Benefit Fact Sheet
The Department of Air Force Military and Family Readiness program's mission is to provide targeted support and services that assists service members and their families adapt to the unique demands of military life; contributing to overall readiness, resilience, and well-being.
The Military & Family Readiness Center (M&FRC) is the installation’s hub for information, referrals and resources and serves all service members, whether single and married, to include Guard and Reserve members, DoD civilian personnel, military retirees and eligible family members.
AF Families Forever: The Air Force Families Forever program provides immediate and long-term bereavement care, service and support for family members of deceased active duty service members, and Air Reserve Component members in active duty status and whose relationship was established prior to the service member’s death. AF Families Forever serves as a conduit to facilitate the resolution of issues family members may have as it relates to the death of a service member, in coordination with applicable subject matter experts. Each active-duty installation’s M&FRC is the point-of-contact for the Next-of-Kin (NOK) to receive long term support, including:
Information and Referral
- Engagement through targeted contact and incremental outreach
- Referral to eligible federal, state, and local resources to include partnering non-governmental organizations
Remembrance and Connection
- Connection to installation and community support networks
- Recognition/memorialization of deceased service members
- Coordination with installation leadership to include family members in the Air Force and Space Force culture
Installation Access (Find your local Installation)
- Sponsorship for NOK through the Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) process
- Introduction to installation approved Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) activities
- Commanders are encouraged to include surviving Air and Space Force family members in installation activities such as: air shows, spouse luncheons, VIP visits and holiday activities.
Air Force Warrior and Survivor Care: Military and Family Readiness Centers provide non-medical services, re-integration, and transition support for wounded, seriously ill, and injured service members requiring long-term medical care and/or when meeting a medical/physical evaluation board to determine fitness for duty. Centers ensure one-on-one pre-separation counseling is offered/provided for the Warrior & Survivor Care program participants when requested. In addition to the congressionally mandated Transition Assistance Program services, counseling support also includes: Any veterans’ benefits briefings and/or available specific disabled transition assistance counseling provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
- Arranging assistance for the Wounded, Ill and Injured servicemember in completing and submitting a Veterans Affairs (VA) Form 21-526, Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation Benefits, through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
M&FRC’s collaborate with the Recovery Care Coordinator, the lead coordinator for Wounded, Ill and Injured to offer support to affected service members and coordinate activities with installation agencies.
Casualty Assistance: A trained Casualty Assistance representative provides counseling on benefits offered by a wide variety of programs, such as those from the DoD, Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Health and Human Services, and state and local agencies. Casualty Assistance services are provided through the Force Support Squadron.
Crisis Support: M&FRCs offers support to the community before, during and after an all-hazard event, i.e., disaster, crisis or evacuation. Centers will provide emergency family assistance (EFA) response, through various delivery modes, to include, at the direction of the installation commander, the establishment of an emergency family assistance center (EFAC). The EFA response is provided to deliver essential services, support, and information, which address the practical and emotional needs of service members and their families, following the all-hazard event. Also, EFA response operations coordinate family assistance services from governmental and nongovernmental entities, promote short- and long-term recovery, and the return to a stable environment and mission ready status following the all-hazard incident.
M&FRCs have trained Air Force Personnel Accountability and Assessment System (AFPAAS) Needs Assessment Case Managers to support the DAF’s worldwide support capability during a crisis or emergency, assess and resolve personnel and families’ urgent needs, and provide support, information and referrals to helping agencies when a disaster or other local all-hazard incident impact personnel and/or the military community.
Deployment Support: M&FRC is dedicated to ensuring the needs of deployers and their families are addressed by offering services throughout the deployment cycle. Pre-deployment, sustainment, and reintegration services that provide information, improve skills, foster competencies, offer support, and assistance are offered to deploying personnel and their families. Family Readiness NCOs and other M&FRC staff are available to assist in managing the challenges of evacuations, emergencies, deployments and separations including TDYs and remote tours.
Employment Assistance Program (EAP): EAP supports military, civilians and family members in achieving short- and long-term employment by referring them to education and/or training opportunities and assisting in helping achieve personal career goals in the private and public sectors. The M&FRC provides comprehensive services to ensure customers are equipped with adequate knowledge and assistance to aid in their job search, as well as for volunteer opportunities both on and off an installation.
Exceptional Family Member Program – Family Support (EFMP-FS): 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. The EFMP-FS provides support, information and resources to assist EFMP families in navigating their community to meet the needs of their special needs family member(s). EFMP-FS offers classes, programs and events to enhance the quality-of-life experiences of EFMP families and coordinates the application process for families who may be interested in respite care services.
Personal Financial Readiness: The philosophy of the PFR program is centered on ensuring that service members and their families have access to financial readiness services that:
- Help attain/maintain a high level of personal financial readiness
- Identify appropriate goals that support financial needs throughout the military lifecycle
- Guide towards correcting financial readiness deficiencies that impede personal readiness
- Educate to a level of self-sufficiency and ability to effectively manage financial affairs
- Meet mandatory training requirements
Personal and Work Life: The Personal & Work Life Program provides essential work/life tools and support, focused on building and maintaining healthy relationships, strengthening interpersonal competencies, and problem-solving skills to increase an individual’s ability to respond with resiliency, engage with resources and readily seek assistance when they needed.
- Commander’s Key Support Program: The Commander’s Key Support Program is a Commander’s unit readiness program designed to enhance family readiness, resilience and connectedness throughout the military life cycle and particularly during deployments and permanent change of station (PCS). The program promotes partnerships with unit leaders, key support liaisons, families, the M&FRC and other installation helping agencies. M&FRCs will provide information concerning the Initial Key Support Liaison training, which can be completed virtually or in person where available, followed by the immersion training. In person initial and immersion training will be provided at least quarterly using the AF standardized Key Support Liaison training curriculum as well as networking and education opportunities to compliment the initial training.
- Heart Link: Heart Link is designed to strengthen military families, and enhance mission readiness by helping to orient new Air Force or Space Force spouses (typically five years or less) to active duty military life.
Relocation Assistance: The Relocation Assistance Program is a congressionally mandated program designed to ease the personal and family stressors military families experience with a PCS by providing assistance, counseling, education, and training throughout all phases of the relocation process.
Each Department of the Air Force (DAF) installation Military & Family Readiness Center (M&FRC) provides a support staff, trained in the techniques and delivery of professional relocation assistance.
Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP): The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) is a Congressionally mandated program through which the Department of Defense provides a monthly income to eligible dependent survivors of service members, including Reserve and Air National Guard, who die on Active Duty in the line of duty. Service members who retire on Active Duty, as well as members who retire due to a service-connected disability incurred while on active duty with Regular, Guard, or Reserve must elect SBP coverage to continue or decline coverage prior to retirement. Additionally, there is an associated premium cost after retirement.
Transition Assistance Program (TAP): The goal of the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is to provide information, counseling and training to ensure service members and their spouses are prepared for the next step in civilian life; whether pursuing additional education, finding a career or starting their own business. Support for TAP is provided by wing M&FRP Manager or local installation Military and Family Readiness Center (M&FRC) staff.
Volunteer Resources: Collaborates with other base agencies for the purpose of referring service members, spouses, and other family members for volunteer opportunities.
Voting Assistance Program: The M&FRC serves as the Installation Voter Assistance Office and the Installation Voting Assistance Officers provide uniformed service members, their eligible family members and overseas citizens with information and assistance on how to register to vote, request an absentee ballot and vote absentee.
Additional partnering support services offered in the community include:
- Air Force Aid Society: The Air Force Aid Society (AFAS) is the official charity of the Air Force and Space Force. AFAS's purpose is to help service members when they need it most. Various types of assistance provided include emergency assistance, educational support and community programs
- School Liaison: Installation School Liaisons (SLs) are the primary advisors to Installation Command Teams and OPR for all PreK-12 engagements, challenges, concerns, and education programming components, including special education, state-level representation, and education community partnerships. The School Liaison portfolio consists of Public Schools on Military Installations (PSMI) coordination to include DoDEA, Host Nation and NDSP Schools, Military and Family Life Counseling Programs (MFLC), (School Embedded), and others as applicable, such as MIC3 State Lead, DoD STARBASE POC, DAF STEM POC, School Based Transition Program Oversight, Guard/Reserve, and International AD Student Programs. Through outreach and advocacy, SLs advance educational quality through community, state, and national partnerships. Services provided but are not limited to: Transition Support (School Districts & Boundaries), Schooling Options and Support (Private, Parochial, Charter, Virtual School, and Homeschool), Deployment Support, College, Career & Military Readiness, Scholarship & Grant Resources, Parent Workshops, School District Professional Development and Military Interstate Compact Compliance Support. School Liaisons build, sustain and are the continuity in education - community partnerships.
Air Force’s Personnel Center:
https://www.afpc.af.mil/Military-and-Family/
DAFI 36-3009, Airman and Family Readiness Centers:
https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a1/publication/dafi36-3009/dafi36-3009.pdf
Air Force Aid Society:
https://afas.org
Transition Assistance Program for Military Personnel , DoDI 1332.35:
https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/133235p.pdf
DoD TAP, Transition Assistance Program
https://www.dodtap.mil/dodtap/app/home
Air Reserve Personnel Center
https://www.arpc.afrc.af.mil
Federal Voting Assistance Program
https://www.fvap.gov
Military One Source Casualty Assistance:
https://www.militaryonesource.mil/casualty-assistance/
DAFI 36-3002, Casualty Services:
https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a1/publication/dafi36-3002/dafi36-3002.pdf