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Yup, it’s that time of year again folks. PCS TIME!

SitterCity can help you find a pre-screened babysitter in your new duty station:

Servicemembers can use Sittercity for free to get access to a pool of caregivers, as well as dogwalkers, housekeepers and tutors, who have passed a background check and have been reviewed by the service. Some of the caregivers available are able to get on base and are subsidized by the military.

Check ‘em out! And if you’ve already used them, and have advice or tips for other families, let us know in the comments!

And on a related note, check out these 15 PCS survival tips!

The Navy Lodge Program is offering its guests an even greater value with its 2012 permanent change of station (PCS) scratch card promotion. The PCS scratch cards are good for 10, 15, 25 percent off or a free stay for any PCS stay at any Navy Lodge in the continental United States, up to 20 days.

“Navy Lodge guests know they save 40 percent plus when they stay with us,” said Mike Bockelman, Vice President, Navy Exchange Service Command’s (NEXCOM) Director, Navy Lodge Program. “Moving can be stressful and costly. We’re hoping this scratch card promotion will ease some of that by offering an even greater savings on their Navy Lodge stay.”

The Navy Lodge PCS scratch card can be found at Fleet and Family Service Centers, PSD or by calling 800-NAVY INN (800-628-9466). Guests need to present the scratch card at check-out to see the savings. This promotion runs now through December 31, 2012.

For more information, visit www.navy-lodge.com.

ALERT FROM DFAS:

There are emails being sent to individuals, including military members, military retirees, and civilian employees, which appear to be sent by a DFAS employee. Although the email appears to come from a DFAS employee and displays a dot mil address it is actually from a non-government email account. This is an example of what’s called “spoofing.”

The emails indicate that individuals who are receiving disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) may be able to obtain additional funds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). These emails are not issued by DFAS and will likely result in a financial loss if you comply with the suggestions in the email. Bottom line – do not send your personal information or copies of your tax returns and 1099s to the individual listed in the email.

The email indicates that individuals receiving VA disability compensation can receive additional funds from the IRS. The email states that such funds can be obtained by sending copies of your VA award letter, your income tax returns, your 1099-Rs, your RAS statements, and a copy of your DD 214, to a so-called retired Colonel at an address in Florida. Do NOT follow the suggestions in the email because you will be providing a significant amount of your personal information to a complete stranger, which could result in a financial loss to you.

The 1099-Rs that are issued by DFAS reflect only the taxable portion of a member’s retired pay. DFAS is not aware of any legal basis for the alleged additional funds that the IRS would supposedly pay over. By ignoring the email, you will avoid frustration, the release of personal information to a stranger, and the possibility of financial loss. If you have any questions or concerns about these or any other tax issues, you should contact a known, reputable tax consultant, tax attorney, or legal assistance officer for advice and assistance. Read our agency email policy that has been developed to protect customer privacy.

++++++++copy of text of scam email+++++++++++++

Sent: Thu, March 17, 2011 7:04:17 PM
Subject: FW: Income Tax

Sandra,

here you go!

I been informed that you can receive additional funds from IRS for SM who retired with 20 years of AFS, information required to receive this entitlement is as follows:

Copy of your VA award letter (note: if your VA rating has been increase within the last three years, you’ll need to send all
ratings).
Copies of your 1040′s for tax years: 08, 09 and 10
Any copy of your 1009R for year 08, 09 and 10
Copies of your RAS statements (Retired pay statements) for year 08, 09 and 10
Copy of your DD Form 214

This information should be mailed by Priority Mail to:
>
Willie Brooks
726 Mayflower Ave.
Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32547-3175
850-862-1673.

Mr. Brooks is a retired AF COL who worked for IRS and charges you 10% of what you receive. I have known of several within the AW2 program who has received from $8.000.00 to $19,000.00. See additional information concerning this matter.

Pass this on to any of your friends who has a VA rating and 20 or more years of AFS!

Ending our week on a nice, feel-good story! We love these!

Dan Wallrath, a CNN Hero, has been building mortgage-free homes for U.S. troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, with his group Operation Finally Home. This month, they broke ground on their first home for a military widow.

In an interview with Christine O’Reilly from CNN, Wallrath tells the story of how they surprised Sara Wood:

Dan Wallrath: We surprised her during halftime at a Houston Texans game.We got there and we started talking to her, and she’s telling us about her husband and how big of fans they were. He was buried in his dress blues, but underneath his dress blues he was buried in (wide receiver) Andre Johnson’s jersey. We didn’t even know it, and the Texans had no clue.

O’Reilly: Wow. That must have made it that much more special. What was the moment of surprise like?

Wallrath: She just broke down, and it just tore me out. Tears just started flowing from everybody.

I tell you, it was amazing. When we gave the home away, you could hear a pin drop in the stadium. And afterward, I knew several people all around in the stadium in different places, and they called me (and said) everybody was crying. So that was really a neat, neat deal.

She had just lost Scott a couple weeks before we gave her the home. And it was just so emotional because she was just trying to get her life together. … We broke ground on the house, and it’s moving right along.

Read the full story, “Military widow surprised with free home” on CNN.com

Excerpt from press release from the Senate HELP Committee:

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) released new Department of Defense (DoD) data showing that for-profit colleges received half of all military Tuition Assistance (TA) dollars – $280 million out of $563 million spent last year on the program that gives service men and women the opportunity to take college classes while on active duty. This new information underscores the impact of for-profit colleges’ aggressive recruiting on bases and military-related websites. It also emphasizes the importance of strengthening eligibility requirements for colleges participating in the TA program in order to ensure that servicemembers and their spouses are getting a quality education and taxpayer dollars are not being wasted.

“Military tuition assistance has long served as a key element in the professional development of our nation’s all-volunteer Armed Forces. The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) believes more must be done to ensure the highest quality outcomes from this investment in our most precious resource, our military men and women,” said VADM Norb Ryan, USN (ret.), President of MOAA.

The full HELP Committee analysis is available here: DOD TA Data Background Document.

The HELP Committee’s analysis reveals:

• Six of the top 10 TA recipients are for-profit colleges. Those six alone pull in more than two-thirds of all TA dollars going to the for-profit sector.
• A HELP Committee analysis of student outcomes at four of those companies shows that 60 percent of students dropped out of the schools less than a year after enrolling.
• The HELP Committee has documented additional problems at several of the companies in the top 10:
• Bridgepoint employs 1,700 recruiters but just 1 job placement counselor while numerous students log complaints about the lack of support services.
• TUI received a citation from the Department of Education for financial aid mismanagement in 2009 and its accrediting agency is currently reviewing its accreditation status.
• A bigger share of military educational benefits goes to for-profit colleges with questionable or unknown outcomes than any other federal education program.
• For-profit colleges are rapidly increasing the amount of TA benefits they take in, with one company demonstrating a 199 percent increase in a two-year period.
• For-profit colleges are taking in more than 60 percent of the tuition assistance available to military spouses through the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) program.
• Four of the top 10 schools receiving MyCAA funds are largely unregulated by the U.S. Department of Education.

Today’s announcement follows last fall’s HELP Committee analysis revealing that the top 10 recipients of Post 9/11-G.I. Bill education benefits include eight for-profit higher education companies, even as students attending colleges operated by these companies have a one year drop-out rate of almost 60 percent. Together, those eight companies collected $626 million last year.

Senator Harkin, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has conducted an investigation into the for-profit college sector over the past year and released a report in December 2010 on the industry’s recruitment of veterans.

The Pat Tillman Foundation is pleased to announce the fourth annual Tillman Military Scholars application process opened Monday, February 13, 2012 at 12:00 a.m. EST. The Tillman Military Scholars program provides educational scholarships for veterans, active servicemembers and their spouses.

For specific details on eligibility and to apply online please visit: http://www.pattillmanfoundation.org/tillman-military-scholars/apply. The application will close on Friday, March 16, 2012 at 11:59:59 p.m. PDT. All applicants will receive notification of selection results via e-mail no later than June 21, 2012. All scholarships will be granted for the 2012/2013 academic year.

In 2008, the Pat Tillman Foundation established the Tillman Military Scholars program to support educational opportunities for servicemembers and their families by filling the financial gaps in the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. The Tillman Military Scholars program covers direct study-related expenses such as tuition and books, as well as, other basic needs such as housing and childcare.

Over the past three years, the Pat Tillman Foundation has awarded over $2.2 million in scholarship funds to 171 Tillman Military Scholars pursuing education at every level from freshmen undergraduates to PhD candidates. Overall, Tillman Military Scholars represent 59 different universities across 32 states.

The scholarship funds awarded are just a portion of the Tillman Military Scholar experience which also focuses on guiding an engaged community and providing essential resources that empower Scholars to serve and lead in their local communities and ease the transition from military to civilian life.

MOAA is proud to support the Real Warriors campaign! They provide tips, resources and advice to servicemembers and their families learning to cope with the aftereffects of war.

In their latest newsletter, Real Warriors offers a new weekly podcast series in which servicemembers, veterans and military families highlight the importance of seeking care for invisible wounds and offer tools and tips on building and maintaining psychological resilience.

The first podcast, “Reaching Out for Support,” discusses how challenges coping with traumatic experiences can impact mission readiness.

The second podcast, “Leaders Can Make an Important Difference,” discusses how leaders can help strengthen force readiness by promoting psychological health, as well as encouraging and assisting those who need support to seek appropriate care.

Access and download selected episodes or subscribe to receive weekly updates automatically. And if you  know someone in need of help, please share these resources!

Have you checked out the podcast? Let us know what you think!

Military.com’s Spouse Summit is a first-of-its kind event aimed at informing and empowering military spouses. The Summit brings together Subject Matter Experts to address the most pressing issues facing military families today. Whether it’s learning how to overcome obstacles that stand in the way of career or education goals, or how the state of the economy could affect military pay and benefits, the 2012 Spouse Summit will cover the substantive issues which are crucial to maintaining the mental, physical and financial health of our military families.

Check out the Spouse Summit flyer for more details on the conference, and to register for the March 2-3 event in Arlington, VA!

First Lady Michelle Obama announces measures to increase support for caregivers of wounded, ill and injured service members at the Labor Department in Washington, D.C., Jan. 30, 2012. These proposed rules would, in part, enable more military family members to take the time they need to care for their loved ones without fear of career repercussions. DOD photo by Elaine Sanchez

First Lady Michelle Obama today announced a series of measures intended to increase the nation’s support for caregivers of wounded, ill and injured service members.

Joined by Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis and senior military leaders, Obama announced the Labor Department’s proposal to expand military family leave protections under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

These proposed rules will, in part, enable more military family members to take the time they need to care for their loved ones without fear of career repercussions, the first lady said.

The Labor Department’s proposed expansions of the Family and Medical Leave Act will help more caregivers of troops and veterans tend to their wounded loved ones, Solis explained. FMLA, enacted in 1993, enables eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons.

The proposal will, in part:

• Extend the 26-week unpaid leave entitlement to family members caring for recent veterans with a serious injury or illness incurred in the line of duty, including conditions that may arise up to five years after leaving the military;
• Allow family members to take time off from work before, during or after a spouse, child or parent’s deployment to tend to service-related matters, such as military briefings or making financial and legal arrangements; and
• Increase the amount of time an employee may take to spend with a loved one who is on rest or recuperation leave from five days to up to 15 days.

The Labor Department’s proposal is just a few of many steps the Obama administration is taking to support caregivers, the first lady noted, citing legislation the president signed to help caregivers receive stipends, training, counseling and other assistance. The Defense and Labor departments also have strengthened their caregiver support, she said, working together to support caregivers whose loved ones are dealing with TBIs and post-traumatic stress.

Additionally, she added, the VA has helped caregivers receive health insurance and helps connect them with support coordinators who can direct them to resources.

But the government can’t do it alone, Mrs. Obama said, citing examples of how other individuals and organizations are stepping up to help.

Building on successful pilot programs at Fort Belvoir, Va., and Fort Carson, Colo., the USO, Hire Heroes USA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce plan to host 14 career opportunity days focused on the employment of wounded, ill and injured warriors, their spouses and caregivers.

The Chamber of Commerce’s new Military Spouse Business Alliance has committed to hosting a career forum and hiring fair exclusively for wounded warriors, their spouses and caregivers at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., in May.

Finally, Operation Homefront and the Semper Fi Fund, both nonprofit organizations, have added volunteer opportunities that support caregivers and their families to the Joining Forces website.

Read the full release from the Department of Defense.

There’s a lot of information out there about which schools to go to — whether you’re using your G.I. Bill benefits or just looking for more information on colleges in general. Check out this tool provided by the Institute of Education Sciences:

Find the right college for you: College Navigator

This tool allows you to:

•  Refine your search with More Search Options to select additional search criteria.
•  Build a list of schools using My Favorites for side-by-side comparisons.
• Pinpoint school locations with an interactive map.
• Export search results into a spreadsheet.
• Save your session including search options and favorites.