ATLANTA, Ga., (March 26, 2010) - Votes were cast and the top five quality-of-life issues were announced today as the annual, week-long U.S. Army Forces Command Army Family Action Plan (AFAP) conference concluded at the Crown Plaza Hotel-Atlanta Airport.
Planned and facilitated by Well-Being Division personnel from FORSCOM G-1, 56 delegates from Army installations nationwide assembled here this week to review 72 quality-of-life issues identified during last year's installation-level AFAP conferences.
First the delegates were assigned to five workgroups, and then the 72 issues were organized into five categories - Benefits and Entitlements; Child, Youth and School Services; Family Support/Civilian Issues; Force Support; and Medical and Dental.
Each workgroup was then paired with a category and the evaluation began. Through Thursday evening, each workgroup was responsible for evaluating about 14 of the total 72 issues. Ultimately, each group selected its top two issues to carry forward to as part of the final 10 issues that would be presented to FORSCOM's senior leaders.
FORSCOM Commander Gen. Charles C. Campbell told attendees he was pleased with the work delegates accomplished during the conference and expressed his appreciation.
"We live in a country where we are men and women of free choice, and you have freely chosen to be at this place - at this time," Campbell said. "...you've chosen to make a difference in the lives of others, and that in itself is a purposeful and joyful work. Believe me, we know how valuable your time is," he said. "Time is not a replenish-able resource."
The final 10 quality-of-life issues were presented to FORSCOM's senior leadership at the closing ceremony. Then, all conference delegates voted to establish the top five issues from that final list of 10 issues.
Following are the top five FORSCOM AFAP quality-of-life issues in descending order:
Aca,!Ac Soldiers and Family members medical travel reimbursement
Aca,!Ac Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) enrollment process
Aca,!Ac Prescription pick-up for children 10 years-of-age and older by parents/legal guardians
Aca,!Ac Tax exemptions for Department of the Army Civilians in combat zones
Aca,!Ac Emergency short-term child care
Prior to announcing the top five issues, representatives from the workgroups presented their reasons for selecting each of the final 10 issues to Campbell, to other FORSCOM leadership and to their peers. The final 10 FORSCOM issues were:
Aca,!Ac Tax free Active Duty Soldier retention bonuses
Aca,!Ac Post 9/11 GI transferability rights for all post 9/11 retirees
Aca,!Ac Child, Youth and School Services (CYSS) registration system
Aca,!Ac Emergency short-term child care
Aca,!Ac Tax exemptions for Department of the Army Civilians in combat zones
Aca,!Ac Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) enrollment process
Aca,!Ac Separation of Active Duty surviving spouses
Aca,!Ac U.S. Army Centralized Promotion System Department of the Army (DA) Photo
Aca,!Ac Prescription pick-up for children 10 years-of-age and older by parents/legal guardians
Aca,!Ac Soldiers and Family members medical travel reimbursement
Campbell said Army Families have accomplished much during the past eight or nine years of war, and they have proven themselves to be strong and resilient. Processes such as AFAP and programs/services offered through Army Community Service played a key role in accomplishing this, he explained.
"The nature of history is that when you fight wars, you break armies; and you break an Army when you win wars," Campbell said. "But after almost nine years (that) we have been in conflict, our Army is not broken."
"In fact, I would argue that our Army is stronger today, than it is was when we first entered the fray," he said.
The next step in the AFAP process for the FORSCOM leadership and staff is to evaluate the top five issues to determine which of them can - or cannot - be resolved at Command level. Issues that cannot be resolved at the FORSCOM level will be elevated to Department of the Army level for evaluation through the ongoing AFAP process.
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