February 8, 2012 – American Forces Press Service

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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February 8, 2012 – American Forces Press Service

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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February 6, 2012 – Warrior Care DoD Live

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.

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February 3, 2012 – American Forces Press Service

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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February 1, 2012 – USA Today

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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