1. Image description. MC&FP banner image End of image description.
Blog post of Robert L. Gordon III, Deputy Assistant
Secretary of Defense (Military Community and Family
Policy)
Image description. Robert L. Gordon III, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (MC&FP) End of image description.
What’s Behind the Military Spouse Employment Partnership?
We have always known that our military spouses are an amazingly talented and skilled group, and now
we know employers are taking notice, too! Through the Military Spouse Employment Partnership
(MSEP), Fortune 500 “PLUS” companies across America (“PLUS” meaning smaller companies,
government agencies, and other organizations in addition to Fortune 500) are partnering with the
Department of Defense to create spousal career opportunities. Since its launch on June 29th, the
Partnership is off to a great start: more than 5,600 military spouses have been hired, and CEOs from
across the United States are excited to join the Partnership and connect with our diverse pool of military
spouses. On Oct 10, I will have the pleasure of welcoming another 24 companies to our growing
partnership at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual conference in Washington, DC
which will bring the total number of MSEP partners to 96. These companies will join Microsoft, Hyatt,
Amazon, CVSCaremark, DELL, H&R Block and many other marquee employers who value military
spouses. We are in the process of vetting an additional 146 companies, and every day we hear from
new companies interested in this global partnership. With 54,500 jobs posted on the site, we believe
even more of our spouses will be working and pursuing their career goals within a short time. I am
excited to share this news with you and to have a chance to highlight the positive progress we are
making on behalf of military spouses.
It’s inspiring to see such an outpouring of support from employers who are committed to our military
spouses. As MSEP continues to grow, I believe it is critical for our spouses to understand the process by
which these companies are selected to join our partnership. Since it can be challenging for a spouse on
their own to find an employer who understands the demands of the military lifestyle, we place great
emphasis on the vetting and training process we use with our MSEP partners.
Before these employers are signed on as partners, we also ensure they are keenly aware of the unique
challenges facing our military spouses, which can include frequent relocations, late notifications of a
loved one’s R&R time, or being the only parent at home who can care for a sick child.
Second, MSEP is more than just a website for job postings; it is a unique, 21st century solution that
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2. MC&FP Weekly (October 7,2011) 10/11/2011
brings spouses and employers together. In doing so, MSEP levels the employment playing field for
military spouses who must relocate frequently with their Service member. Our military spouses want to
establish careers and continue to gain education and experience, allowing them to reach their career and
personal goals. Our partner companies want employees who are motivated, highly educated, and
tremendously skilled. MSEP simply facilitates the connection between the two.
I am very pleased with the progress and success to date of MSEP. As always, we must continue to
refine what we do. As we look to develop the next version of our website, I encourage you to visit our
current site and share your thoughts with us. What’s working? What’s not? What can we do to make
this site the very best it can be? Your questions and comments can help us improve our tools and
increase our program’s effectiveness. Please join our discussion.
This is an exciting time for our career-oriented spouses, and the potential for more opportunities is
growing every day. Until next time, be well!
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3. MC&FP Weekly (October 7,2011) 10/11/2011
Joining Forces
Joining Forces
First Lady Michelle Obama Meets with Military Spouses
Last week, First Lady Michelle Obama was in Cranston, Rhode Island to meet with military spouses at
the Rhode Island Army National Guard Facility.
The First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden have been traveling across the country to talk about how neighbors,
communities, and the nation as whole can support our military families as part of the Joining Forces
initiative. They have seen extraordinary examples of individuals, businesses and non-profit
organizations stepping up to support our Nation’s military families.
One way to support the families of our troops is to hear stories about their experiences directly from
military families themselves. The roundtable conversation in Rhode Island was another opportunity for
the First Lady to listen to military spouses and let them know about some of the work that is being done
to give them the support they deserve such as the President's challenge to the private sector to hire or
train unemployed veterans and their spouses by the end of 2013.
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4. MC&FP Weekly (October 7,2011) 10/11/2011
Weekly Tips
Military Community and Family Policy Weekly Tips
Nutrition Tip of the Week - Fruits & Vegetables – Affordable? (Part II)
In need of more tips to help you find fruits and vegetables on your budget? Then check these out.
• Buy in bulk when items are on sale - For fresh vegetables or fruits you use often, a large size
bag is the better buy. Canned or frozen fruits or vegetables can be bought in large quantities
when they are on sale, since they last much longer.
• Store brands = savings - Opt for store brands when possible. You will get the same or similar
product for a cheaper price. If your grocery store has a membership card, sign up for even more
savings.
• Keep it simple - Buy vegetables and fruits in their simplest form. Pre-cut, pre-washed, ready-to-
eat, and processed foods are convenient, but often cost much more than when purchased in their
basic forms.
• Plant your own - Start a garden — in the yard or a pot on the deck — for fresh, inexpensive,
flavorful additions to meals. Herbs, cucumbers, peppers, or tomatoes are good options for
beginners. Browse through a local library or online for more information on starting a garden.
• Plan and cook smart - Prepare and freeze vegetable soups, stews, or other dishes in advance.
This saves time and money. Add leftover vegetables to casseroles or blend them to make soup.
Overripe fruit is great for smoothies or baking.
Parenting Tip of the Week - Anchor for Safety
In a recent press release, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reported that furniture and
TV tip-over incidents are one of the top hidden hazards in the home. More than 22,000 children eight
years old and younger are treated in hospital emergency rooms every year (2008-2010) for injuries
related to the instability or tip-over of televisions, furniture, and appliances. The CPSC is urging parents
and caregivers to inspect and anchor furniture and TVs now, in order to protect young children from a
preventable tragedy. The CPSC recommends the following safety tips in any home where children live
or visit:
• Anchor furniture to the wall or the floor.
• Place TVs on sturdy, low bases. Or, anchor the furniture and the TV on top of it, and push the
TV as far back on the furniture as possible.
• Keep remote controls, toys, and other items that might attract children off TV stands or furniture.
• Keep TVs and cords out of reach of children.
• Make sure freestanding kitchen ranges and stoves are installed with anti-tip brackets.
• Supervise children in rooms where these safety tips have not been followed.
Let’s Move/Childhood Obesity Tip of the Week - Balance calories
Find out how many calories you need for a day as a first step in managing your weight. Go to the
ChooseMyPlate website to find your calorie level. Being physically active also helps you balance
calories.
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5. MC&FP Weekly (October 7,2011) 10/11/2011
Enjoy your food, but eat less. Take the time to fully enjoy your food as you eat it. Eating too fast or
when your attention is elsewhere may lead to eating too many calories. Pay attention to hunger and
fullness cues before, during, and after meals. Use them to recognize when to eat and when you’ve had
enough.
Avoid oversized portions. Use a smaller plate, bowl, and glass. Portion out foods before you eat. When
eating out, choose a smaller size option, share a dish, or take home part of your meal.
Financial Tip of the Week - Credit Repair
Everyday, companies target people who have poor credit histories with promises to clean up their credit
reports so they can get a car loan, a home mortgage, insurance, or even a job – after paying a fee for the
service. The truth is that no one can remove accurate negative information from your credit report. It's
illegal.
What You Need to Know
When negative information in your report is accurate, only the passage of time can assure that it will be
removed. A consumer reporting company can report most accurate negative information for seven years
and can report bankruptcy information for 10 years. If you get an offer to repair or fix your credit, how
can you know if it’s legitimate? Here are some signs that should set off alarms in your head – and make
you put the offer in the trash:
• The company wants you to pay for credit repair services before they provide any services.
Fact: Under the Credit Repair Organizations Act, credit repair companies cannot require you to pay
until they have completed the credit repair services they promised.
The company doesn’t tell you your rights and what you can do for yourself for free.
Fact: The law allows you to ask for an investigation of information in your file that you dispute as
inaccurate or incomplete. This investigation doesn’t cost any money.
• The company recommends that you don’t contact any of the three major national consumer
reporting companies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) directly.
Fact: Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the consumer reporting company and the
information provider (the person, company, or organization that provides information about you to the
consumer reporting company) must correct inaccurate or incomplete information in your report. To take
advantage of all your rights under the FCRA, contact the consumer reporting company and the
information provider in writing.
• The company tells you they can get rid of most or all the negative credit information in your
credit report, even if the information is accurate and current.
Fact: Any credit repair company that claims to be able to legally remove accurate and timely
information from your credit report is lying. There’s no easy fix for bad credit. Improving your credit
takes time and a conscious effort to pay your debts.
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6. MC&FP Weekly (October 7,2011) 10/11/2011
• The company suggests that you apply for an Employer Identification Number to use instead of
your Social Security number so you can invent a “new” credit identity – and then, a new credit
report.
Fact: If you follow illegal advice like this, you may find yourself in hot water. It’s a federal crime to lie
on a loan or credit application, to misrepresent your Social Security number, or to get an Employer
Identification Number from the Internal Revenue Service under false pretenses. You could be charged
and prosecuted for mail or wire fraud if you use the mail, telephone, or Internet to apply for credit and
provide false information.
Military OneSource Tip of the Week - How to Keep Your Relationship Strong During
Deployments
Deployments, moves, and long separations can strain even the strongest relationship. But there are ways
you and your spouse can nurture your partnership through the ups and downs of a military career.
• Plan ahead for when you’re apart. Sit down and discuss your upcoming separation, including
finances, household responsibilities, and staying in touch.
• Communicate openly and frequently. Keep in touch as frequently as possible. Talk about day-
to-day happenings as well as big events. As much as possible, try to keep a positive attitude in
your communications.
• Understand that you may change when you are apart. Reassure one another that regardless of
your individual changes, your love will stay as strong as ever.
Find out more from the Military OneSource article, Maintaining a Strong Relationship Through
Deployments and Separations, available at the Military OneSource website.
Spouse Tip of the Week - Operating a Home Based Business From Military Family Housing
In accordance with the Military Family Act, Public Law 99-145, “DoD Authorization Act, November 8,
1985, Section 806, Employment Opportunities for Military Spouses,” the Department of Defense
encourages the use of military family housing for certain limited commercial activities. Although the
specific implementing policies and procedures may vary slightly for each Military Service, the following
information generally applies. It is important to note that the policies that govern your situation will be
those of your host installation which may vary from your military sponsor’s branch of Service.
Before launching your own business from military family housing, you must seek written permission
from your installation commander usually via your installation Housing Authority (HA). Housing
Authority officials will ensure that housing occupants are well aware of requirements that must be met
prior to the conduct of any business enterprise from a military housing unit. Worldwide points of contact
for Military Housing Offices are available from the MilitaryINSTALLATIONS website.
Common Types of Home Based Businesses Operated in Military Family Housing Units include:
• direct sales of products
• limited manufacturing of items
• minor repairs on small items such as: watches, jewelry and electronics
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7. MC&FP Weekly (October 7,2011) 10/11/2011
• incidental services such as:
◦ animal training, grooming, walking
◦ tailoring, sewing and dressmaking
◦ tax preparation and accounting services
◦ child, special needs/respite, and elder care
◦ scheduled transportation
◦ bookkeeping, billing, and medical insurance coding
◦ food preparation: catering, cakes, and specialty foods
◦ housecleaning, lawn care, painting, home maintenance, and odd jobs
◦ appraisals, auctions, and estate sales
◦ haircuts/styling, manicures/pedicures, facials, massage, and fitness coaching
◦ graphic design, architecture, engineering, and professional and management consulting
◦ lessons: art, music, dance, sewing, crafts, needlework, and computer skills
◦ teaching and tutoring services: English as a second language/foreign languages,
homework help, and remedial assistance
◦ word processing, transcription services, information brokering and business intelligence
◦ employee recruiting/headhunting, and executive coaching
◦ writing, publishing, computer programming, website development and usability
◦ computer maintenance, troubleshooting, and help desk service import/export brokering
Regulatory Guidance:
DoD Directive 5500.7, Standards of Conduct, and Military Service regulations
Military Standards of Conduct prohibit solicited sales to subordinates (personnel junior in rank or grade)
and must be a condition for granting approval to conduct commercial activities in family housing.
DoD Directive 1344.7, Personal Commercial Solicitation on DoD Installations, Section F,
paragraph 4m
Prohibits door-to-door solicitation (in person or via printed materials). Allows advertising of addresses
and telephone numbers of commercial sales activities conducted in military housing.
Issues considered by Installation Commanders when authorizing a commercial activity:
• local government licensing requirements
• applicable federal, state and local ordinances
• potential government liability
• overseas status of forces agreements (SOFAs)
• host country business practices
• prospective advertising practices
Note: Legal advice must be sought if doubt exists concerning these issues.
Commanders may not authorize a commercial enterprise:
• at the expense of military community tranquility, harmony among neighbors, or safety, or
• that requires external housing unit alterations or external housing unit advertising.
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8. MC&FP Weekly (October 7,2011) 10/11/2011
Commanders may authorize:
• Housing occupants are allowed to make minor modifications to housing units, if approved in
advance. Modification and restoration costs are the responsibility of the housing occupant.
Approvals will be processed under existing regulations which govern projects in family housing.
Housing occupants are responsible for returning the housing unit to its original condition prior to
vacating quarters.
• Utility costs associated with some enterprises will be recouped when such collections are cost
effective. Cost effectiveness will be determined by the local base civil engineer.
• Sales of merchandise not available through the Military Exchanges should not be construed to be
competing with an installation’s official sanctioned commerce.
Liability Insurance:
Personal liability is a serious matter for all business owners, including those working out of military
family housing units. Business applicants need to obtain personal liability insurance which will apply to
legal actions brought by customers as well as covering the applicant for damages to government
property.
Relocation Tip of the Week - Take Charge of Your Move
Being fully prepared for a move is the best way to reduce relocation stress. As soon as you have orders,
get a notebook, personal digital assistant (PDA), or other small planning device, call it your "moving
book" and start planning. Assess your financial situation, determine what you'll need, make inventories,
establish a timetable, get information on the new location, and set aside some time to deal with your
feelings. Allow everyone in the family to participate.
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9. MC&FP Weekly (October 7,2011) 10/11/2011
In the News
We've captured the latest Quality of Life (QOL) information, as well as recent additions to the Military
Community & Family Policy (MC&FP) collection of websites, including MilitaryHOMEFRONT. All
in one location! For a complete listing of QoL topic areas and information, please return to the
MilitaryHOMEFRONT homepage.
In the News
Notable Quality of Life developments and Department of Defense announcements and alerts.
Success Before Stress: Keeping Relationships Healthy
Military couples face incredibly challenging stressors together. Those couples who remain resilient often
find themselves with stronger relationships when the dust settles. However, many of the unique stressors
imposed on military couples may chip away at the fabric of safety and peace within the relationship.
Special-needs Families Offer Insight on Challenges
A panel of ten families with special needs offered suggestions for countering ongoing challenges during
an exceptional family member panel held last week.
Troops Should Budget Wisely in Face of Fluctuating COLAs
Pentagon officials are reminding service members stationed overseas to leave out cost-of-living pay
when planning their personal budgets, due to fluctuations in the rate. The cost-of-living allowance, or
COLA, paid to those stationed outside of the continental United States to off-set foreign costs, routinely
is affected by the economy and fluctuates from pay period to pay period.
Know the Facts – What is Domestic Abuse?
Under a definition developed by the Department of Defense, domestic abuse involves a range of
different acts by an abuser directed against a person of the opposite sex who is a current or former
spouse of the abuser, a person with whom the abuser shares a child in common, or a current or former
intimate partner of the abuser with whom the abuser shares or has shared a home. Domestic abuse can
happen in any couple.
DoD Program Gives Spouses Career Options
Robert L. Gordon III, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family
Policy, joined a DoD Live "bloggers roundtable" to explain how the Military Spouse Employment
Partnership is giving spouses more career and education options.
TRICARE Changes Cost for Prescriptions
TRICARE changed the cost for prescription meds on Oct 1. What does that mean for you? Rear Adm.
Christine Hunter, Deputy Director for TRICARE Management Activity, explains the changes and how
much you can expect to pay for your next refill.
DoDEA and HHS Join Forces to Launch Stop Bullying Now! Campaign in DoDEA Schools
The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) and the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) have joined forces to launch the "Stop Bullying Now! Take a Stand. Lend a Hand"
campaign. The campaign will help unify efforts and build a common understanding of, and expectations
for, DoDEA's commitment and action to prevent bullying.
DoD Appoints Chief Operating Officer at the Armed Forces Retirement Home
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10. MC&FP Weekly (October 7,2011) 10/11/2011
Mr. Steve McManus officially assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO), Armed Forces
Retirement Home on Sept. 25. McManus has served as Acting COO since January 16th.
Officials Aim to Manage TRICARE Costs, Preserve Future Benefits
Modest increases to certain aspects of military health care will help to responsibly manage costs and
ensure benefits for future service members, the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs said
today.
Know the Facts – What Signs May Indicate Danger
Victims of abuse can be of any age, income level, educational background, or culture. Although there is
not a checklist that a victim can go through to see if he or she is likely to get involved in an abusive
relationship, there are some factors that seem to be common in the background of victims of domestic
abuse.
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11. MC&FP Weekly (October 7,2011) 10/11/2011
Guard and Reserve
Image description. Two National Guard service members End of image description.
Oct. 7-9 - Guard and Reserve - Redmond, OR
Oct. 8 - Guard and Reserve - Caribou, ME
Oct. 14-16 - Guard and Reserve - Hilo, HI
Oct. 14-16 - Guard and Reserve - Kalispell, MT
Oct. 15-16 - Guard and Reserve - Rome, NY
Oct. 15-16 - Texam Military Forces - Temple, TX
Oct. 21-22 - Guard and Reserve - Kearney, NE
Oct. 21-22 - Guard and Reserve - Yakima, WA
Oct. 22 - Guard and Reserve - San Pedro, CA
Oct. 23 - Guard and Reserve - Coleville, CA
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