The Personnel Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Armed Services held a hearing on support for military family programs, policies, and initiatives. Representatives from MC&FP, Service family programs, military spouses, and others testified on issues affecting military family members and their needs. The topics discussed at the hearing focused on mental health care of family members, quality of education for children, high ops tempo, little dwell time, opportunities for career advancement for spouses, quality of base housing, and building awareness of the family support programs that are available to assist families. Everyone expressed concern about cumulative effects of multiple, long-term deployments on children. The Committee members requested information on studies or research that would enlighten the efforts.

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Books for Brats, the first series of picture books for military brats, has partnered with First Book to continue its mission to donate their titles to military families.

Late last week, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced details for the temporary expansion of the Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP) using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The $555 million allocated to the HAP will be used to provide benefits to eligible military and DoD civilians who face financial losses selling their primary residence during the current housing downturn.

The DoD HAP has been providing financial assistance to military and DoD civilians for more than 40 years, and most recently, has been mainly used to provide benefits to personnel at base realignment and closure (BRAC) sites where government action caused a decrease in market home values. ARRA funding allows the DoD to temporarily expand this program in order to partially reimburse home sale losses in the following priority order:

    * Wounded service members relocating for treatment or medical retirement, and for the survivors of those who have died while on deployment.
    * Military and DoD civilians affected by the 2005 BRAC round, without the need to prove that the base closure caused the local market decline.
    * Normal military permanent change of station (PCS) moves, on a temporary basis.

Last February, Congress authorized ARRA funding for a temporary expansion of the HAP in order to address unique economic pressures faced by military personnel. After conducting an extensive analysis to determine how best to prioritize the finite $555 million available while maximizing assistance to as many people as possible, DoD developed specific eligibility criteria that includes PCS retroactivity from July 1, 2006, through December 31, 2009, and longer for wounded warriors/surviving spouses and personnel affected by BRAC.

Special eligibility for this temporary program expansion is available on the HAP website at http://hap.usace.army.mil/.

All active and former members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, as well as DoD civilians, who have sold a primary residence for a loss or are considering selling their home, are encouraged to visit the HAP website in order to check specific program criteria, and if eligible, apply online. Potential beneficiaries of this program are reminded that all proceeds received under HAP are taxable.

(Source: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12677)

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An Army wife opines in the Washington Post: "As the wife of a commander of a battalion that deployed last year, I know that many of us feel embittered, powerless and disconnected from the Army in which we and our husbands serve."

The American Council of Education (ACE) has produced a new publication, A Transfer Guide: Understanding Your Military Transcript and ACE Credit Recommendations. This new book will help Soldiers and veterans understand academic credit, and how institutions of higher education can award credit for military training and occupational experiences. The publication is available in PDF at http://www.myarmyonesource.com/news/2009/04/AcademicCredit.

TRICARE has increased the amount it will pay for certain Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) benefits. The total TRICARE cost share for training, rehabilitation, special education, and assistive technology devices was increased to $36,000 per fiscal year. The cap also covers institutional care in private nonprofit, public and state institutions & facilities and, if appropriate, transportation to and from such institutions and facilities. To learn more, go to http://www.myarmyonesource.com/news/2009/04/tricare.

Military OneSource (MOS) increased the number of non-medical Behavioral Health counseling sessions offered for service members and their Families from six to 12 sessions per person per issue. The new 12 session limit applies to face-to face counseling through Affiliate Providers, Short-Term Solution-Focused Telephonic Consultations, and Online Consultations. MOS is developing an aggressive roll-out plan to ensure the information about this new guideline is appropriately reflected throughout their operational systems, information platforms, policies and procedures, marketing materials, and communications. For participants already authorized for six sessions of counseling before 1 April 2009, requests for six additional sessions will be authorized on a case-by-case basis when the Network Affiliate Provider requests the additional sessions. For more information, go to http://www.myarmyonesource.com/news/2009/militaryonesource.