10 U.S.C. § 1788 (ARMED FORCES)
§ 1788. Additional family assistance
(a) Authority.—
The Secretary of Defense may provide for the families of members of the armed forces serving on active duty, in addition to any other assistance available for such families, any assistance that the Secretary considers appropriate to ensure that the children of such members obtain needed child care, education, and other youth services.
(b) Primary Purpose of Assistance.—
The assistance authorized by this section should be directed primarily toward providing needed family support, including child care, education, and other youth services, for children of members of the armed forces who are deployed, assigned to duty, or ordered to active duty in connection with a contingency operation.
(Added Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title VI, § 652(a)(1), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2581; amended Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title X, § 1075(b)(25), Jan. 7, 2011, 124 Stat. 4370.)
heading: Amendments
text: 2011—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 111–383 substituted “armed forces” for “Armed Forces”.
heading: Effective Date
text: Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title VI, § 652(b), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2581, provided that: “Section 1788 of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall take effect on October 1, 2002.”
heading: Family Support Programs for Immediate Family Members of Members of the Armed Forces Assigned to Special Operations Forces
text: Pub. L. 113–66, div. A, title V, § 554, Dec. 26, 2013, 127 Stat. 765, as amended by Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title V, § 574, Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 831, provided that:
“(a) Pilot Programs Authorized.—
Consistent with such regulations as the Secretary of Defense may prescribe to carry out this section, the Commander of the United States Special Operations Command may conduct up to three pilot programs to assess the feasibility and benefits of providing family support activities for the immediate family members of members of the Armed Forces assigned to special operations forces. In selecting and conducting any pilot program under this subsection, the Commander shall coordinate with the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
“(b) Selection of Programs.—
In selecting the pilot programs to be conducted under subsection (a), the Commander shall—
“(1) identify family support activities that have a direct and concrete impact on the readiness of special operations forces, but that are not being provided by the Secretary of a military department to the immediate family members of members of the Armed Forces assigned to special operations forces; and
“(2) conduct a cost-benefit analysis of each family support activity proposed to be included in a pilot program.
“(c) Evaluation.—
The Commander shall develop outcome measurements to evaluate the success of each family support activity included in a pilot program under subsection (a).
“(d) Additional Authority.—
The Commander may expend up to $5,000,000 during each fiscal year specified in subsection (f) to carry out the pilot programs under subsection (a).
“(e) Definitions.—
In this section:
“(1) The term ‘Commander’ means the Commander of the United States Special Operations Command.
“(2) The term ‘immediate family members’ has the meaning given that term in section 1789(c) of title 10, United States Code.
“(3) The term ‘special operations forces’ means those forces of the Armed Forces identified as special operations forces under section 167(i) of such title.
“(f) Duration of Pilot Program Authority.—
The authority provided by subsection (a) is available to the Commander during fiscal years 2014 through 2018.
“(g) Report Required.—
“(1) In general.—
Not later than March 1, 2016, and each March 1 thereafter though the conclusion of the pilot programs conducted under subsection (a), the Commander, in coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report describing the progress made in achieving the goals of the pilot programs.
“(2) Elements of report.—
Each report under this subsection shall include the following for each pilot program:
“(A) A description of the pilot program to address family support requirements not being provided by the Secretary of a military department to immediate family members of members of the Armed Forces assigned to special operations forces.
“(B) An assessment of the impact of the pilot program on the readiness of members of the Armed Forces assigned to special operations forces.
“(C) A comparison of the pilot program to other programs conducted by the Secretaries of the military departments to provide family support to immediate family members of members of the Armed Forces.
“(D) Recommendations for incorporating the lessons learned from the pilot program into family support programs conducted by the Secretaries of the military departments.
“(E) Any other matters considered appropriate by the Commander or the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.”
heading: Pilot Program on Parent Education To Promote Early Childhood Education for Dependent Children Affected by Military Deployment or Relocation of Military Units
text: Pub. L. 109–364, div. A, title V, § 575, Oct. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 2227, provided that:
“(a) Pilot Program Authorized.—
Using such funds as may be appropriated for this purpose, the Secretary of Defense may carry out a pilot program on the provision of educational and support tools to the parents of preschool-age children—
“(1) whose parent or parents serve as members of the Armed Forces on active duty (including members of the Selected Reserve on active duty pursuant to a call or order to active duty of 180 days or more); and
“(2) who are affected by the deployment of their parent or parents or the relocation of the military unit of which their parent or parents are a member.
“(b) Purpose.—
The purpose of the pilot program is to develop models for improving the capability of military child and youth programs on or near military installations to provide assistance to military parents with young children through a program of activities focusing on the unique needs of children described in subsection (a).
“(c) Limits on Commencement and Duration of Program.—
The Secretary of Defense may not commence the pilot program before October 1, 2007, and shall conclude the pilot program not later than the end of the three-year period beginning on the date on which the Secretary commences the program.
“(d) Scope of Program.—
Under the pilot program, the Secretary of Defense shall utilize one or more models, demonstrated through research, of universal access of parents of children described in subsection (a) to assistance under the pilot program to achieve the following goals:
“(1) The identification and mitigation of specific risk factors for such children related to military life.
“(2) The maximization of the educational readiness of such children.
“(e) Locations and Goals.—
“(1) Selection of participating installations.—
In selecting military installations to participate in the pilot program, the Secretary of Defense shall limit selection to those military installations whose military personnel are experiencing significant transition or deployment or which are undergoing transition as a result of the relocation or activation of military units or activities relating to defense base closure and realignment.
“(2) Selection of certain installations.—
At least one of the installations selected under paragraph (1) shall be a military installation that will permit, under the pilot program, the meaningful evaluation of a model under subsection (d) that provides outreach to parents in families with a parent who is a member of the National Guard or Reserve, which families live more than 40 miles from the installation.
“(3) Goals of participating installations.—
If a military installation is selected under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall require appropriate personnel at the military installation to develop goals, and specific outcome measures with respect to such goals, for the conduct of the pilot program at the installation.
“(4) Evaluation required.—
Upon completion of the pilot program at a military installation, the personnel referred to in paragraph (3) at the installation shall be required to conduct an evaluation and assessment of the success of the pilot program at the installation in meeting the goals developed for that installation.
“(f) Guidelines.—
As part of conducting the pilot program, the Secretary of Defense shall issue guidelines regarding—
“(1) the goals to be developed under subsection (e)(3);
“(2) specific outcome measures; and
“(3) the selection of curriculum and the conduct of developmental screening under the pilot program.
“(g) Report.—
Upon completion of the pilot program, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report on all of the evaluations prepared under subsection (e)(4) for the military installations participating in the pilot program. The report shall describe the results of the evaluations, and may include such recommendations for legislative or administrative action as the Secretary considers appropriate in light of the evaluations, including recommendations for the continuation of the pilot program.”