Defense Planning Program Guidance: Family Support Program Review 11 January 2011

OSD & Service Collaboration The FY12 DPPG (signed 12 July 2010) tasked USD (P&R), in coordination with the Director, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (D, CAPE) and the Secretaries of the Military Departments, to review defense-wide family support programs to identify: gaps duplicative efforts opportunities to develop joint programs and share resources Team led by MC&FP included representatives from the Services, Reserve Affairs, National Guard Bureau, CAPE, and Comptroller Report signed by Under Secretary of Defense (P&R) and submitted to Sec Def September 8, 2010

Review Findings Overarching Gap: Services and programs for geographically dispersed and Reserve Component families Potential Gap: Exceptional Family Member Programs (EFMP) Potential Overlaps: Non-medical counseling Information and Referral Services Opportunities for Joint Collaboration: Spouse Employment and Education Financial Readiness Counseling Potential Gap: Exceptional Family Member Programs (EFMP): Until enactment of the NDAA2010, there had been no legal or policy requirement for community support through the EFMP, and only Army and Marine Corps had these programs. Potential Overlaps: HA offers a pilot Non-medical counseling: DoD-wide non-medical counseling and that at Navy Fleet and Family Support Centers and Marine Corps Community Services counseling centers provide similar functions; though delivery and availability differ substantially. - Delivery by MOS and MFLCs more flexible and not seen as part of military apparatus - MOS delivery in the local community -MFLCs variety of delivery methods – walk around, just-in-time counseling, take no identifying information Information and Referral Services: the propagation of multiple information resources serving military families is well-known. This report highlights Military OneSource and Army OneSource. - AOS portal - Live Chat 8am to 8pm with technical support reps - mobile support application for iPad and iPhone Opportunities for Joint Collaboration: Spouse Employment and Education: the current Army Spouse Employment Partnership could be assessed for DoD-wide applicability to include all of the Services. Financial Readiness Counseling: OSD’s augmenting of services provided by military installations could be further developed

Next Steps Continue review of family support programs to validate the extent to which the findings in this review represent actual gaps or overlaps in programs Focus on RMD Studies: DoD Family Program Web Sites Consolidation Special Needs Study Review current research projects on military families to identify gaps, overlaps or opportunities for collaboration

Next Steps (cont.) Link program review to family readiness future force needs and outcomes Describe the full range of appropriate family support services that the Defense Department will provide to balance affordability with readiness Deliver follow-on report to the Deputy Secretary of Defense on September 1, 2011