Resources
for Troops, Reservists and Their Families
(from DeploymentLink)
Army
Army
Community and Family Support Center:
The Army Community & Family Support Center serves as the headquarters
for Army MWR (Morale, Welfare & Recreation).
Army
Family Action Plan: The AFAP program seeks input regarding critical
issues that affect the well being of soldiers, Army families, retirees,
and DA civilians. All components are included–active duty,
Army National Guard, and Army Reserves. AFAP issues are solicited
directly from Army constituents through annual conferences convened
at installations, major Army commands, and HQDA. The results from
AFAP conferences are reported to leaders who ensure the issues are
worked toward resolution.
Army
Family Liaison Office: The AFLO serves as the Ombudsman for
all Army soldiers, civilians and families of active Army, the Guard,
Reserves and Retirees.
Army
Family Team Building: Army
Family Team Building is a volunteer-led organization which provides
training and knowledge to spouses and family members to support
the total Army effort. AFTB's mission is to educate and train all
of America's Army in knowledge, skills, and behaviors designed to
prepare our Army families to move successfully into the future.
Navy
Fleet
and Family Support Division. The
Fleet and Family Support Division provides support to Sailors, families
and communities by providing policy guidance, field support, resources,
and information services to people in need, their business partners,
the Chain of Command and their field activities. They accomplish
this through planning, oversight, advocacy, and research.
LIFELines: The
LIFELines Service Network provides online resources in areas such
as deployment readiness, family support, transition assistance and
MWR.
Morale,
Welfare, and Recreation Headquarters: The Navy MWR administers
a varied program of recreation, social and community support activities
on U.S. Navy facilities worldwide. Their mission is to provide quality
support and recreational services that contribute to the retention,
readiness and mental, physical, and emotional well-being of sailors
and their families.
Navy
Family Ombudsman Program: This site is dedicated to support
the volunteers who comprise the Naval professional Ombudsman team.
This includes Ombudsmen, Ombudsman Assembly members and Naval Services
Family Line staff.
Navy
Services FamilyLine: Naval Services FamilyLine is a volunteer,
non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life
for every sea service family. This is achieved by answering questions
from spouses about the military lifestyle, referring spouses to
organizations which may be able to assist them, publishing and distributing
free booklets and brochures which contain very helpful information,
and developing successful educational programs for the sea service
spouse.
Ombudsman
Journal: This is the official journal of the Navy Ombudsman
Program. The Ombudsman Program is a highly trained volunteer force
who is able to offer support and guidance to Command families and
to act as an official liaison between the Command and its families.
Surface
Spouses: The Navy Surface Spouses provide a comprehensive resource
for sailors and their families enabling them to access information
about the Navy communities in which they reside or to which they
may be relocating.
Air Force
Air
Force Crossroads: Crossroads is
the official community website of the U.S. Air Force. This site
provides information on numerous topics including Air Force installations,
family separation and readiness, medical and dental, and relocation.
USAF
Combat Support and Community Services:
Air Force Services exists to provide combat support to commanders
directly in support of the Air Force mission. They also provide
community service programs that enhance the quality of life for
Air Force members and their families. These programs indirectly
support the mission by improving morale, productivity, and retention.
They offer a full range of military and community support programs
at most major Air Force installations.
Marine Corps
Marine
Corps Family Readiness Conference: Recognizing
the family as one of the "pillars of readiness,"
the U.S. Marine Corps held a Family Readiness Conference at Marine
Corps Base Quantico July 11-13 in Virginia. Family members, Marine
Corps leadership and support organizations from all over the world
came together to discuss the challenges of today's military lifestyle.
The conference highlighted the unique programs offered to Marines
and their families, as well as provided a forum for people to share
ideas and suggestions for improving those programs. The initiatives
and changes discussed will be brought forward to the Commandant
and Marine Corps Community Services leadership for consideration
and implementation.
Marine
Corps Community Services: MCCS exists to serve Marines and their
families wherever they are stationed. MCCS programs and services
provide for basic life needs, such as food and clothing; social
and recreational needs; and even prevention and intervention programs
to combat societal ills that inhibit positive development and growth.
Marine
Corps Family Team Building: This service provides educational
resources, services and a roadmap to the Marine Corps lifestyle
to foster the personal growth and enhance the readiness of Marine
Corps families.
Coast Guard
Coast
Guard Ombudsman: The
Coast Guard Ombudsman is a Coast Guard spouse who serves as a member
of the Command, and functions as a liaison between families and
the Commanding Officer.
National Guard
National
Guard and Reserve Family Readiness Program Toolkit
Army
National Guard Family Readiness Program: The
mission of this program is to: help bond Guard families together
and promote a sense of comradeship; relay vital information from
the Director and the Family Readiness Program in order to lessen
the feeling of isolation and convey the Director's concerns for
the well being of Guard families; aid Guard families in better understanding
the mission of the ARNG; keep Guard families informed about activities
sponsored by the Director and /or the Family Readiness Program;
and provide an avenue for Guard families to share some of the common
rewards, or tensions and frustrations of military life.
National
Guard & Reserve Family Readiness Strategic Plan: Prepared
by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve
Affairs and the Office of Family Policy (within the Deputy Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Personnel Support, Families and Education)
this plan seeks to ensure that reservists and their families are
prepared to cope with the strains associated with long or repeated
deployments and are adequately served by military family care systems,
networks and organizations.
The
National Guard Family Program Community: The National Guard
Family Program helps military personnel and their families prepare
for deployment. This site offers useful information on topics such
as education, employment, benefits, financial and legal issues.
Reserves
National
Guard and Reserve Family Readiness Program Toolkit
Guide
to Reserve Family Member Benefits: This
guide provides an overview of military benefits and how to access
them. It identifies eligibility requirements associated with some
entitlements and provides guidance for obtaining assistance on
specific questions and problems.
Army
Reserve Family Program: This site provides information on family
program support offices, reserve family member benefits, family
readiness handbooks, and reserve family news.
Navy
Reserve Ombudsman Online: The Reserve Ombudsman provides a volunteer
force who is able to offer support and guidance to families.
National
Guard & Reserve Family Readiness Strategic Plan: Prepared
by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve
Affairs and the Office of Family Policy (within the Deputy Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Personnel Support, Families and Education)
this plan seeks to ensure that reservists and their families are
prepared to cope with the strains associated with long or repeated
deployments and are adequately served by military family care systems,
networks and organizations.
Air
Force Reserve Family Readiness: Families of deployed reservists
will be assisted and supported by the Family Readiness office. The
types of deployment assistance services the family can expect include:
family support groups, reunion information, and volunteer opportunities.
Marine
Corps Reserve Community Services: Marine Corps Community Services
(MCCS) is the byproduct of merging the Corps old Morale, Welfare,
and Recreation and Human Resources programs and tailoring them to
better meet today's needs in personal and family readiness. MCCS
is designed around five essential, required capabilities: Marine
Corps Family Team Building, Personal Services, Semper Fit, Business
Operations, and General Support. Marine Forces Reserve, due to the
Forces unique challenges, will focus on the first three.
Coast
Guard Reserve Member, Family, and Employer Support: This page
has been designed to aid the Coast Guard Reservist, their families,
and employers to better understand the benefits and nature of reserve
service.
Office
of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs: This
site is dedicated to today's Reserve force. It provides information
about the policies, programs, and initiatives that OSD/Reserve Affairs
manages for the National Guard and Reserve Components of the United
States Armed Forces. This includes family support/readiness issues.
Special Information for Deployed
Reservists and their Families
When called to active duty, many of our servicemen
and women face difficulty in meeting their financial obligations back
home. In many cases, reservists and members of the National Guard
called to duty have taken significant pay reductions and may have
trouble paying their rent, credit card payments or their mortgage
payments.
It's important that these service members
and their families know about the important protections available
to them under the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act (SSCRA).
Activated members of the service may qualify for a reduced interest
rate on mortgage payments and a reduced interest rate on credit card
debt.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development
operates a resource center for service men and women who have questions
about the protections provided by the SSCRA. The toll-free number
for HUDVET is 800-998-9999 between 7AM and 7PM on weekdays. The website
address is www.hud.gov/hudvet.
For Reservists Experiencing Workplace Conflicts:
Members of a Reserve component experiencing
workplace conflicts due to their military service should contact their
commander and/or base legal officer. Many employment disputes
are due to misunderstandings and can be effectively settled through
informal communications. The National Committee of Employer
Support for the Guard and Reserves (ESGR) has professional staff willing
to assist servicemembers resolve any employment disputes. Also,
the U.S. Department of Labor, Veterans' Employment and Training Service
(VETS) investigates, enforces, and processes formal complaints under
the USERRA.
For more information you can contact
Know Your Rights
Congress
has acted to provide special protections for those called to active
duty. I have provided
the following fact sheets concerning the Soldiers' and Sailors'
Civil Relief Act of 1940 (SSCRA) and the Uniformed Services Employment
and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) for those who may have
concerns regarding the impact that active duty military service
has on their financial and employment situations.
The Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act
of 1940 (SSCRA)
What Is It?
The SSCRA was passed by Congress to protect
men and women from worrying about civil lawsuits and pre-existing
debts while they were in uniform defending the United States.
Who Is Covered?
Persons entering or called to active duty
military service are protected under the SSCRA, as are reservists
and the National Guard. A servicemember may be on active duty
in peacetime as well as in time of war or other national crisis. Further,
active duty includes training activities such as boot camp. In
addition to providing direct relief to military personnel, the SSCRA
also provides relief for military dependents who may face such problems
as eviction or foreclosure proceedings.
What Does It Do?
Under the SSCRA, servicemembers
may qualify for any or all of the following:
-
Reduced
interest rate on mortgage payments;
-
Reduced
interest rate on credit card debt;
-
Protection
from eviction if rent is less than $1,200;
-
Delay
of all civil court actions (i.e., bankruptcy, foreclosure or divorce
proceedings).
What Else Do I Need to Know?
-
SSCRA
protection begins on the date of entering active duty or the date
a member of a reserve component is ordered to report for military
service, and usually terminates within 90 days after date of discharge
from active duty.
-
SSCRA
debt protections apply only to those debts (including mortgages)
incurred before entry into service for servicemembers on
active duty. Debts incurred after entry into service are
not protected.
-
The
SSCRA sets an interest cap of 6% on all covered debts.
-
Servicemembers
should be prepared to prove a date of receipt for their military
orders.
-
Financial
protections under the SSCRA can hinge on the concept of whether
military service 'materially affects' the servicemember's legal
rights or obligations. This means that if a court were involved
in the matter, the court would compare the servicemember's financial
condition prior to entry into active duty with his or her financial
condition on active duty. Servicemembers should be prepared
to demonstrate this through such items as salary and leave statements.
-
Some
provisions of the Act are automatically applied, but those involving
debt payments require written notice to the lender of the intent
to claim the 6% cap.
-
Servicemembers
seeking information concerning the applicability of the Act to
their individual situation should be encouraged to seek legal
counsel from their unit or installation legal assistance offices.
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment
Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA)
What Is It?
Enacted in October 1994, USERRA provides
reemployment protection and other benefits for veterans and employees
who perform military service. It clarifies the rights and responsibilities
of National Guard and Reserve members, as well as their civilian
employers.
What Does It Do?
-
The
law ensures that members of the uniformed services are entitled
to return to their civilian employment upon completion of their
service;
-
They
should be reinstated with the seniority, status, and rate of pay
they would have obtained had they remained continuously employed
by their civilian employer;
-
The
law also protects individuals from discrimination in hiring, promotion,
and retention on the basis of present and future membership in
the armed services;
-
It
also prohibits employers from actions of workplace reprisal or
retaliation against anyone who exercises USERRA rights or anyone
who assists in the exercise of those rights.
Who Is Covered?
-
USERRA
applies to all employers in the United States, regardless of the
size of their business.
-
It
protects part-time positions, unless the employment is for a brief,
non-recurring period and is not expected to last indefinitely
or for a significant period.
-
USERRA
does not protect independent contractors and others considered
to be self-employed.
How Do I Qualify?
To qualify for reemployment rights after
military service, the following eligibility requirements must be met:
-
Servicemembers
must have left a civilian job;
-
Provided
notice that they were leaving to perform military service;
-
The
cumulative period of service must not exceed five years (limited
exceptions apply);
-
Released
from service under honorable or general conditions;
-
Reported
back to work or applied for reemployment within time constraints
prescribed by law.
What Else Do I Need to Know?
USERRA clearly establishes that reemployment
protection does not depend on the timing, frequency, duration, or
nature of an individual's service. USERRA clarifies that while an
individual is performing military service, he or she is deemed to
be on a furlough or leave of absence and is entitled to the non-seniority
rights accorded other individuals on nonmilitary leaves of absence,
including family and medical leave.
Where Can I Go for More Information?
Links to more information regarding the Soldiers'
and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940 (SSCRA) and the Uniformed Services
Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA):
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