On July 21, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee on Children and Families and the Senate Armed Forces Subcommittee on Personnel heard testimony on the states’ response to military families. The hearing was the seventh in a series of joint subcommittee hearings on the special challenges facing military families.
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), chair of the Subcommittee on Children and Families, spoke of the debt owed to military families: “While we can never fully compensate them for their service, there are things we are doing and more we can do to improve their quality of life and lighten their load.” He added, “Today, more than half our military members are married. Over 60 percent have children; in fact, there are about 1.2 million children (birth to 18 years) in our active military families.” Sen. Alexander listed the main concerns of families: education, child care, health care, housing, career opportunities for spouses, and communication and counseling for family members. Acknowledging that “war is hard on families,” Sen. Alexander expressed his view that many family issues can be best handled by “governors within their own states as well as across state lines.”
Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Children and Families Chris Dodd (D-CT) highlighted child care, predictability of tours of duty, housing, and education as priorities of military families. All of these issues, he said, ultimately impact on national security since reenlistment is, to a large extent, dependent on how the families of servicemen and women are treated.
Noting the “great personal sacrifice” and the “unique challenges” facing military families today, Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) stressed the importance of family support programs. She said that there is a groundswell of support for reserve families, who often are not part of the base structure. Regarding families of active duty service personnel, Sen. Dole noted that today, many choose to stay on base in times of deployment rather than living with their parents, as was common years ago. This “speaks volumes,” she said, about the high quality of base-sponsored programs now available. Sen. Dole also pointed out the challenges children of military families face, especially in times of deployment. “The [military] child deserves every resource,” she stated.
In her opening remarks, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) argued that the federal government has the main responsibility for supporting military families. “There are many things that can and should be done on the state level,” she said, adding, “Ultimately, the responsibility rests with the federal government.” Sen. Clinton voiced her concern that the Pentagon will close its child care center with no replacement until 2007, saying that this sends “the wrong message.” Commenting on a report in the Army Times, which states that the Department of Defense (DoD) is considering closing military schools and commissaries, Sen. Clinton said that closing military schools would place more stress on the children of military families and add to the burdens of local school systems. She called the possible closing of commissaries “shortsighted.”
Florida Governor Jeb Bush detailed Florida’s network of support for military families. To keep in touch with military needs, Gov. Bush testified that he meets with base commanders of all Florida installations twice a year. “The information provided by the commanders gives us insight into ways to ease the transition of military personnel and families into and out of our state and guides us toward solutions that improve the quality of life for military families,” he stated. Highlighting education, Gov. Bush said that children of military families are given first preference in special academic programs; military children who transfer into Florida’s public school system as high school seniors may substitute a standardized assessment such as the ACT or SAT for Florida’s high school exit exam; all active duty service dependents stationed in Florida receive in-state tuition at any state university and community college; and children of Florida service men and women who “have given their lives in the war on terror” receive a four-year college scholarship, honored at all Florida public universities and community colleges.
Regarding spouses, Gov. Bush described a nurse pilot program, which assists nurses moving into the state by granting them licensure if they are currently licensed in states participating in the Nursing Licensure Compact. “Nurses not part of this compact, who transfer to Florida with a military spouse, are now allowed to work as a nurse for 120 days while awaiting licensure,” he stated. Additionally, Gov. Bush noted that Florida offers unemployment benefits to military spouses who quit their jobs to keep their families together after deployment or transfer.
Indiana Governor Joseph Kernan pointed out that Indiana has only one major active duty installation but is home to the fifth largest National Guard force in the country. Gov. Kernan described the National Guard Family Program, which is comprised of the Family Readiness Program, Family Assistance Centers, and Youth Services, and is supported by a strong volunteer network. The program provides services such as “Armyknowledgeonline,” an email system for facilitating family communication; the Defense Eligibility Enrollment System (DEERS), a channel for medical and other benefits; and the Indiana National Guard Relief Fund, which has distributed over $20,000 in financial assistance to Guard families.
Gov. Kernan urged the subcommittees to assist states by increasing federal health care assistance for families of deployed National Guard soldiers, supporting the proposal in the House version of the FY2005 defense authorization legislation that would formally allow the Secretary of Defense to fund the National Guard for the performance of domestic operations, and by expanding the Family and Medical Leave Act to include activated National Guard families. He also stated that shortening the deployment of Guard soldiers from 12 to 9 months “will cause less disruption to our Guard soldiers and families, as well as our employers.”
Testifying on behalf of the DoD, Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Charles Abel stated, “To retain dedicated men and women, we must ensure that education, family support, a sense of community, and other quality of life benefits are comparable to American society…Families also serve.” Noting the importance of communication between service members and their families, Mr. Abel said that increased access to e-mail, telephone cards, satellite phone services, and non-secure military Internet is available to servicemen and women. He outlined other DoD initiatives designed to assist and support military families, including:
Nolan Jones testified on behalf of Raymond Scheppach, executive director of the National Governors Association (NGA). Though his testimony focused on programs for members of the National Guard and their families, Mr. Jones also highlighted the role of the NGA in sharing best practices in the states. He announced that results of a recent NGA survey will be posted on the NGA website. A joint NGA/DoD partnership also is gathering information on state benefits and services to be used as a resource for other states.
Holly Petraeus, wife of Lieutenant General David Petraeus, chief of the Office of Security Transition in Iraq, shared her experience as a military spouse at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Ms. Petraeus praised the Disabled Soldier Support initiative, “designed to provide the most severely disabled soldiers and their families with a system of advocacy and follow-up as they transition to civilian life.” She also commended Fort Campbell for establishing “both a Wounded Eagle Support Group and a Grief Support Group for surviving spouses,” and suggested that the Casualty Assistance Office hire permanent civilian employees to help families with legal assistance.
