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MilLife Topics
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- Benefits & Resources
Programs
Military Community and Family Policy is directly responsible for establishing quality-of-life policies and programs that help our service members, their families and survivors be well and mission ready. Military OneSource is the gateway to MC&FP programs and services that support the everyday needs of the 5.2 million service members and immediate family members of the military community. These Department of Defense services can be accessed 24/7/365 around the world.
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Programs
Military Community Outreach
Military Community Outreach is responsible for communicating critical initiatives and program and policy information to service members, family members, leadership and key audiences. This is done through strategic outreach and engagement activities, and the oversight of all MC&FP websites and applications, ePublications and branded social media platforms that connect with the military community. MCO also oversees technical direction for all of MC&FP’s digital properties.
Military Community Support Programs
Military Community Support Programs provides non-medical counseling, information and resources that support service members and their families through a wide variety of quality-of-life issues that have an impact on force readiness. Services are available 24 hours a day in person, online and by telephone through Military OneSource and Military and Family Life Counseling.
Military OneSource
Military OneSource provides comprehensive non-medical counseling support and information to service members and their families on every aspect of military life including deployment, finances, reunion, relationships, grief, spouse employment and education, parenting and child care. Specialty consultations are also offered on a wide range of issues.
Military and Family Life Counseling
Military and Family Life Counseling provides on-the-ground, confidential non-medical counseling and presentations to service members and immediate family members at no cost to them. Available in person both on and off installations, service members and their families can rely on military and family life counselors to rapidly respond when they need it most.
Data Analysis, Research and Surveillance
The Data Analysis, Research and Surveillance team is responsible for transforming program data into information to validate program effectiveness and to drive programmatic and policy decisions. The team’s work involves extensive collaboration with vendors, contractors, and other organizational teams to ensure internal systems, quality assurance methods, and research projects fully support Military Community Support Programs’ goals and objectives.
Casualty, Mortuary Affairs and Military Funeral Honors
The Casualty Assistance, Mortuary Affairs and Military Funeral Honors Office provides policy oversight of programs pertaining to casualty notification, casualty assistance, mortuary affairs and military funeral honors to deceased, missing, ill or injured personnel.
Casualty Assistance
The Casualty Assistance program assists eligible family members and beneficiaries of service members listed as deceased, duty status whereabouts unknown, excused absence whereabouts unknown, injured or missing. Assistance may include applying benefits and entitlements, obtaining copies of records, legal assistance, receipt of personal effects, relocation assistance and other services as needed.
Mortuary Affairs
Mortuary Affairs provides the recovery, care, preparation and disposition of remains and personal effects of deceased service members. Eligible family members of the deceased will also be provided with government-funded travel to attend the burial services for the service member.
Military Funeral Honors
This program provides military funeral honors ceremonies for service members who die on active duty, or for any veteran who was discharged or released from service by means of honorable or under honorable conditions (general) discharge.
Personnel Accountability
This program oversees personnel accountability for Defense Department-affiliated personnel and their families. Accountability begins upon the occurrence of a man-made or natural disaster and requires all personnel affected by the event to check in at the first available opportunity.
Defense State Liaison Office
The Defense State Liaison Office engages and educates state policymakers and other state leaders to help remove unnecessary barriers and improve the quality of life for military families. The office works with states on several key issues, such as licensing compacts for military spouses, school transitions for military children and employment protections for National Guard members.
Morale, Welfare, Recreation and Resale Policy
The Morale, Welfare, Recreation and Resale Policy Program is designed to promote socialization, physical fitness, community connectedness, decompression and healthy choices through recreation, sports, fitness, travel, special events and other active-living activities. This office provides the guidance that enables the military services to deliver such programming for service members and their families.
Resale Policy
Resale programs provide shopping opportunities for service members and their families through the Defense Department worldwide commissary and military exchange systems. The Defense Commissary Agency operates more than 230 military grocery stores worldwide, and saves military shoppers an average of 23.7 percent compared to other grocery stores.
Lodging Policy
The Defense Department lodging program provides quality, affordable accommodations and hospitality services for service personnel and their families to support mission accomplishment and quality of life. The program operates more than 63,000 official travel rooms worldwide, providing 11 million accommodations annually at an average savings of $40 per night as compared to commercial rates.
Nonappropriated Funds Policy
Nonappropriated funds are generated by the members of the military community through their participation in programs and services operated by morale, welfare and recreation activities and Defense Department resale organizations. Separate from funds appropriated by Congress, nonappropriated funds are used to defray the costs of running activities, resale programs and facilities.
Office of Military Family Readiness Policy
The Office of Military Family Readiness Policy provides policy and oversight for the Military Family Readiness System, a network of agencies, programs, services and individuals who work to promote readiness and quality of life for the military community. The office oversees the Military Family Readiness policy, Office of Special Needs, Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program, Relocation Assistance Program, Deployment Readiness Program, adoption and foster care support, and MilLife Learning.
Military Family Readiness Policy
Military family readiness policy supports the Military Family Readiness System to assist service members and their families in addressing the challenges of military life. The Military Family Readiness System promotes interagency collaborations, referrals, service delivery and links to informal and formal networks to support service members and their families in navigating the challenges of daily life. MFR programs provide support and resources to help service members and their families build their personal and military family readiness and enhance their well-being. MFR policy provides requirements for military family readiness programs provided through Military and Family Support Centers including relocation assistance, deployment assistance, spouse employment, personal and work life education, financial readiness, information and referral, and emergency family assistance.
Relocation Assistance Program
The Relocation Assistance Program provides service members and their families, information, education, services and referrals during permanent change of station moves. The program also includes the Defense Department online tools, MilitaryINSTALLATIONS and Plan My Move, with information and resources for military installations worldwide.
Deployment Readiness Program
The Deployment Readiness Program provides services to service members and their families before, during, and after deployment to promote a positive adjustment to deployment, family separation, family reunion and reintegration. The program also includes the Defense Department online tool, Plan My Deployment.
Adoption and Foster Care Support
Adoption and foster care resources are available to service members and their families to assist them when considering adoption or foster care, throughout the process, and throughout their military careers. Support includes policy such as adoption reimbursement policy, centralized resources located on the landing page, and information about foster- and adoption-related policy and support.
Office of Special Needs
The Office of Special Needs ensures that military families with special needs receive direct services, assignment coordination and family support.
The Exceptional Family Member Program
Part of the Office of Special Needs, the Exceptional Family Member Program ensures that military families with special needs receive direct services, assignment coordination and ongoing family support.
Spouse Education and Career Opportunities
The Spouse Education and Career Opportunities, or SECO, program assists military spouses in achieving their educational and career goals. SECO also includes the MyCAA Scholarship, a workforce development program that provides tuition assistance to eligible military spouses, and other initiatives.
Military Spouse Employment Partnership
Part of the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program, the Military Spouse Employment Partnership connects military spouses with employers who have committed to recruit, hire, promote and retain military spouses.
MilLife Learning
Take your skills to the next level with MilLife Learning. You’ll find courses and content designed specifically for military life with resources to assist service members, their families, survivors and those who support them. These quality-of-life courses make learning easy and are accessible anytime from anywhere in the world. Learn at your own pace about topics such as money management and investing strategies, relocation assistance and sponsorship, military life and family readiness.
Child & Youth Programs
Child & Youth Programs provides policy and budget support, conducts oversight and generates special initiatives addressing military youth. This office supports military children by providing programs designed to address the specific challenges of military life and help children to thrive, including child care.
Military Community Advocacy
The Military Community Advocacy Directorate works to prevent, respond to and intervene in cases of child abuse and neglect, domestic abuse and harmful behaviors between children and youth within the military community.
Family Advocacy Program
The Family Advocacy Program prevents and responds to child abuse and neglect and domestic abuse in the military by creating policy and implementing programs that reinforce building protective factors. Family advocacy programs are a key component of the department’s coordinated community response. Additionally, FAP collaborates with CYA to promote developmentally attuned and trauma-informed treatment and intervention in incidents of problematic sexual behavior in children and youth. FAP is responsible for accurate data collection and the reporting of incidents of child abuse and neglect and domestic abuse within the active-duty military, including active-status reserve military.
Child and Youth Advocacy
Child and Youth Advocacy addresses child- and youth-initiated harmful behaviors within the military community. CYA creates policy that promotes the safety and recovery of all children involved and their families. It also works collaboratively with the Family Advocacy Program, Department of Defense Education Activity schools, child and youth serving organizations, service providers, leaders and military law enforcement to develop training and resources that equip personnel to respond to these behaviors through a developmentally attuned and trauma-informed lens.
Coordinated Community Response to Domestic Abuse
The Defense Department uses a coordinated community response framework, benchmarked in the civilian sector, to address domestic abuse involving military and certain affiliated personnel. An effective CCR brings together all entities that have equity in an incident of domestic abuse ─ including law enforcement, the Family Advocacy Program, legal, command and medical ─ to deliver a coherent, uniform process that prioritizes victim safety and holds abusers accountable. The coordinated community response element within MCA develops policy for the CCR and works across functions to bolster information sharing and communication, close gaps in processes and foster victim-centered collaboration between components ─ with the ultimate goal of eliminating domestic abuse-related fatalities.
Data & Research
The Data & Research team provides a broad range of support to MCA through data collection; metrics development and refinement; data analysis, visualization, translation and reporting; and database development, enhancements and implementation. The team is responsible for overarching data and research and serves a critical role in liaising between program staff and internal and external entities. The Data & Research team is committed to ensuring that data and research results are understandable and actionable.
Resources and Oversight
Resources and Oversight manages the MC&FP budget and contracting strategies, legislation, research and effectiveness tracking.
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