For some Army Mamas, taking a Family Care Plan or hardship chapter out of the Army is the answer to their prayers. For others, it can be a hard decision to make. And still for others, it is a decision forced upon them by the unforgiving demand of the Army. Let’s talk about what it means to chapter out of the Army based on the family care plan or a hardship.
First things first, let’s cover the most common questions our Army Mamas have about the family care plan chapter.
Who can get a family care plan chapter?
Active duty Soldiers can get a family care plan discharge if you don’t meet the criteria of a sufficient FCP as outlined in chapter 5-3, AR 600-20.
National Guard Soldiers can request a hardship discharge, reference NGR 600-200 6-35.
Can you get back in after a FCP chapter or hardship discharge?
Yes, but you need to ensure your FCP is scared away before rejoining. Sometimes they’ll code you RE3 and it will require your recruiter to submit a waiver packet. However, most recruiters are willing to do the legwork to meet their monthly quotas. But you will most likely have to wait 6 months prior to rejoining if you have been coded.
What type of characterization will I get if I get out on FCP chapter or hardship discharge?
Honorable, unless you have extenuating circumstances resulting in other than honorable.
How quickly will my FCP/hardship chapter be processed?
Depends on your command team, there have been packets processed in under 90 days and that is from when the packet was initiated, not the date of the initial FCP counseling.
For National Guard, it is usually a numbers game. If your state has gained enough new Soldiers to maintain their authorized strength, then they may cut your discharge order quicker than others. However, if your state is lacking on strength, they may be liable to hold you on their books until they can afford to let you go. They will still cut your discharge order for the date of your request on your DA 4187.
Can/Should my Commander force me to enact my family care plan if my child is sick?
This is a hot button issue in the Army Mama community. In the event of COVID-19, there have been a lot of unforgiving Commanders/Leadership insisting that parents have an airtight family care plan in all kinds of situations. If you have children, military or not, then you know how difficult childcare has become since the pandemic went underway.
SMA Michael Grinston has acknowledged that the way some of our leaders are handling family care plans is not demonstrating the “People First” motto that the Army touts.
Unfortunately, the regulation is too vague and it tends to be a lost battle. If your child is sick, ask to receive a quarters slip so that it allows you to stay home with your child for the duration of their illness.
Will I lose my GI Bill benefits if I get out on a FCP chapter?
No you will not lose your GI Bill benefits if you’ve been in for at least 3 years.
So, what are the benefits of getting out on a Family Care Plan or hardship chapter?
You’re out of the Army
Honestly, this can be the biggest weight lifted off of your shoulders. Not having to deal with the BS that comes with an unsupportive leadership. Because let’s face it, an Army Mama wouldn’t be weighing this as an option if her leadership demonstrated sympathy during trying times.
You won’t have field problems, deployments, TDY, extra duties taking you away from your family for weeks or months at a time.
If the APFT/ACFT and/or HTWT was ever an issue, you won’t have to worry about the pressure of meeting what seems like impossible standards.
You’ll most likely be moving back closer to you family, which will mean more support. And if you decide you want to go Reserves/National Guard then you will have access to a solid family care plan for drill and annual trainings.
Civilian job will most likely NOT be as demanding
Sometimes Army Mamas (or veterans in general) are afraid to get out of the military because they’re afraid of the prospects of job insecurity. They might feel like they don’t stand a chance out in the civilian world.
But really, they should be looking at the silver lining of how much flexibility they’ll be getting to spend with their family and a predictive work schedule.
We’ll be talking about how to ensure Army Mamas have a smooth transition into the civilian world in a later article, so stayed tuned for that!
Not having to drop kids off with strangers at the butt-crack of dawn
Most times Army Mamas are forced to find childcare at the drop of a hat because their “leaders” really don’t understand how troubling it is as a parent to trust that your child will be safe in the hands of a complete strangers.
This is the root of anxiety for a lot of Army Mamas and it is not something that I understood until I had a child myself. Before kids, I’d roll my eyes at friends with children that used the “I don’t have a babysitter” excuse to skip out on girls’ night, because I felt like you could just find anybody to watch your kids.
But literally anything can happen and there are so many stories of child abuse that it really boggles my mind that leaders really expect their Soldiers to skim Facebook groups for babysitters so that their Soldiers can fulfill a last minute staff duty.
Even if you continue to work once you transition out, you still have more freedom in choosing the childcare for your child(ren). And you won’t have to worry about waking your little ones up at 0400 so that you can drop them off at the CDC by 0600 and be at PT at 0630.
You may be eligible for severance pay
If you were in for at least 6 years, you are eligible for severance pay. Check with your finance office to see if you might be able to receive severance pay. This applies only for active duty.
What is the downside of taking a family care plan or hardship chapter?
No Tricare
Tricare can be a hassle at times, but for what it’s worth, it’s a pretty good benefit of being in the military.
Tricare Reserve Select is still a good program itself for NG/Reserve Soldiers too.
Some civilian jobs offer decent healthcare plans, but most are pricey, especially for family plans. But it could also be seen as a benefit, because your new healthcare plan might not require authorizations to see specialists. For example, PPO insurance allows you to simply walk into specialized clinics.
No housing allowance
This one is dependent on whether or not you decide to go back to school and use your post 9/11 GI Bill. And with that you might not be able to tap into all of the benefits of it unless you attend resident courses (in-person vs online schooling).
Most Soldiers don’t realize just how much that extra housing allowance gives a boost in supporting themselves and their families.
Bonus Repayment
If you received bonus payment and separate earlier than your obligation, the Army may recoup that money or not give you the second payment (if you have had multiple payouts).
It will be taken out of your final paycheck and it is the pretax amount, not the amount that you actually received.
State Taxes
This is a sneaky one. If the military was your first and only job, then you may not be accustomed to having to pay state taxes. Now really this is dependent on if you get out and get a high paying job straight away.
If you have a low income job/career after you transition out, then you would usually receive your state income taxes back after you file your taxes.
ETS Award
You might not receive an award based on your separation. Because you are being separated involuntarily (for active duty), it triggers a flagging action. I have seen some units, battalions, and brigades that are pretty stingy with handing out awards to flagged Soldiers for time served in the military.
On the other hand, I have seen other commanders who have no problem recognizing the time Soldiers have sacrificed in the service. Technically, a Soldier is not eligible to receive an award if they are flagged–UNLESS they fall within the categories outlined in AR 600-8-22 para 1-17.
This might be an important item for you if you’re deciding to go Guard or Reserves after Active Duty. Or even just to acknowledge all the hard work and sacrifice you made during the time that you served.
Although this may not be everything weighing on your mind if you’re considering a family care plan chapter or even a pregnancy chapter, these are the most common concerns Army Mamas have when making the decision to get out.
Some of these items might be the only reasons that you keep trucking along in the Army, which is why we’re going to talk about how to prepare yourself for transitioning out of the Army. Getting out is less scary if you have a solid plan.
Please don’t read this as an encouragement to get out, but I think we all know what it feels like to be “stuck” in the Army for a multitude of reasons. Whatever your reason is, we’re going to discuss ways to make the experience less intimidating and more exciting for new ventures.
Other fellow Army Mamas are bringing to light some of the most common issues we face when navigating motherhood in the Army. If you’re looking for more community within this realm or have any more specific questions that this article can’t answer, I highly encourage you to join The Army Mom Life Facebook group.
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