Nov 16 2009
On November 11th (Veteran’s Day), President Obama signed into law the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act that will allow military spouses the option of choosing a state of residency alongside their active duty service member. The guidelines and regulations still need to be laid out, but here’s a decent overview of what this new legislation will mean for you.
Jul 23 2009
This is too important to get wrong, so here are two press releases speaking to the status of the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act – this first one is from Senator Richard Burr’s office:
“Today, U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) offered the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act as an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization bill currently under consideration in the Senate. The amendment, which was approved by voice vote on the Senate floor, would allow military spouses to maintain residency in their home state regardless of military placement of their families.”
The press release from Representative John Carter’s office:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 23, 2009
Senate Attaches Military Spouse Residency Relief Act to Defense Authorization
Move Puts Carter Bill on Fast Track for 2009 Passage
(WASHINGTON, DC) – The U.S. Senate today approved the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act as an amendment to the 2009 Defense Authorization Act (S. 1390) at the request of Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), putting the legislation on a fast track for passage into law this year.
The bill authored by U.S. Rep. John Carter (R-TX), currently has over 140 bipartisan co-sponsors. The high level of support Carter has built in the House makes it likely the final version of the Defense Authorization Act will include the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act when it is signed into law by the President.
“This is fantastic news for our service families worldwide,” says Carter, who has been pushing the legislation for the last four years. “We should have done this long ago, but at least we are now on track to have a new law in 2009.”
The bill allows a military spouse who moves out of a state with their service member under military orders to have the option to claim the same state of domicile as their active duty spouse, regardless of where they are stationed. Service members themselves have had that option for decades, while spouse did not, leaving many families with split residencies.
Contact Senator Burr and Congressman Carter to let them know that you appreciate their efforts on our behalf. Thanks to Rebecca Poynter and Joanna Williamson for their leadership on this issue!
Jun 11 2009
I just finished up doing an interview for Military Advanced Education Magazine. As I was going through all the programs and resources for miltiary spouses and dependents, I realized I was holding out on my blog pals. So, here you go, the rundown on some resources you may or may not already know about:
Now, if you’re just starting to look at going back to school, or if your kids are in high school and the SATs or ACTs are looming in front of them, consider the eKnowledge and NFL program that makes free SAT/ACT test prep programs available to all military service members, veterans and dependents. The software is free, you pay only for shipping and handling. Since it’s inception, the program has given out over $20,000,000 worth of products to military families.
In addition to the educational programs available to support military families, there’s also a lot going on at the policy level. Just a couple things of note:
You may or may not be aware of this, but one of your greatest advocates (in addition to MOAA, of course) is the DoD State Liaison Office whose regional coordinators tirelessly work key military family quality of life issues at the state level. They were instrumental in pushing through in-state tuition on a state by state case and have now taken on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. This Compact seeks to “provide a vehicle for states to follow common guidelines in handling issues that impact children of military families as they transition between schools”. They want to standardize things such as: records transfer, immunization requirements, graduation requirements, exit testing, etc…. There are currently 21 states participating. If you want to see if your state is one of those participating, go to their website.
Jun 02 2009
A Department of Defense program offering up to $6000 in assistance to military spouses for educational and training purposes is being expanded. This is not the same program as the old Department of Labor pilot program. The new initiative encompasses a broader field of disciplines. There are already over approved 600 schools on the website.
The program is open to spouses of active-duty or activated National Guard or Reserve military members. According to a recent Navy Times article, spouses of Coast Guard members deployed with the Navy are also eligible.
Spouses who would like additional information, view a list of FAQs or apply should go to the website. Even though the Spouse Career Advancement Account Financial Assistance program has not yet officially launched, you can still go online and enroll.
Feb 26 2009
I don’t know how many of you are aware of the efforts of Rebecca Poynter and Joanna Williamson of the Military Spouse Business Association to get legislation passed allowing military spouses to claim a state of domicile much as our active duty service members do right now. I’ve attached the press release from Congressman Carter’s website below. This bill has been introduced before and gotten no traction. Let’s help it along this time by contacting your elected representatives and telling them to sign on to co-sponsor the bill. Click here to utilize our Capwiz program to send your legislators a note and reference H.R. 1182. There isn’t a corresponding number for the Senate version yet, but you can just reference the House version and let your Senators know that you want them to support the Military Spouse Residency Legislation introduced by Senators Burr (R-NC) and Feinstein (D-CA).
Military Spouse Residency Relief Act Introduced in U.S. House and Senate
(WASHINGTON, DC) – The Military Spouse Residency Relief Act was re-introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives today by Congressman John Carter of Texas, and will be introduced in the Senate by U.S. Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).
Carter was joined in a news conference unveiling the bill in the U.S. Capitol by Rebecca Poynter and Joanna Williamson of the Military Spouse Business Association; Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) President Vice Admiral (RET) Norbert Ryan, USN; representatives of Senators Burr and Feinstein; and military spouses and dependents from as far away as North Carolina.
“We have long supported a service member’s ability to continue voting and paying taxes in one state over the course of a military career as they are transferred around the world on orders,” says Carter, who represents Fort Hood, the U.S. Army’s largest base. “I feel it has been an egregious oversight spanning decades that we have not extended that stability to spouses as well, as they are impacted politically and economically just as much as the service member by these frequent and career-long moves.”
Poynter and Williamson stressed both the monetary cost to spouses in having to change residency status with every move, and the unique ability of military families to work with multiple Members of Congress in order to help promote the issue. “The fact that many couples have different Congressmen and Senators in the same household because of this situation gives us an edge in pushing the issue,” says Poynter.
“Our nation has long recognized the importance of servicemembers’ ability to maintain a domicile for voting and taxes,” says Admiral Ryan. “The service of today’s military spouses is such that they deserve that same opportunity.”
“This bill will give military spouses the ability to keep residency in their home state regardless of where military orders send their family,” Senator Burr wrote in a statement provided for the event. “Our military families are often called on to make frequent relocations, which can be very disruptive to family life, and it is only fair that we give the same residency benefits to spouses as we do to servicemembers.”
Carter, House Republican Conference Secretary, introduced the bill in the House during the last session of Congress. The bill allows a military spouse who moves out of a state with their service member under military orders to have the option to claim the same state of domicile as their active duty spouse, regardless of where they are stationed.
Dec 17 2008
Back in September, the President signed an Executive Order trying to ease the path to federal employment for military spouses. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has now posted the new regulations on the Federal Register for a 30-day public comment period that began on December 5th. After the public comment period and any subsequent revisions by OPM, the new rules will go into effect.
For you policy wonks out there, here is the summary excerpt from the Federal Register:
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
5 CFR Parts 315 and 316
RIN 3206-AL73
Noncompetitive Appointment of Certain Military Spouses
AGENCY: U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing
proposed regulations that allow agencies to noncompetitively appoint
certain military spouses to positions in the competitive service. These
regulations implement Executive Order 13473, 73 FR 56703 (Sept. 28,
2008), which authorizes noncompetitive appointments in the Civil
Service for spouses of certain members of the armed forces. These
regulations facilitate the entry of military spouses into the Federal
civil service as part of an effort to recruit and retain skilled and
experienced members of the armed forces and to recognize and honor the
service of members injured, disabled, or killed in connection with their service.
You can see the entire entry here. We are one step closer to a potentially better employment outlook for military spouses.
Nov 20 2008
Speaking of Superwomen….have you heard about the Military Spouse Panel that we held at the MOAA Annual Meeting yesterday? To say it was phenomenal would be a gross understatement. Imagine sitting down with eight of the most amazing women you’ve ever met so they can share their best tips, advice and best practices gleaned over decades of experience balancing the military lifestyle with their own goals and ambitions. That’s the event you missed….
Luckily, the Military Times and the MOAA website both feature good recaps, so while it won’t take the place of actually being there, it’ll help you capture some of the nuggets shared.
Hopefully, we’ll see you at the next event…..
Oct 27 2008
Every spouse I know who has ever attended the Joint Spouses Conference in Hawaii has always raved about the events. I don’t know whether it’s the fabulous “Armed for Entertaining” book they sell, the location, or the fact that it’s a two-day marathon of bonding with hundreds of other spouses over scintillating topics such as: Space-A Travel from Hawaii, Wine Tasting or Real Estate for Military Borrowers, but the conference has been wildly popular since its inception over 14 years ago. This year was no different; with nearly 300 spouses attending, I think it’s safe to say that they have another success on their hands!
I was thrilled to be asked to present three seminars on: The Superwoman Syndrome, Dollars and Sense of Working Outside the Home and What Have You Done for Me Lately. The first deals with lessons learned from women who have managed to find balance between career and the military lifestyle. The second one talks about the hidden costs of working outside the home and demystifying employee compensation. Finally, the last one talks about the best and most recent initiatives (in the areas of products, services, resources and legislation) to support military spouses and families. Check out the homepage and you’ll find so many other varied topics – a veritable smorgasbord for people to choose from.
The attendees ranged in experience from spouses of junior military members to spouses of those more senior members, yet it seemed like everyone was able to find a topic of interest. I have to say though that my favorite part of the conference was the opportunity to meet and speak to other spouses. I sat with different people during both of the lunches and was amazed at what I learned. We talked about everything from joint basing, the challenges of living on an island to different spouse employment issues. I was surprised to learn from one of the spouses that she is involved in an internship program with AFPC called the Palace Acquire Intern Program, “This program provides expedited, performance-based promotions in approximately 20 diverse occupations (from http://www.go-defense.com/usaf-palace.html).” She is doing her internship with AF Contracting and had nothing but great things to say about the entire program. When I asked how she found out about it, I wasn’t surprised to hear that it was through another spouse sharing the knowledge.
In addition to Palace Acquire, there are other programs in place such as Copper Cap and the Naval Acquisition Intern Program (NAIP). While not limited to military spouses, we are certainly eligible to apply. My new friend did caution however that the time commitment was a deterrent to many because you have to guarantee that you can finish the program.
See, it isn’t a myth….old dogs can learn new tricks! I had no idea these programs existed. Check it out for yourself. If you have experience with one of these internship programs, I’d love to hear about them. Share the knowledge!
Apr 18 2008
Remember the Career Advancement Accounts we spoke about earlier? These are the accounts for military spouses that go toward funding education costs at the rate of $3000 per year, renewal for up to 2 years for a maximum of $6000. It’s a program that has come out of a collaboration between the Department of Defense and the Department of Labor to promote portable career options for military spouses. It’s currently being piloted at 18 demonstration sites in 8 states.
Although a great deal, many of us were very disappointed in that the program was too narrow in its scope. Originally, only spouses married to E-1’s to E-5’s and O-1’s to O-3’s were eligible and you had to be pursuing a course of study in 5 disciplines deemed highly portable. Well, I’m happy to announce that the program has been expanded to include active duty military spouses married to service members of any rank (at the demonstration sites) and they have added several more categories to the areas of study. Check it out.
Jan 17 2008
In the last blog, I referenced the types of services available to spouses at the various family support centers.
They say that somewhere around 70% of military families live off the installation. Knowing this, I wonder how many people actually come back on base to utilize the services available through Fleet and Family Support, Airmen and Family Support Centers, Army Community Services, etc….
I’ve spoken to a lot of program specialists who work these programs and marvel at the depth and breadth of the free information and resources that exist out there.
As an example, when I moved to the DC area, I spent a fair amount of money having my federal résumé written. If I had done a little more research before pulling out my checkbook, I would have found out that there were federal résumé writing classes being held on at least 2 installations in my immediate vicinity.
I also read a number of books and came across some employment websites that pointed me to the importance of doing personality tests to help identify my optimal work environment. I found out that at some installations, these various assessments are offered free of charge to the spouses of currently serving military members. This prompted me to schedule an appointment to take advantage of some of the spouse employment programs available to me.
I was first given a password then directed to the web where I took both Meyers Brigg Type and the Strong Interest Inventories. Once I was done with both of these assessments, I called in for a consultation. On the day of my scheduled appointment, my consultant had an in-depth analysis of my assessment results that we discussed at some length. She then went on to help me identify the types of structure that would best suit my interests and my optimal work environments, co-workers and areas of responsibility. At the end of the session, she pointed me to some job search websites and search engines.
As military spouses, I think we are somewhat bred with low expectations, so knowing that this type of quality service was available to us for FREE blew me away. I know how much these services cost in the civilian sector (having just paid to have my résumé done), so I marvel that there are not lines of people waiting to take advantage of this program. These consultants not only understand the ins and outs of employment, they also understand the military lifestyle – many of them are military spouses or retirees themselves. They are not as apt to look at you like you’ve grown three heads when you tell them that you need the flexibility of a job that will allow you to leave when you get phone calls from your children’s schools because mom or dad has been gone for 15 months and your kids are acting out. Nor will they be as likely to balk when you talk about consideration for unexpected days off because your spouse will be in the area for an unexpected TDY from whatever remote location they are stationed to for the next year. They may tell you those ideal work situations will be challenging to find, but they’ll understand where you’re coming from.
The family support centers on all the installations are easy to find, but if you’re doing some research online before jumping in the car, use any search engine and type in the installation name and family support (or the appropriate derivative) for a good start. Many installations have people dedicated to military spouse employment, but if they don’t, calling the main number of the family support center will generally get you where you need to go.
Remember, don’t do what I did. Check out what you have available to you for free on base and online before you pull out that checkbook.
