Parent Centers know the Procedural Safeguards in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Did you know that Department of Defense Activity (DoDEA) Schools have their own processes? If you work with military families who have a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) to or from these locations or work in the following locations (whose children attended or plan on attending a DoDEA school) this information will be particularly helpful for you. Continue reading “Procedural Safeguards in Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) Schools”
Category: Parents
Disasters and Emergencies-Help Military Families with These Resources
When natural disasters and other emergencies strike, your Parent Center will step up to locate services and supports for affected families. Military families have some additional concerns during emergencies, but they also have significant resources available for just such situations. You can direct military families to these resources both during an emergency, and for future planning, which lets your Parent Center concentrate on other types of assistance. The military resources include planning for an evacuation when individuals have disabilities.
Continue reading “Disasters and Emergencies-Help Military Families with These Resources”
What Is Secondary Dependency? (Incapacitated Child 21 Years of Age or Older)
Did you know that the adult-aged child of an active duty or retired service member may qualify to retain their military medical benefits and other base privileges after age 21 if they meet the following criteria? The adult child, also referred to as the “Incapacitated Adult Child” must be
- Incapable of providing his or her own support
- Dependent on the sponsor (military parent) for at least 50 percent of his or her support (if the sponsor is deceased, the child must have received over 50 percent of his or her support from the sponsor at the time of death)
- Incapacitation must have occurred prior to age 21 or age 23 if the adult child is enrolled as a full-time student
- Unmarried—if the child marries and subsequently becomes unmarried due to divorce, annulment, or the death of the spouse, the sponsor is able to apply for reinstatement of the child’s benefits and entitlements as long as the adult child meets all other requirements.
Continue reading “What Is Secondary Dependency? (Incapacitated Child 21 Years of Age or Older)”
Easy Branch Orientation and Guide for Staff Training
We’ve created a guide to our most useful materials on military families: their culture, their unique needs, and the military systems that support them when they have a child with a disability. There is something for every staff member, from those with lengthy experience working with military families to those just starting out. AND-links to parent handouts, including 3 handouts you can brand with your Parent Center logo!
Continue reading “Easy Branch Orientation and Guide for Staff Training”
Legal Resources for Highly-Mobile Military Families
Parent Center staff are knowledgeable about State and local legal resources for families, but military families have unique circumstances that can call for out-of-state or specialized assistance. For example, when they move to a new duty station, they may need to find a lawyer in the State to which they are moving to help them establish a new guardianship for an adult child with disabilities. Fortunately there is an online resource from the American Bar Association: ABA Home Front, created to help military families get legal assistance both on and off the installation.
Continue reading “Legal Resources for Highly-Mobile Military Families”
Military Kids and Youth Get More Mental Health Care Options
TRICARE has recently expanded their services for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Disorders. These changes have been made to give beneficiaries more options for their care and affect the following:
When a Military Parent Dies While Serving-Helping the Grieving Family
When a military parent dies while serving, their child may express their grief through behavior changes. This can be especially true for children who experience communication difficulties. Parent Center staff may get a call from the surviving parent when the child’s grief has a negative impact at school.
Continue reading “When a Military Parent Dies While Serving-Helping the Grieving Family”
Military OneSource: Info for Your Work and the Families You Serve
Read and download information without a login!
Military OneSource’s website is a treasure-trove of information and resources for military families, with updated and accurate information about military family support programs and resources for family members with disabilities. The latest website update makes it easy for anyone to read articles and download individual resources. If you want to order some of their military-friendly products, we show you how to log in!
Continue reading “Military OneSource: Info for Your Work and the Families You Serve”
Going to a Military Installation? Check Your ID
Update as of December 3, 2019:
Can you use your current ID to gain access to a military installation, under the Real ID Law? The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been phasing in this law’s requirements, and almost every state is in the process of issuing new, compliant driver’s licenses and IDs. The DHS website states”DHS is working closely with all states and territories to provide assistance and guidance to achieve full compliance by the October 1, 2020 deadline. As of September 5, 2019, 50 states and territories are fully compliant with the REAL ID requirements, and all states are on track to begin issuing compliant licenses and IDs by the October 1, 2020 deadline.”
Regarding military installations, the DHS website states “The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) recently finalized an update to its DoD-wide installation security policy and is in the process of no longer accepting noncompliant marked cards across all of its facilities and installations. However, DoD will continue to accept state-issued noncompliant unmarked “legacy” cards until the October 1, 2020 deadline.”
If you think you might still be using a current, non-compliant ID after October 1, 2020, due to your state’s rollout schedule for the new, compliant IDs, you should know that other types of documents can be used for installation access. Contact the installation you wish to access to find out what IDs are currently accepted-installation command have the discretion to consider other, supplemental forms of identification. You may also accompany someone with a valid military ID card.
DHS’s REAL ID FAQs page can answer many of your questions about the REAL ID law and how it will impact activities such as installation access and commercial air travel.
You can find out more about your state’s process to issue REAL ID-compliant licenses and IDs through the main DHS REAL ID webpage.
Remembering Gold Star Kids
For some military kids, Memorial Day has a deeply personal meaning. They belong to a special group of families that Parent Center staff may encounter: Gold Star Families. Gold Star Families have lost a loved one in military service to our country. These families need support and resources to help their children deal with the impact of their parent’s death, and to help the adults cope with their new reality. Continue reading “Remembering Gold Star Kids”