The Annual Family Action Plan Conference will be held the first week of February. The AFAP turns 25 years old this year.

To commemorate this special birthday, here are 25 ways that the AFAP process has helped you:

1.Service members' Group Life Insurance increased.

2.Basic Allowance for Housing increased.

3.Army Emergency Reliev provides grants in overseas location to assist with financial aid for spouses to pursue undergraduate degree, vocational technical degree or certificate, high school completion and English as a Second Language studies.

4.A Department of Defense Reserve Component Family member identification card was established.

5.A vehicle can be stored at government expense when a Soldier is reassigned to an area where shipment in not authorized.

6.Family Separation Allowance was increased.

7.Temporary Lodging Expense authorized for first Permanent Change of Station.

8.Programs like Army Family Team Building and Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers were created.

9.Established Military Thrift Savings Plan.

10.Improvements in Army spouse employment, with employment partnerships between the DoD and the Department of Education.

11.Dental services for retirees overseas, through the TRICARE Retiree Dental Plan.

12. Funding for Exceptional Family Member Program respite care.

13. Funding for Army Community Service positions and Army Community Service wellbeing initiatives.

14. Funding for more Child Development Center projects programmed during FY 08-13.

15. Allowing soldiers to request tour stabilization if they have a graduating high school senior.

166. Granting dependents of full-time, local hire Non-Appropriated Fund employees equal enrollment priority with local hire Part-time Appropriated Fund employees at Department of Defense Dependent Schools.

17. Authorized concurrent receipt of military retired and Veteran's Affairs disability pay.

18.The Family Advocacy Program was created.

19.Army Garrisons now provide more than 50 different support programs/activities designed to ease the burden on the spouses of deployed Soldiers.

20.Informational and interactive websites have been established to address retirement information and planning, employment opportunities and application, and enlisted Soldier assignments.

21.Family Readiness Support Assistant positions were developed, funded and staffed.

22. Elimination of TRICARE Prime co-payments.

23.Increased military annual leave carryover.

24.Established toll-free Wounded in Action phone number; improved communication to Families.

25.Reformed military pay table (targeted pay raises).

The Fort Gordon AFAP conference will be held Feb. 4-5. You can help by becoming a facilitator, recorder, delegate, administrative support volunteer or by submitting quality of life issues.

For more information on becoming a volunteer or on how to submit an issue, contact the program manager at

teri.ryan@us.army.mil or call (706) 791-2820.