Deployment

Power of Attorney

A power of attorney allows another person to conduct business on your behalf. Service members often need to leave a power of attorney or powers of attorney with their spouse or a designated family member or friend, so they can take care of certain business situations while the service member is away. There are two types of powers of attorney – a general power of attorney and a specific power of attorney. A power of attorney can allow a person you choose to take care of a minor child, make healthcare decisions, sell or purchase a home or car, work with the housing office, or arrange a PCS move. If you are in doubt about which kind of power of attorney is needed for your family’s situation, check with your Judge Advocate General (JAG) office.

Family Care Plan

Service members who are single parents of minor children, or who are responsible for a disabled family member, are required to have a family care plan in place to designate and document a plan for their child’s care, during a service member’s absence. Family care plans can also be useful in the case of an emergency while a service member is away. Find out more about Creating a Family Care Plan for Caregivers. Make sure your designated caretaker is aware of the plan.

Budget

Discuss your family budget. You can access Free Financial Counseling on your military installation. Make sure you are aware of all bills that need to be paid each month. Be sure the bills and bank accounts have both your name and your spouse’s name in the accounts. Know how to access and read a Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) and be aware of any extra pays or allowances that may appear on your LES during a deployment. Discuss how any additional deployment dollars may be spent or saved. Understanding your family budget and agreeing on money issues will ease some of your stress during a deployment.

Wills

Ensure each adult member in your house has a current will. The Legal Assistance Office is available to assist family members and service members in creating wills, so contact your local Legal Assistance Office for help. To find the nearest Legal Assistance Office use the Armed Forces Legal Assistance Locator.

Last Wishes

This may sound grim, but it is necessary to discuss any last wishes your service member may have prior to a deployment. Tragedy can strike at any time, but communication is often more difficult during deployment. Now is the time to make challenging decisions regarding life support, funeral wishes, and preferred burial location. This uncomfortable conversation will prevent a spouse from making grief-stricken decisions during a tragic time. It is also important for close friends and family to know your service member is deployed and that they might be called on in a time of need. For a detailed deployment preparedness list, visit Military OneSource and review their Deployment Resources.

Our Association commissioned a study of military children which revealed that kids who experience the deployment of a parent often show higher levels of stress and anxiety than their civilian friends. Younger children may not have the tools to understand where Mom or Dad has gone or when they’re coming back. Older kids feel the burden of having to worry about the absent parent while they take on extra responsibilities at home.

Military parents know there’s no way to make deployments easy for their kids. However, there are great resources available to help parents and children get through the months apart. Here are a few tried and true programs that have helped many military families survive – and thrive – during deployment.