FMWRC outlines changes in support for survivors

By Rob McIlvaine
FMWRC Public Affairs

Lynn McCollum, director of Family Programs at FMWRC, opens up the 2nd Survivor Outreach Services Summit in Arlington, Va. Photo by Rob McIlvaine, FMWRC Public Affairs.

The Survivor Outreach Summit in Alexandria, Va., also included a briefing from Lynn McCollum, FMWRC director of Family Programs. She emphasized the work that’s been done over the past year and the needs her staff is currently addressing.

“We need to do better in providing access to support information and services closer to where you live, to keep that connection with the Army for as long as you want,” McCollum said.

Based on the gaps identified at the first SOS summit, McCollum updated the survivors on what’s been done over the past year to improve these services.

“We’ve added 50 support coordinators for the Active Army, eight for the Reserve and our plan is to hire 108 for the Army National Guard who will be stationed at Army Community Services (ACS) centers, regional Reserve Readiness commands and Joint Force headquarters in the 50 states and four territories.

“At Casualty Assistance Centers (CAC), we’ve added 35 benefits coordinators, and at ACS centers, we’ve added financial consultants. We’ve also added 30 trainers at CAC to better train Casualty officers and Notification officers,” McCollum said.

Other recently added benefits and entitlements for survivors, McCollum said, include extending housing benefits to 365 days post time of death. Survivors living off the installation are now provided one year of basic allowance for housing.

One of the other changes is an SOS landing page, now accessible through Army OneSource. 

“To help bring resources to you, we are developing a virtual world in cyberspace so it’s easier to connect with others,” McCollum said.

Social networking, resource links, and a monitored feedback loop to respond to survivor queries and provide support is currently available. Under development is a virtual world space for Survivors, only. At full operational capability the virtual world space will be a place for survivors to connect and meet in a secure, private on-line environment, such as a virtual world chapel that will enable Survivors to reach chaplain support on-line.

While the Summit indicated there is more work to be done, Army leadership at the most senior levels is clearly dedicated to ensure the needs of our Survivors are met. Working together with Survivors from throughout the Army, the Survivor Advisory Panel, and together with, Installation Management Command-Human Resources (IMCOM-HR), FMWRC, the Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operation Center (CMAOC), the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve, SOS will continue to be an advocate for change for Survivors.