Military Community and Family Program Support for Quality of Life

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additional nine states were included (Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana,Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia). We are taking steps to open theprogram in all 50 states, as it serves as the primary underpinning to the newCongressional direction for Yellow Ribbon reintegration. This initiative created a "hightech,high touch" web-enabled community to connect military families with each otherand with supportive resources 24/7 regardless of where families are located.Additionally, the initiative enhances the availability of resources for family members byaugmenting the activities of active duty and Guard and Reserve family centers andprograms. Partnering with the Red Cross, this program facilitates a federal, state andlocal team that can offer benefits and transition assistance throughout each of theparticipating states.Providing child care for the Reserve and Guard presents unique challenges. Manyfamilies do not live close enough to military installations to use on-base child care andoff-base care is not always affordable. The availability, affordability, and access to highquality programs for children and youth are critical elements of support for families ofthe National Guard and Reserves. An initiative designed to address these challenges isOperation: Military Child Care, which reduces but does not fully subsidize the cost ofchild care. Services are provided through partnership with a national nonprofitorganization that helps parents locate child care, at reduced rates in their owncommunities, when they are unable to access child care on military installations.Direct mailings, Military OneSource, unit events, and the Internet are used toinform Guard and Reserve members about the value of their commissary and exchangebenefits. Joint commissary and exchange special events, such as “case lot” and “tentsales,” also attract geographically dispersed personnel, including retirees, to our retailcomplexes on military installations. To increase Guard and Reserve accessibility to thecommissary benefit without costly infrastructure, DeCA is expanding their “on-site”truckload sales and on-line grocery ordering programs. In Fiscal Year 2007, DeCAintroduced “on site” truckload sales at 21 Guard and Reserve locations that are not near a16
military installation. There are plans to significantly increase the number of Guard andReserve events this year, with participation by the exchanges. The exchange catalog andInternet stores offer another way for our military community to remotely access theirexchange benefits.The Department is exploring other ways to expand the military MWR benefit toactive duty, Guard and Reserves who do not have access to installation MWR programs.This includes on going efforts to establish national partnerships to provide discounts forfitness and recreation programs. We are working with many non-profit organizations thatprovide recreation and also the National Recreation and Park Association, as the nation'sleading professional association for personnel working in community, and military parksand recreation programs. The goal: to create awareness within State and localcommunities on the need to engage military personnel and their families, who do nothave access to installation-based MWR programs that promote active, healthy lifestylesand create a sense of community. We also plan to better use Military OneSource as avirtual one-stop-shop for recreation opportunities - both those found in the localcommunity and installation based MWR programs that can be accessed off theinstallation, such as the virtual library materials and discounted tickets, hotels, and travelopportunities.MIGRATING TO THE NEW GLOBAL POSTURE AND DOMESTICSTRUCTUREBase closure and realignment (BRAC), restationing, and Grow the Force mayrequire changes to our activities that support domestic and overseas militarycommunities. DoD is partnering with other Federal Agencies and the affected civiliancommunities to formulate quality of life programs at locations where there will be asufficient concentration of active duty members. We recognize that access to benefits isa pressing concern for communities after bases close and realign. We would continue anoperation only if there is a significant active duty population remaining in the area that17
Page 1 and 2: WRITTEN STATEMENTBYLESLYE A. ARSHTD
Page 3 and 4: have 660,000 children. Statistics s
Page 5 and 6: PROGRESS AND OUTLOOKWe are managing
Page 7 and 8: Collectively, these programs contri
Page 9 and 10: Life Social Compact Improvement Ind
Page 11 and 12: service and maximize efficiencies i
Page 13 and 14: forwarded an “out of cycle” req
Page 15: Domestic Dependent Elementary and S
Page 19 and 20: Supplemental Civilian Human Resourc
Page 23 and 24: provide savings to the customer and
Page 25 and 26: capabilities of the Department's 20
Page 27 and 28: Return and Recreate: The Department
Page 29 and 30: support deployed Marines and famili
Page 31: CONCLUSIONMadam Chairwoman, I would

Military Community and Family Program Support for Quality of Life

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