Family care plan a 'must' for Airmen Published May 13, 2009 By Senior Airman Brandon Craig 419th Fighter Wing Public Affairs HILL AIR FORCE BASE, UT -- Life changes usually come by surprise. New children, career moves, and short-notice deployments are often unplanned for and can cause hardship if one is not prepared. In an effort to best provide for the needs of its members, the Air Force Reserve has instituted a number of social support programs--one of the most important programs is the family care plan. A family care plan is a commander-driven DoD policy requiring military members who are deploying or going TDY to plan for the care of their dependants. "The family care plan is a tool for a member, going TDY or deploying, to provide assistance for their family," said Tech. Sgt. Adam Keele, chief of readiness for the 419th Fighter Wing. "It allows the deploying members to feel at ease, knowing their families are going to be taken care of when they're deployed." When a new member arrives at the unit, the first sergeant determines if the member meets the criteria for a family care plan. "Members who are single or divorced parents with dependants in the household under age 19, or are responsible for adults who can't take care of themselves, need to have a family care plan," Sergeant Keele said. Families in which both parents are military members also need a family care plan, he said. The commander may determine that members with unique family situations warrant one as well. Once a member is identified as needing a family care plan, the commander and first sergeant will send information to the member to start working on their plan. The family care plan will identify a short-term, long-term and temporary caregiver. Once this plan is developed, the commander will authorize the first sergeant to send a letter to the designees, indicating that they accept responsibility for the member's children should the need arise. The letter also outlines childcare responsibilities and needs to be signed and returned to the first sergeant. "A family care plan will have information about each child, what school they go to, childcare instructions, allergies, doctor information, dentist information, and basically, all the information someone would need to know to take care of the children," Sergeant Keele said. Each family care plan is reviewed annually with the commander to ensure information and family needs are kept current as children mature and needs change. Life and circumstances are constantly changing, so it is important to update family care plans as family circumstances change, Sergeant Keele said. Although the first sergeant evaluates members for family care plan needs, it is the member's responsibility to make sure the plans are established. "The best time is immediately, as soon as you come into the unit," Sergeant Keele said. "A new member has a 90-day grace period to get a family care plan put together." "The family care plan is so important," said Master Sgt. Gabriel Montoya, 419th Force Support Squadron first sergeant. "There are so many challenges for our members when they are getting ready to deploy. This program eliminates a few of those challenges by enabling the member to ensure that their loved ones will be well taken care of." To find out more information about making a family care plan, members may contact their first sergeant or the 419th FSS.