About two years ago, an actress broke her collarbone in a fall during a rehearsal at the Fort Gordon Dinner Theatre.

Fortunately for her, the civilian actress was registered in the Volunteer Management Information System and was entitled to have her medical benefits reimbursed.

"There is no recourse if volunteers are not registered," said Lynn Harshman, Fort Gordon volunteer coordinator, who estimates that less than one-third of Fort Gordon's volunteers are currently registered in the system.

VMIS has been around for four years, and the Department of the Army made registration in the system mandatory for volunteers in fiscal year 2008. Those enrolled in VMIS are extended other protections as set forth in Title 10, Section 1588 of the U.S. Code, and they are protected under the Volunteer Protection Act of 1997, also known as the Good Samaritan Act.

"The Army regulation states someone who isn't registered is a non-statutory volunteer or they are volunteering illegally. Only statutory volunteers are authorized to use government equipment such as copiers and classrooms," said Harshman.

The law applies to all volunteers from those who work with Family Readiness Groups to those who act in plays at Fort Gordon Dinner Theatre.

Besides offering protection to the volunteers within the system, VMIS has practical applications such as tracking volunteer hours and making it easier to verify if volunteers have logged sufficient hours for awards.

Harshman said volunteers can register in the system quickly. Also, she offers regular training on the system and has volunteered her services to help enroll volunteers at large events such as Family Readiness Group activities.

First, go to www.myarmyonesource.com. Logon or register as a new user.

Under the Family programs and services banner at the left of the screen, choose the volunteering option and go to Volunteer Management Information System. Once there, a new user can register to become a volunteer. Job descriptions are available for more than 425 volunteer positions in 76 program areas at Fort Gordon. Volunteers can link their names to those positions.

Program coordinators are responsible for setting up the volunteer job descriptions.

For those who may volunteer off-post, Harshman can help them set up their volunteer profile and keep it updated.

Two VMIS webinars are scheduled from 11 a.m. to noon and 1 to 2 p.m., May 19,

To learn more about VMIS or to participate in the webinar, email Harshman at lynn.harshman@us.army.mil.