Plans to build this capacity involve utilizing a myriad of delivery systems to include existing child care facilities, schools, recreation and after-school programs, and home-based care programs. [The Army] will aid in the recruitment of private sector licensed child care providers at locations where child care needs are identified, such as locations from which Guard or Reserve units are being deployed. The department will ensure the level of quality is comparable to that offered on-installation by implementing an assistance plan geared to the specific needs of the community. We will utilize existing state and local resources, supplementing when needed, to raise the quality of care.”
Kathleen Marin, director of Installation Services and assistant chief of staff for Installation Management for the United States Army, explained the Army’s budget request for family programs: “The Army’s request for FY2010 Soldier and Family Programs is $1.726 billion. This increase will sustain funding for the Family programs in the out years. From FY2009-2010, the funding for Family Programs increased by $168 million.”
Ms. Marin also discussed a key segment of the servicemember population: single soldiers, a population that sometimes goes overlooked. “While steadily increasing focus on family issues in recent years, the Army has not lost sight of the 44 percent of the force that is not married — our single soldiers. The mission of the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers (BOSS) program is to enhance the morale and welfare of single soldiers, increase retention, and sustain combat readiness. BOSS is the collective voice of single soldiers through the chain of command. The program also serves as a tool for commanders to gauge the morale of single soldiers regarding quality of life issues. BOSS also sponsors a variety of activities before, during, and after deployment to maintain the morale of single soldiers affected by increased operational tempo and deployment stress. The BOSS program is facilitated through its three core components aimed at maintaining a balanced life: leisure and recreation, community service, and quality of life. BOSS affords soldiers the opportunity to assist in planning and execution of recreational activities for single soldiers and provides direction for soldiers interested in performing military and civilian community service-related projects. Community service projects provide soldiers [with] valuable experience, skills, and a sense of community pride and ownership. In FY2007, 22 garrison BOSS programs received the President’s Volunteer Service Award for efforts representing over 150,574 volunteer hours.” She added, “The BOSS program also serves as a tool to address many of the issues and concerns that our Army faces today. The program gives the Army the ability to tackle tough issues through peer-to-peer leadership. Single soldiers assist the chain of command in dealing with suicide prevention, sexual assault, and sexual harassment issues that single soldiers living in barracks might experience.”
Terri Rau, deputy manager for Fleet and Family Support programs and commander of the Navy Installations Command; Timothy Larsen, director of Personal and Family Readiness Division, Manpower and Reserve Affairs Department Headquarters for the United States Marine Corps; and Eliza Nesmith, chief of the Airman and Family Services Division, United States Air Force, also testified.
