Blog

Don’t let the holiday rush get the best of your wallet. Spend smart with these tips from MFAN advisors. 1. Plan ahead via GIPHY If you’re playing host this year, plan out your menu and create your shopping list in advance—that way, as sales start rolling in you can buy items on sale. Check out...

Post courtesy of Kristine Schellhaas, MFAN Advisor. Click here to read the original post from kristinespeaks.com. Most days, I’m on fire. I love my Marine, love living on base, love this life. I’ve spent years supporting military families by volunteering in my husband’s unit, through chaotic deployments and workups, supporting wounded warrior charities, and helping non-profit...

When our daughter, Bethany, was four-years-old, she came running in the house sobbing uncontrollably. I smoothed her blond curls and held her, “What’s wrong, Bunny?” “I don’t want to leave you and go to college!” Her chubby arms held my neck tight. “Um, well, Bunny, you don’t have to go to college any time soon!”...

There is a lot of confusion about how recommended changes to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) may impact urgent care for TRICARE Prime beneficiaries. We, too, were confused. So, we thought we’d try to clear a few things up: Question: Will the proposed changes to the NDAA prevent TRICARE Prime beneficiaries from using urgent...

MFAN advisors are knowledgeable, solutions-oriented leaders with a common goal — to support and empower military families. We do not create new programs—our focus is communication, and accessing our network to communicate to the military family community. MFAN focuses on … Communicating with each other to understand the challenges that face our families Communicating with...

Have you heard of the Congressional Award? The Congressional Award is open to all ages 14 to 24 and all U.S. citizens in that age group living overseas, regardless of physical or developmental disabilities. This military-friendly program — which promotes volunteerism, personal development, expedition, and physical fitness — can be completed no matter where you...

This month’s featured advisor, Rebekah Sanderlin, is an Army spouse, mom, and author. Rebekah’s areas of focus within the military include deployments, relocations, and financial challenges. As a mother of three, Rebekah saw first-hand the challenges that military kids face, so she co-created the Home Is Where book series, designed to help military children overcome...

“At our first in-person meeting of the MFAN advisory board, I looked around the table at a few familiar faces. Other names were familiar, or I knew them by reputation, but this was a group that felt different from the outset. It was certainly not the “first rodeo” for most of us, but collectively we...

“Military families have always come first for us, and we show it. The greatest aspect of being an advisor for the Military Family Advisory Network has been the convergence of experiences among us. No matter the question or issue before us, someone has a creative, compassionate direction for finding the solution. I have looked forward...

In late January, the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission (MCRMC) presented its recommendations to the President and Congress. What does the MCRMC do, again? The MCRMC was established by the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to review the existing military compensation and retirement systems. The MCRMC began work on its recommendations report in...

In a perfect world, military families would be able to freely express their military pride. These families make sacrifices every day to protect and serve our country, and deserve to be recognized for their strength, courage, and resilience. However, today, self-identifying as a member of the military community can be dangerous, so it’s important for...

In August 2014 MFAN conducted a survey (its first) to: Understand which programs military families like and depend on Identify gaps between military family needs and resources The Military Family Support Programming Survey received over 17,000 unique responses from 1,500 participants, of which nearly 90 percent were military spouses. The questions were almost completely open-ended...

MFAN released the results from its Military Family Support Programming Survey on Jan. 12. Over 1,500 people provided more than 17,000 responses about the services, resources and programs they value, resulting in five recommendations for action. The top recommendation addressed the need for public-private partnerships with nonprofit agencies to give military families seamless access to...

Education, employment, and wellness are three areas where we pledge to focus our time and energy — but we often find ourselves too overwhelmed to know where to start. That’s where MFAN comes in. The MFAN advisors have compiled a list of education, employment, and wellness resources whose authenticity and quality they stand behind and...

The Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission has released a report that recommends several changes to the benefits military families receive. We wanted to help you understand what those recommendations mean to you and your family so that you can be part of the conversation. A little background: The MCRMC was established by the National...