Another state has joined an interstate agreement to ease school transitions for children from military families, bringing the overall tally of member states to 40, a Defense Department official announced yesterday.

With the addition of Pennsylvania, the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children now encompasses nearly 90 percent of school-age military children scattered across the nation, said Robert L. Gordon III, deputy assistant secretary of defense for military community and family policy.

“The Department of Defense has always valued education for our children,” Gordon said in an interview at the Pentagon. “This partnership between the DOD and states is absolutely instrumental to the success of our kids and their education.”

The Defense Department, in collaboration with the Council of State Governments’ National Center for Interstate Compacts, developed the interstate compact in 2007 to ease military families’ challenges as they transition between school systems, whether it’s DOD schools, public schools on a military installation, or public schools in communities. By joining the compact, states agree to follow common guidelines in handling issues such as class placement, records transfer, immunization requirements, course placement, graduation requirements, exit testing and extracurricular opportunities.

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While the U.S. military will shrink in the coming years, the contracting career field will buck the trend and grow, officials at the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center said.

The field is open to officers and enlisted soldiers, and the total Army population in the military occupational specialty will double by the end of fiscal 2013, officials said.

Those selected will become part of the Army Acquisition Corps.

The Corps needs more officers in functional area 51 and noncommissioned officers in military occupational specialty 51C.

On the officer side, the Army typically looks for officers in their sixth or seventh year of service. “We would like to have them starting to look at the career field when they are lieutenants, but they transfer to the career field after they have their branch qualifying job as a captain,” Army Maj. Anthony Maneri said during a recent interview.

The enlisted side is a bit different. The service targets sergeants and staff sergeants under 10 years of service. “They must be in balanced or overstrength military occupational specialties,” said Army Master Sgt. Jason Pitts, a specialist at the center. “There are over 180 MOSs, and there are only nine that are not eligible, so pretty much any soldier is eligible.”

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Caregivers have given up part, and sometimes all, of a salary or wage to care for their loved one. Therefore, the Department of Defense (DoD) is providing all eligible catastrophically wounded, ill or injured Service members with line-of-duty injury or illness with a special compensation to assist in the economic burden borne by their caregivers who provide nonmedical care, support and assistance for the member.

DoD is committed to ensuring that Service members do not suffer financial hardship when caregivers forego outside employment to take responsibility for the care of catastrophically wounded, ill or injured Service members at home in lieu of the government providing residential institutional care.

The military services are notifying eligible Service members of this voluntary compensation. If the eligible Service member wishes to apply, the military services will coordinate with the appropriate offices to ensure the member receives this stipend.

Catastrophically wounded, ill and injured Service members and their caregivers should reach out to their primary care managers or care coordinators to discuss eligibility for this special compensation, called Special Compensation for Assistance with Activities of Daily Living, or SCAADL.

Eligibility

An eligible Service member:

• Has a catastrophic injury or illness incurred in the line of duty;
• Has been certified by a licensed physician to be in need of assistance from another person to perform the personal functions of everyday living; or
• Would, in the absence of this provision, require some form of residential institutional care.

Procedures

Military medical authorities, the federal recovery care coordinator, treating physicians and medical and nonmedical case managers worked together to identify Service members who may be qualified for DoD caregiver compensation.

Service members designated by a licensed physician as having a catastrophic condition—along with the members’ guardians or designated representatives and families—are thoroughly counseled and advised on DoD caregiver compensation. If the member chooses to receive the compensation, the effective date of entitlement will be the date a licensed physician certifies the member meets the eligibility criteria.

Compensation

The Fiscal Year 2011 National Defense Authorization Act requires the Defense Department to match the amount paid to caregivers in the Department of Veterans Affairs Caregivers and Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010. The monthly amount is based on what a commercial home health care provider would pay for equivalent personal care services in the Service member’s geographical area of residence and the time and complexity of care the caregiver provides. To access an online SCAADL calulator, visithttp://militarypay.defense.gov/Tools/scaadlintro.html. DoD caregiver compensation is intended to assist Service members and their caregivers before they transition out of the services, and for 90 days after their discharge date.

Service members who have a discharge date may be eligible to apply for the Veterans Affairs Department’s family caregiver program, which provides a caregiver stipend and other assistance to eligible veterans and caregivers. Transitioning Service members who believe they are eligible, such as those in the Integrated Disability Evaluation System, for the VA Family Caregiver Program should apply as soon possible at www.caregiver.va.gov.

Source Documents

Department of Defense Instruction 1341.l2
DoD Directive 5124.02 (Reference (a))
Section 439 of title 37, United States Code (U.S.C.) (Reference (b))

Support

Talk to your primary care managers or care coordinators about eligibility for caregiver compensation.

U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command
WTC.G1SCAADL@conus.army.mil

Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment
877-487-6299

Air Force Wounded Warrior Program
800-581-9437

Navy Safe Harbor
877-746-8563

VA Family Caregiver Program
855-260-3274

Military OneSource
800-342-9647

Noting their contributions to military families’ lives, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, yesterday announced the 20 finalists that will compete for top honors in the Joining Forces Community Challenge.

The challenge, part of the Joining Forces campaign, recognizes and celebrates individuals, communities and organizations that have displayed outstanding support to military families and veterans. The first lady and Biden launched Joining Forces last year to raise awareness of troops, veterans and their families, and to rally the nation around them.

“Jill and I have asked organizations large and small to direct some of their efforts toward our troops and their families, and … we’re thrilled to congratulate 20 groups who are doing just that,” the first lady said in a White House release yesterday. “These organizations are doing what they do best: providing financial assistance for scholarships and child care, working to build self-esteem in military teens, offering free photo sessions for military families and so much more.

“Creative ideas like these can be replicated in communities all across the country,” she added, “and we can’t wait to see what Americans come up with next.”

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Tens of thousands of combat troops who undergo routine health checks before returning home need treatment for ailments ranging from bad backs to mental illness, helping to drive a backlog of troops waiting for medical retirements, new Pentagon data show.

Last year, doctors referred 74,813 returning soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen for treatment of issues such as strained muscles, mental health and mild concussions following health screenings done as they left war zones, data show.

Of those, 14,226 troops had conditions that required treatment within 24 hours, the Pentagon says. The rate of such emergency issues was highest in the Army, going from 6% of returning GIs in 2009 to 8% in 2011.

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President Barack Obama today continued his commitment to improving employment among veterans by introducing an initiative to hire them as the country’s first responders.

“In my State of the Union address, I proposed a new initiative called the Veterans Jobs Corps to put veterans back to work protecting and rebuilding America,” he said. “And today, we’re laying out the details of this proposal.”

Speaking at a fire station here to veterans, firefighters, police officers and national park employees, Obama shared the venue’s significance before his remarks.

“This is a fire station that holds some special significance for our country,” he explained. “On September 11th, the firefighters of this house were among the first to respond to the attack on the Pentagon.

“You guys answered this nation’s call during its hour of need,” Obama added. “And in the years that followed, as Americans went to war, some of you answered that call, as well.”

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As service members begin preparing for the annual tax season, they may want to consider a new savings plan designed for young people, a Defense Department tax official said today.

Service members and their dependents who earn less income today than they expect to earn in the future, such as those in junior ranks who look forward to getting promoted to higher grades, should consider investing in the Thrift Savings Plan’s new Roth option, said Army Lt. Col. Evan Stone, director of the Armed Forces Tax Council.
“The Roth TSP is a good option for service members who are paying less tax now than they expect to pay later,” Stone said during an interview with the Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service.

The traditional Thrift Savings Plan defers taxes on earned income until the money is withdrawn, Stone explained. The Roth option allows a member to contribute after-tax dollars that grow tax free and are not taxed upon withdrawal, he said.

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• The Department of Veterans Affairs
• The Director of North Carolina’s State Approving Agency
• The Wounded Warrior Project
• The NC National Guard Education Services Officer
• The President of SOC
• The American Council on Education

(The full agenda can be found here: http://www.operationpromiseforservicemembers.com/CVSP_March_2012_Agenda.html)

Thanks to generous support from UNC President Tom Ross, NCCCS President Scott Rawls, and the Aurora Foundation the conference registration is being offered at a discount, so please take advantage of this opportunity. So far the seats are filling with representatives from Defense Agencies, Non-Profit Organizations, UNC campuses, NCCCS campuses, Private NC institutions, and other organizations from outside of the state. We hope that we will see veterans representatives from our entire state join us in Charlotte for the conference and continue our work setting a high standard of veteran support services across the North Carolina.
If you have any questions regarding the conference please contact me at any time. Also, please find attached the official invitation from Operation College Promise. Thank you, and we’ll see you in Charlotte.

Two sessions will be offered, as follows (choose one):  January 30-31 (Monday and Tuesday) or  March 15-16 (Thursday and Friday)

All classes held at Western Wake Campus,  Room 110
3434 Kildaire Farms Road, Cary, NC 27518

The deadline is swiftly approaching for the Fisher House Foundation’s 2012 Scholarships for Military Children Program, conducted at military commissaries worldwide.

Applications must be completed and delivered – not postmarked, but delivered – to a commissary by close of business Feb. 24, according to an agency release. People can pick up applications at their local commissary or download it from the scholarship program’s website.

A minimum of one $1,500 scholarship will be awarded at every commissary location where applications are received. The Defense Commissary Agency operates nearly 250 commissaries on military installations around the world, according to its website.

The program is open to currently enrolled or college-bound children of active duty, reserve or retired military commissary customers.

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