Military & VeteransKatie Metz, Regional Specialist National Disability InstituteWife of First Class Petty Officer Philip Metz, U.S. Navy Daughter of MSgt. (Retired) Randall Sexton, U. S. Air Force

Active Duty Military & their families

Dont Forget Reservists & National Guard

What is the difference?Veteran vs. Retired Veteran

Common MythsMilitary families dont need assistanceAll military families live on or near a baseMilitary families already know all the resources available to themAll veterans can utilize services on military installationsVeterans dont need financial assistance

What can my organization do...Reach out to local organizations in your area who serve military and veterans to inquire about possibilities for coordination between your organization and theirs on how you might possibly provide your resources and services to members of the Armed ForcesFind out what services and resources they provide that might be beneficial should you have a military/veteran audience enter your facility for services.

Where to start regarding Active Duty Military.Family Readiness CenterFleet & Family SupportFamily Assistance CenterExceptional Family Member Program Citys Military Affairs Office or Mayoral Military Liaison

Military Installation Guide http://www.militaryinstallations.dod.milhttp://benefits.military.com/misc/installations/Landing_Page.jsp

RESOURCESwww.nationalresourcedirectory.gov

RESOURCEShttp://www.military.com/

RESOURCESwww.bluestarfam.org www.operationhomefront.net

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)American LegionDAVwww.vfw.org

www.legion.org www.dav.org

Veterans Administrationwww.va.gov

Wounded Warrior Project

County Veteran Service Officerwww.nacvso.org/

Veteran Stand down EventsCounty Veteran Service Office These events are for homeless and low income veteransConsist of job fairs and vendor outreach

Thank you for your interest in serving those who have served!

**This may be common knowledge to many of you but in my experience there are others who do not know the difference. An individual may be a Veteran but that does not mean they have access to military installations. They may have served in the military for less than 20 years and have access to some benefits such as the VA hospital (usually for service related illnesses or disabilities) however they do not have access to bases and as such would not utilize the VITA sites located on base. There are a great number of these Veterans who would qualify for your VITA services. A retired Veteran continues to have access to military installations however they may have settled in a location that is not close enough to a base to make it worthwhile to utilize services on base and as such could again utilize your VITA sites. *Statistic An E-4 with 3 years of military service with a family of 4 has an average yearly income of $35,513.52 Source Military.com

There are VITA services located on military bases howeverNot all military families live on base or even in the immediate vicinity of a military installationAlthough most military families do live near a military base there are families who move back to their home communities when their loved ones are deployed in order to have supports in place. And of course there are individuals who may have settled a good distance away from military bases and over the past several years have been called up on reserve or national guard duty and so their families remain in their hometowns without a base readily available.

As a military family, there is no how-to guide for us either. Although there are numerous resources available, it doesnt mean that all military families are aware of them and may need a little assistance in identifying possible programs or assistance . (especially for spouses and families supporting a service member) The military often relies on a the service member to communicate information to their dependents and so often just like with any family the notes dont always get passed all the way home to the family member who is taking care of responsibilities back home, this is especially true when a servicemember is deployed.

As stated previously only retired veterans have access to military installations. Veterans who retire do not always do so near military facilities so those services are not readily available. For example father-in-law

*When providing you with a few of these resources my goal is two-fold. Hopefully, you will reach out to organizations in your area. In these times everyone is looking to coordinate and expand resources and services as much as possible, as we know even in the Federal Government. Also, inquire about possible vendor fairs, expos, distribution lists etc. they might have to help distribute information on your services and resources.On the other side you may already have military families and veterans utilizing your services and you may want to help them find assistance

*The suggestions on this slide our for cities who have military facilities located nearby a great number of you will since our REI cities are usually large cities within the vicinity.

Active military bases have a Navy Fleet and Family Support Center, Marine Corps Community Service Center, Air Force Family Service Center or Army Community Service Center. Although names vary, most of the services are the same. Centers are staffed by highly trained human services professionals and volunteers. All programs are free of charge.

EFMP Definition - The Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) is a mandatory enrollment program that works with other military and civilian agencies to provide comprehensive and coordinated community support, housing, educational, medical, and personnel services to families with special needs. Service members on active duty enroll in the program when they have a family member with a physical, emotional, developmental, or intellectual disorder requiring specialized services so their needs can be considered in the military personnel assignment process.

Not all, but many cities have an office of military affairs or dedicated military liaison sometimes in conjunction with their Veterans Services *One of the best resources I have found to locate and infinite number of available resources and information events etc. In the search bar type in your city and will come up with a number of listing for anything from VA offices, to Stand Downs etc. *

*Blue Star Families is a non-partisan, non-profit organization, created by real military families. We are committed to supporting one another through the unique challenges of military service and asking the larger civilian population to help as well, connecting military families regardless of rank, branch of service or physical location, and empowering military family members to create the best personal and family life possible for themselves

Operation Homefront (OH) provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors. *VFW Mission To foster camaraderie among United States veterans of overseas conflicts. To serve our veterans, the military, and our communities. To advocate on behalf of all veterans.

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