Support for the Geographically Dispersed Dr. Lynn Heirakuji Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army Personnel Oversig

1. Support for the Geographically Dispersed Dr. Lynn Heirakuji Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army Personnel Oversight AUSA Family Forum I October 5, 2009

2. BACKGROUND • Army is committed to providing Soldiers and Family Members a Quality of Life commensurate with their service • Applies whether they live on or near an active military installation or in a distant community (e.g., Reserve, National Guard, recruiters, ROTC instructors) • Fall 2007, stakeholders identified need to assess support for those Soldiers and Family Members who are geographically dispersed 2

3. ASA M&RA CHARTER • Geographically Dispersed Task Force (GDTF) was chartered to help answer this question — • “How can the Army provide comprehensive and equitable support services to meet the diverse needs of Soldiers and Family Members regardless of their location or component?” 3

4. BACKGROUND • From June 2008 forward, the Task Force— • Examined previous studies to see what was known • Engaged all Army components and maintained on-going involvement of key stakeholders • Held two strategic working groups with key stakeholders (Feb and Aug 2009) • Conducted site visits at 68 locations • Collected information from over 6,000 Soldiers and Family Members • Looked for gaps in what we knew and to confirm what we thought we knew 4

5. WHO DID WE HEAR FROM? • Dispersed Soldiers and Family Members (largely National Guard and Reserve, plus Active Army, e.g., recruiters): • 1,175 participated in a preliminary round of sensing sessions and interviews • 5,122 provided information by responding to needs assessment survey Units located in 54 states & territories 5

6. WHAT DID WE HEAR ABOUT? • Task Force assessed Soldier and Family Member perceptions of awareness, accessibility and use of 32 services, including — • Health and Medical Services • Family Readiness Groups • Family Assistance Centers • Child, Youth and School Services • Reintegration Activities • Financial and Legal Assistance • Employment Assistance 6

7. OVERVIEW • No gaps in services discovered • Confirms that Army offers a wide range of quality services that can reinforce each other • The critical measures are Soldier and Family Member awareness of and ability to access services 7

8. FINDINGS – AWARENESS OF SERVICES • When seeking information, both Soldiers and Family Members begin with the internet • Military websites were most important source of information • Military One Source ranked 3rd most important service to Family Members • States and regions with more informed Soldiers and Family Members had easily navigable websites • However, they can be overwhelmed with the number of websites • And some websites (e.g., TRICARE) are confusing and do not provide the necessary help to resolve their issues 8

9. FINDINGS – AWARENESS OF SERVICES • Factors that increase awareness of services include: • Having internet access in the home • Being mobilized as part of a unit versus being cross-leveled • Reintegration events play a major role in informing Soldiers and Family Members about services • When asked whether they were informed about services, 81% of those who have attended reintegration events responded positively, while only 62% of those who had not attended such an event felt informed 9

10. FINDINGS – AWARENESS OF SERVICES • Preferences for non-website sources of information: • Soldiers state Unit briefings & Chain-of-Command are best • Family Members state Yellow Ribbon-type events and Family Readiness Groups are best • Soldiers and Family Members recommended face-to-face contact rather than additional web-based solutions: • Offers individually focused, in-depth explanations that websites do not • Possible single stop for enrollment, explanations and “tailored support” for the individual 10

11. FINDINGS – AWARENESS & ACCESS • Soldiers and Family Members recommended the following to increase awareness and expand access: • Provide better information and /or additional venues for information about services (Armories, Family Assistance Centers, Recruiting Stations, Universities, etc.) • Provide more opportunities to connect with (or enroll for) specific services at reintegration events (e.g., Yellow Ribbon) 11

12. FINDINGS – ACCESS TO SERVICES 48% 35% Difficulty of Access 27% 40-100 Miles >100 Miles <40 Miles • Study confirmed that geographically dispersed Soldiers and Family Members have a difficult time accessing services • Generally, difficulty of access increases as distance from an active installation increases • No single “break point” on distance; perspective varies with service 12

13. FINDINGS – ACCESS TO SERVICES 90% Ease of Access 13% Well Informed Uninformed • Access is reported to be easier by better informedSoldiers and Family Members • Data confirmed what we suspected about awareness and access • No causal relationship substantiated, but strong correlation 13

14. FINDINGS – USE OF SERVICES • Soldiers and Family Members differ in their priorities for services • TRICARE, Fitness services & MWR are most important to Soldiers • TRICARE, Family Readiness Group support & Military One Source are most important to Family Members • Family Members appear to use services less than Soldiers and to be less informed about them • Used 13 of 32 services less than Soldiers • Lower awareness of 23 out of the 32 services 14

15. KEY POINTS • Army offers a wide range of quality services to meet the needs of geographically dispersed Soldiers and Families • However, the way the Army structures and delivers information about available services is critical: • The better informed a Soldier or Family Member, the easier access to services • Soldiers prefer different methods for obtaining information than Family Members • Quality of State and Regional information sources affects ease of access to services • Communications about services must be – • Routed through additional venues • Delivered at the time needed 15

16. WAY AHEAD • Final recommendations to ASA M&RA on Oct 8th • Brief key members of the Army Staff and other stakeholders concerning findings and other observations • Synchronize findings with other assessment efforts • Considerations of possible policy, program or process changes • Internal HQDA staffing of policy, program or process changes will follow • Continue to support OSD efforts • Defense State Liaison Office key issue: Support to RC • Military Community and Family Policy: RC Support Task Force • OSD Reserve Affairs: YRRP Center of Excellence • Army Family Covenant - ongoing assessment 16

17. Building Resilient Soldiers and Families

18. Purpose Provide initial results from the Family Readiness Group Leader Town Hall meetings 2

19. Agenda • Family Readiness Group Leader Town Hall meetings • Top programs / services delivered via the Army Family Covenant • Challenges / Way Ahead • Conclusion 3

20. Family Readiness Groups (FRG) Feedback • Recently completed a series of FRG Town Hall meeting to: • Use as feedback mechanism…what is working and what is not? • Gather first-hand information on how well Army Family Covenant is meeting commitments to Soldiers and Families and mitigating impact of deployments • Gather Senior Commander feedback on recommended service improvements or efficiencies • Schedule: • Fort Campbell – Jul 09 • Fort Drum – Jul 09 • Fort Hood – Aug 09 • Fort Lewis – Aug 09 • Fort Bragg – Sep 09 • Fort Stewart – Sep 09 4

21. Top Programs And Services Delivered Through The Army Family Covenant • Deployment Respite Child Care • Free Child Care and Fitness Classes • New Parent Support • Schools of Knowledge, Inspiration, Exploration, Skills – SKIESUnlimited 5

22. Top Programs And Services Delivered Through The Army Family Covenant • Military Family Life Consultants (MFLC) • Free Child Care for Volunteers • Family Readiness Support Assistants (FRSA) 6

23. Top Programs And Services Delivered Through The Army Family Covenant • Strong Bonds • Warrior Adventure Quest 7

24. FRG Challenges • CYS Registration • Concern: • Too difficult to register • Annual re-registration requirement • Same forms required for Youth and CYS (e.g., teen dance) • Way Ahead: • Record number of registrations for CYS (due to free respite care) has overwhelmed current system • Accelerate web-based registration system currently being deployed • In concert with deployment, ensure consistent training implementation/ customer awareness 8

25. FRG Challenges (cont) • Family Readiness Training • Concern: • Standardization • Consistency of delivery • Way Ahead: • Emphasize training for Family Readiness Group (FRG) leaders and Family Readiness Support Assistants is available through ACS • Local training for Company-grade Commander and 1SGs • Institutional training for all Family support systems within Army Officer Education System and Non-Commissioned Officer Education System, focused on Family and Soldier readiness including support to FRGs 9

26. FRG Challenges (cont) • Command Support • Concern: • Support and use of Family Readiness Support Assistants (FRSA) vary from installation to installation • Way Ahead: • Continue to collect and disseminate best practices • FRSA as my “Google” • Monthly installation FRSA meetings • Emphasis the continuous education of FRSA roles and responsibilities through the local ACS and Company-grade and 1SG training venues • Army leadership continues to emphasize support to FRSA/FRGs 10

27. FRG Challenges (cont) • FRG Funding • Concern: • Lack of funding clarity at the local level • Impression that funding is bake sale oriented • Way Ahead: • Provide clear funding guidance at the local and regional levels • Incorporate funding process into the Family Readiness training 11

28. FRG Challenges (cont) • Communication. By far the greatest challenge is a common understanding of programs available and how to access - “Need PhD to understand all the programs out there” • Concern: • Army OneSource / ease of use • Multiple strategic initiatives / consistency of message delivery • Word use – confusion regarding program titles • Way Ahead: • Refine marketing and advertising efforts at the Regional and local levels • Leverage social networking and other technology-based communication modes 12

29. Conclusion “…While we are moving in the right direction with the Soldier Family Action Plan, the journey is not over and we must remain determined to uphold the Army Family Covenant.” George W. Casey, Jr General, United States Army Chief of Staff 13

30. Questions 14

31. Back Up Slides 15

32. FACER PAGE: slide 5 Top Programs and Services delivered through the Army Family Covenant • Deployment Respite Child Care (16 hours free per month, per child) • Why: Provides break for spouse, peace of mind that child is safe and secure, socialization opportunity for child. • Insights: High priority should be given to sustaining this benefit. Concern that benefit may become an expectation. Some feedback that similar benefits should be expected throughout the ARFORGEN cycle. • Free Child Care and Fitness Classes • Why: Provides incentive for spouses to participate in health promotion activities that reduce stress and improve self esteem and coping skills. • Insights: Local initiative not consistently resourced or available. • Schools of Knowledge, Inspiration, Exploration, Skills – SKIESUnlimited (four free youth classes during parent deployment) • Why: Respite for parent, skills and socialization for children / youth. • Insights: Multiple benefits associated with program for both parent / youth to promote resilience. • New Parent Support (One hospital visit, multiple home visits) • Why: Personalized, private, and timely. No stigma since available to all. Like with respite child, concern that benefit may become an expectation • Insights: High priority should be given to sustaining this benefit since it is preventive and promotes healthy behavior. Needs more visibility. 16

33. FACER PAGE: slide 6 Top Programs and Services delivered through the Army Family Covenant • Military Family Life Consultants (MFLC) • Why: Confidential, no stigma, accessible, free, and no records. • Insights: Demand has grown beyond all expectations and is now expanded to a variety of locations (e.g. youth center, schools and BCTs). Currently funded by OSD through FY 10. In order to sustain, need to resolve future funding and human capital strategies. • FRSAs • Why: Lifts administrative burden from FRGs and reduces work load on command team. “Google” for commanders. • Insights: High priority for sustaining, continue to emphasize training to ensure consistency of utilization. • Free Child Care for Volunteers • Why: Incentivizes volunteerism, supports spouse employment, allows spouse to stay connected to the community, provides outlet and mitigates stress. • Insights: Should remain a resourcing priority, human capital without labor costs. 17

34. FACER PAGE: slide 7 Top Programs and Services delivered through the Army Family Covenant • Strong Bonds • Why: Unit cohesion, “break” for couples, improved communication skills, well received pre / post deployment. • Insights: Program has greatly expanded and feedback indicates even greater demand in terms of availability and focus (e.g. single parents, spouse retreats, leader retreats, etc). Local best practices include increasing availability by leveraging MFLCs and ACS personnel. • Warrior Adventure Quest • Why: Unit cohesion, increased self esteem, mitigates high risk behaviors. • Insights: Not yet fully deployed, continue to measure effectiveness. Direct link to resilience and Comprehensive Soldier Fitness. 18