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Air Force program shelters abused family members

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Connie L. Bias
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  You are living in fear of physical abuse that takes place in front of your children.

Screaming, name-calling and uncontrollable crying are all part of the deal.

What do you do?

The immediate response is, "Get out immediately!" Of course. Nobody should live with such abuse, and no parent should ever put their children through, or allow their children to suffer, such horrific actions.

Yet people do live with abuse every day, and continue to live with it for years. While there may be many psychological explanations for abused people to accept their situation, there's also at least one very physical and realistic reason: money. Who will pay the bills if I leave my spouse? How will I feed my children without my spouse's income, and how will I cover the extreme cost of daycare if I have to find a job?

The Transitional Compensation for Abused Dependents is the Air Force's response to these financial questions.

"The program is for any family member who has been a victim of domestic violence or child abuse, if the abusive active-duty member has been kicked out or court-martialed for an abuse offense," said Maj. Michelle Link, 92nd Medical Group Behavioral Health flight commander. "The family members can receive 12 to 36 months of financial compensation."

The number of months of financial aid received depends on the amount of time the active-duty member served, and the amount received each month is based on rank.

The program is ultimately run by commanders. Unit commanders are responsible for informing affected family members of the compensation available and helping them complete the application process, and the wing commander gives final approval to the compensation request.

The affected family member deals first with the Military Personnel and Finance office, where they will file a DD Form 2698, Application for Transitional Compensation.

"MPF then coordinates with the legal office to get correct information about the servicemember's court martial date, because the payment start date depends on that," said Staff Sgt. Stacy Wiley, 92nd Air Refueling Wing military justice paralegal. After MPF completes the application packet, it goes through legal review before going to the wing commander for a final decision.

"Both the spouse and the children of the abuser can receive compensation, though the spouse must have been married to the abuser during the time of abuse to receive compensation" said Sergeant Wiley. "Also, if the spouse is determined to be a part of the abuse, the spouse will not receive any funds, and the children's compensation will go to their appointed guardian."

The term "child," Sergeant Wiley added, can apply up to age 23 if the child is enrolled in a full-time course of study.

Family members approved for the program receive an ID card while they're receiving payments allowing them to use the commissary and BX, so the financial benefits associated with shopping on base will continue to apply. Also, while the ID card does not include medical benefits once the active-duty member is discharged, the abused family members may also receive medical or dental care at the base hospital or through CHAMPUS insurance benefits.

Of course, all of this program coordination will normally happen while the family in question is going through stressful court-martial proceedings, not to mention the stress of having difficult family issues drug through a chain of command. Affected family members should remember that there are agencies and offices on base that will help them through the process as quickly and painlessly as possible. MPF and the legal office representatives are familiar with the compensation program, and can provide much-needed help in filling out any necessary forms. Also, Family Advocacy exists to help families with abuse issues.

"I've had two or three clients apply for and receive financial compensation based upon personal child or spouse abuse," said Major Link. "My role in this program is referral. When a family member says they're going to lose financial compensation now that their spouse is going through a court martial because of abuse, I refer them to the legal office and this program.

"It's important for the message about this program to get out," added Major Link. "A lot of women and men are in abusive situations don't leave the situation because they're concerned about their finances. They need to know that there is a program to address those concerns."