ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Patty Barron, director of Family Readiness for the Association of the U.S. Army, was sworn in March 24 as a member of the Defense Department’s Military Family Readiness Council.

The swearing-in happened via teleconference because of coronavirus-related precautions.

The 18-member council provides recommendations on family programs, policies and plans, meeting at least twice a year to monitor and evaluate programs.

Children of active-duty troops will get “priority access” to Defense Department child care programs beginning June 1, according to a policy change signed by Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

As a result of the new policy, some families may be bumped from DoD child care centers. Families affected by the change will be notified beginning in June, and they’ll have 45 days to find alternative care, according to information from the Pentagon.

Big improvements in accountability, transparency and quality from the companies that move household goods are on the way for military families who will be transitioning to new locations at the peak of next year’s moving season, a senior official said.

Complaints of widespread problems with the shipment and delivery of household goods awaited Army Gen. Stephen Lyons about 18 months ago, he said, when he took over as commander of U.S. Transportation Command, the joint military command that oversees family moves around the world.

Improvements are coming to the Army’s Exceptional Family Member Program that provides educational and medical help to special needs dependents, said Col. Steve Lewis, deputy director of the Army’s quality of life task force.

Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on military personnel, Lewis said 43,000 soldiers have special needs family members. He described the Exceptional Family Member Program, established in the late 1970s, as a “safety net of resources and support” for families who face some of the military’s toughest family challenges.

Families living in Army housing will have another chance to rate the quality of their living conditions and housing services in two confidential surveys set to be emailed on Nov. 7 and Nov. 12.

The first survey going out Nov. 7 will pertain to Army-owned and leased housing; the second survey slated to be emailed Nov. 12 will cover privatized housing. Both surveys will be open through Dec. 13, according to an Army news release.

Army leaders heard a torrent of complaints from soldiers and family members over challenges they’ve faced with poor housing conditions and permanent change-of-station moves during a family forum Oct. 15 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.

In response, the Army leaders tried to assure the room full of spouses and soldiers that they are acutely aware of the concerns and are working to correct the problems, including finding ways to better inform Army families of their rights and ensure their complaints get to their unit and installation leadership. 

The Army is looking for ways to make PCS moves easier for soldiers and families, but Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville is not in favor of moving families during off-peak season.

“[S]ome people are talking about, ‘Hey, we’ll move soldiers off peak’—I don’t sign up for that,” McConville said during a senior leadership town hall Oct. 15 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Families tend to move in the summer—the peak permanent change-of-station moving season—because children are out of school, he said. 

Army spouses looking for employment can face challenges—frequent moves and state licensing requirements, for example—but they have a community of resources and opportunities available to help, experts say. 

“Family wellbeing is holistic and requires that we acknowledge and support every member of the family when needed and reach out to others as we can,” Lee Kelly, director of military community support programs in the Defense Department’s Office of Military Community and Family Policy, said Oct. 15 during the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Symposium.

The Army recognizes the need for community support as it shifts away from spouse-only programs to all-encompassing soldier and family readiness groups.

“Social support and connectedness are critical for family readiness and we recognize that,” Col. Steve Lewis, chief of the family programs branch in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-9, said while speaking at a military family forum at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition on Oct. 14.

This year’s Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition will feature several family readiness-focused events.

“This is an important time for Army families,” said Patty Barron, director of AUSA’s Family Readiness directorate. “With so many changes happening with Army family programs, issues with housing and PCS moves, and a brand-new Army leadership team, the forums could not be more spot on.”