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
America Supports You: Search for Top Military
Spouse in Full Swing - see
American Forces Press Release . The competition is conducted by
Military Spouse Magazine and is sponsored by USAA -
see details.
9/4/2008
Free welcome-home
signs available
-
If a homecoming celebration is in the works for your
returning service member, you’d better get in on the rush to order a free
banner from Buildasign.com -
see more.
7/22/08
New G. I. Bill Clarified
- see more.
7/22/08
New Policy to Prevent Loss of Leave
-
see more.
7/22/08
AAFES "Back to School Essay Contest" Offers Prizes
-
see more.
7/22/08
DoD Approves New Social Networking Website
-
Pentagon officials
approved “Websites for Heroes,” a network-secure, password-protected website
for Soldiers and families. The website allows families to post 2-hours of
video, unlimited pictures, message boards, kids’ pages and interactive
calendars. The website will enable troops to maintain communications with
their families during deployments and other assignments. Previously, the DoD
banned social networking sites, such as MySpace and YouTube, from their
computers making daily interaction difficult for military families. “Websites
for Heroes” is exempt from that ban and is accessible on DoD computers.
Donations are accepted ($99 per year) for military families to access the
site. So far, more than 1,300 military families have requested a website. For
more information, go to
http://www.websitesforheroes.com/.
7/22/08
Both the Senate and the House of Representatives voted
on Tuesday, July 15, 2008, to override the presidential
veto of H.R. 6331,
the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of
2008. In addition to staving off cuts in Medicare reimbursement to physicians,
the Act also makes modest improvements for Medicare beneficiaries -
see more.
7/17/08
Officials Extend Spouse Career Advancement Initiative
- Career and training opportunities for
military spouses just got better, as the Defense and Labor departments' career
advancement demonstration project has been expanded to include all active-duty
military spouses, along with four additional career fields -
see
more.
5/22/08
Anheuser-Busch Offers Free Theme
Park Admission -
Through its
“Here’s to the Heroes” program, which began in 2005, the brewing company is
offering free tickets to its theme parks for service members and up to three
family members to thank them for all they do in service to the country.
Active-duty
service members, activated or drilling reservists from all five branches of
service, and National Guardsmen are eligible for the program -
see
more.
5/22/08
DoD Announces New 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.
5/13/08
Sesame Street Releases New DVD for Military Children
(Army
News Service, April 30, 2008) – Just like approximately 700,000 preschool-age
military children in America, the loveable monsters of Sesame Street are
undergoing some tough and confusing times. Elmo’s father has come home from a
long trip and he and Elmo must overcome a few challenges readjusting and
reintegrating before learning he must go away again. Meanwhile, Rosita’s
father has been injured at work and is in a wheelchair. She’s upset and
confused by all the changes in their lives, but doesn’t want to talk to her
parents at first because she doesn’t want to upset them. Eventually she learns
new ways to play ball and dance with her father. The new DVDs “Talk, Listen,
Connect: Deployments, Homecomings, Changes,” launched Tuesday by Sesame
Workshop, are targeted at military Families with young children. The
programming is designed to help those Families communicate better and build
understanding about the difficulties of multiple deployments, homecomings and
changes related to injury -
see more.
5/6/08
Defense Commissary Agency Takes
Benefits to Guard, Reserve Members
- see more.
5/6/08
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.
MWR "Fan-tastic Summer" Offers Prizes for Patronizing Branded Restaurants
- see
more.
4/22/08
Department to Phase Out Full Social Security Numbers on IDs
- see
more.
4/15/08
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 AFO 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 beginning Feb. 20. 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.
1/10/08
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. 1/3/08
Family Readiness Groups and Special Initiative: The vFRG
- A new system, the Virtual Family Readiness
Group (vFRG) web system, provides all of the functionality of a traditional
FRG in an ad-hoc and on-line setting to meet the needs of geographically
dispersed units and families. Unlike FRGs that are located with the unit, the
vFRG links the deployed Soldier, their family, the FRG leader, the unit
commander, the rear detachment, and other family readiness personnel on their
own controlled access web portal to facilitate the exchange of information and
provide a sense of community, using technology to automate manual processes
and provide enhanced services and communications. Over 1,100 vFRGs are
established linking Families on the Homefront to those forward deployed. The
Army has limited development of vFRG sites to units at the Battalion-level and
higher in an effort to serve the most Soldiers and families across the Active,
Guard and Reserve. For more information
click here.
(Courtesy
STAND-TO!, Dec. 27, 2007)
Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) Transferability of Benefits to Dependents Pilot
Program - This program provides Soldiers (Active Component only) the ability to
transfer up to 18 months of unused Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) benefits to an
eligible dependent. A dependent to whom the entitlement is transferred
may not begin using the entitlement until:
(1) Spouse. By law, the Soldier
has completed at least six years of service in the Armed Forces.
(2)
Child. By law, the Soldier has completed at least 10 years of service in
the Armed Forces, and either:
(A) The completion by the child of the requirement of a secondary school
diploma (or equivalency certificate); or
(B) The attainment by the child of 18 years of age.
(Courtesy S1 Net
12/18/07)
Program Builds Strong Army Marriages
- As members of the world’s premier fighting force, Army
Soldiers sacrifice for our country every day, and so do their loved ones.
Military life places extreme hardship on relationships, especially in wartime,
so the Army – backed by Congress - has committed unprecedented resources to
help Soldiers build stronger relationships with their spouses through the
Strong
Bonds Program -
see Press Release.
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.
10/25/07
Integrated Family Support Network Reaches Out to Geographically
Dispersed Families -
The Army Integrated Family Support
Network, is a program to provide assistance to Soldiers and their Families in
geographically dispersed areas -
see more.
9/20/07
Family Assistance Centers, What is it?
- The National Guard Joint Force Headquarters Command (JFHQ) within each
state, territory, and the District of Columbia coordinates family assistance
for all military dependents within each respective location under the guidance
of a State Family Support Program Director (SFPD). Family Assistance Centers (FACs)
are located in the 54 states and territories. These FACs are
strategically placed in each state and territory to overcome the geographic
dispersion of both Active and Reserve Component families from
centralized, installation-based service providers. Each FAC is
staffed with military and civilian personnel, members of the Recruiting and
Retention force, Soldiers on Active Duty Special Work orders, contract
personnel, temporary technicians, state employees, and volunteers. For more
information, please go to www.guardfamily.org .
|
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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9/4/2008