Program supports families with exceptional family member

Terri Batschelet

Commanding General’s Spouse

I want to welcome everyone in our USAREC family to “Family Corner,” a recurring section in the Recruiter Journal that will give me the opportunity to make sure our families are aware of all the services available to them.

I know everyone is familiar with the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) since all Soldiers Army wide with an EFM are required to enroll.

The program works with other military and civilian agencies to help families with providing comprehensive and coordinated community support, housing, educational, medical and personnel services to exceptional family members.

Currently, 1,213 Soldiers within USAREC are enrolled in the  EFMP. But did you know there is an additional arm to the program to assist recruiting families?

 In an effort to help assist commands with geo-dispersed populations, in 2010 IMCOM established the EFMP Systems Navigator - a community support component of the EFMP that connects families with special needs to the systems of care they need, both on and off the installation.

The Army recognizes the importance of expanding the EFMP SN support to geo-dispersed commands, so IMCOM approved two EFMP system navigators just for USAREC, to take care of the needs of the EFMs within our geo-dispersed command. The USAREC EFMP system navigators provide the following services: 

·    Assist with identifying your EFM and family strengths and needs

·    Help identify and prioritize your EFM and family goals

·    Develop a family service plan to reach your goals

·    Make referrals to required services

·    Provide information about disabilities or medical conditions of concern

·    Find transportation to appointments related to the family service plan

·    Identify support groups and social activities.

·    Strengthen your ability to advocate for your EFM

·    Referral to a military school liaison officer to assist with educational needs

Dwight Wiggins - EFMP systems navigator

For further information or services, please contact your brigade EFMP systems navigator. Dwight Wiggins can help you if you fall under 1^st Brigade, 2^nd Brigade and MRB. He can be reached at 502-626-1080 or

email edward.d.wiggins4.ctr@mail.mil    

Emily Hay - EFMP systems navigator

Emily Hay is the systems navigator for 3^rd Brigade, 5^th Brigade and 6^th Brigade. Her contact information is 502-626-2015 or

email emily.g.hay2.ctr@mail.mil

As USAREC's Family Readiness Group (FRG) advisor, I also encourage you to stay in touch with your battalion Soldier Family Assistance SFA and FRG leaders, as they are your best sources for information. 


The Family Resource Guide also contains a wealth of information. 

http://www.usarec.army.mil/downloads/hq/HRD/SFA/USAREC_FamilyResourceGuideOct2013.pdf

All battalion SFAPMs except MRB may be reached by calling 1-800-790-0963.

When prompted, you need to know what brigade your Soldier belongs to. i.e #1

for 1st Recruiting Brigade and so on. After choosing the brigade it will

prompt you to choose your battalion.

If you cannot reach the battalion SFAPM by using the 1-800 # you may call

the Brigade SFAPM at:

1st BDE: (301) 677-4568

2nd BDE: (256) 450-9532

3rd BDE: (502) 626-1049

5th BDE: (210) 221-2956

6th BDE: (702) 639-2010

MRB BDE: (502) 626-3236

For MRB battalions you may call:

1st MRB: (301) 677-6695

2nd MRB: (256) 450-9670

3rd MRB: (502)626-0788

5th MRB: (210)295-0813

6th MRB: (702) 898-9842

Army of 2020

MG Allen Batschelet
USAREC Commanding General

 

As we look toward our role in recruiting the Army of 2020, we must consider that prospects for Army 2020 are just now turning 12 years old - all they have known of the military so far is about conflict in the Middle East.

How will that shape their propensity to serve? How will we communicate with them? How will we garner their interest? Who will be our advocates for the next six years to help them in making decisions for their future?

How, too, has the dozen years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan shaped future conflicts? We believe a series of powerful global trends is already in place to shape the strategic environment, creating a complex mix of threats, opportunities for violence, and emerging political motivators. Combining struggles for land and water, emerging information technologies, political, cultural and religious agendas, and changing economic realities, we will face an environment more complex than we have heretofore known. In order to be ready for the fast-approaching future of 2020, we must transition from an army at war to a force in preparation for that future.

Intellectually, we know we must adapt our training and technologies. But if we enhance our Army's capabilities, must we not also find and recruit those individuals with the intellectual agility and adaptability to survive and thrive within those enhanced capabilities?

I recently changed our mission statement to read:  From 1 October 2013 through September 2019, the Army (USAREC) will recruit professional, volunteer Soldiers for Soldier 2020, Soldiers who are capable of effectively executing operations in the Army's complex operating environment.

We are already struggling with a challenging Reserve mission. Will that struggle be our "canary in the coal mine," the harbinger of other systemic challenges?  Or will the Reserve mission begin our commitment to innovation and brainstorming ideas to bring us to recruiting success for Army 2020?

 

The rest of the Army is working through what the Army of 2020 will look like. I challenge USAREC to think about this: The high school seniors we will recruit in 2020 are in 6th grade now. Can you answer these questions: How will we communicate with them? How will we garner their interest? Who will be our advocates for the next six years to help them in making decisions for their future?

Let me know your thoughts.