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Armed Forces Action Plan (AFAP)
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The Armed Forces Action Plan (AFAP) is a program modeled after the Army Family Action Plan and executed in the same spirit as the Air Force Caring for People program. It was adopted as a best practice at Joint Base San Antonio during the joint basing process.

This year-round program gives those who are normally not in a decision making position, a chance to provide input on quality of life issues to senior leadership for action and resolution. AFAP gives Military Service Members (Active, Reserve and National Guard), Retirees, Survivors, Teens, DoD Civilians and their Families an opportunity to say what's working, what isn't, and provide suggestions on how to fix it. Through the process, community members are able to alert commanders and senior leadership to areas of concern that need their attention and gives them the opportunity to quickly put plans into place to work towards resolving issues.

 

How it Works
Any member of the JBSA community can submit an issue for consideration. Once received, the issues are reviewed by the AFAP Executive Steering Committee, chaired by the 502 FSG Commander. Subject matter experts are engaged to explore how an issue might be resolved, what steps might be taken at the local level, whether resolution at a local level is possible, and whether the issue needs to be elevated beyond the local level to find true resolution.

 

Submitting an Issue
Issues, ideas and suggestions are collected year-round through several different methods. There are no limits to the number of issues one person can submit, however, each issue should be submitted on a new form.

 

- Online: Submit an issue online through the Issue Management System as a guest or registered user at ims.armyfamilywebportal.com.
- By Email: Download and submit the Issue Submission Form and email it to 802FSS.FSYR.AFAP@us.af.mil.
- In-Person: Drop off issue submissions at one of the JBSA Military & Family Readiness Centers.
- Focus Groups:  Units and other JBSA community organizations can also request a private AFAP focus group. Our trained facilitators can help lead a discussion to capture quality of life concerns and funnel them through the AFAP process.

 

 

 

Who can Participate
Service Members of any branch (Army, Marine, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard) no matter their status, military spouses, teens, retirees, survivors, DoD civilians, and family members.

 

History of AFAP
Each change originated as an idea that someone decided to pursue. AFAP is a grass roots program that started in 1983 as the brainchild of Army spouses. AFAP creates an information loop between the global Armed Forces Family and senior leadership. It provides the community a "voice" in shaping the standards of living and identifying issues related to the current environment

 

• Leaders trust and support AFAP; real-time information enables commanders to respond more rapidly to resolve problems, implement good ideas
• Senior leader authority and involvement; tasks staff to address issues, monitor their resolution, and publicize to community
• Each change originated as an idea that someone decided to pursue
• 90% of AFAP issues are worked at local levels
• 61% of the active HQDA AFAP issues impact all branches of service
• 683 AFAP issues have resulted in 124 legislative changes
• 179 Army and Office of the Secretary of Defense policy changes
• 195 new or improved programs or services

Some AFAP success stories (from past forums) include:
• Service members' Group Life Insurance increased; $50,000-$400,000
• The Better Opportunity for Single Soldiers/Service Members (BOSS) program
• DoD Reserve Component Family member ID cards
• Solider & Family Readiness Groups (SFRGs) institutionalized
• Established Military Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)
• Guaranteed Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for retirees
• Increased military annual leave carryover from 60 to 75 days
• Distribution of Montgomery GI Bill benefits to dependents
• Medical entitlements for college age dependents
• Military Spouse Unemployment Compensation increased from 8 to 38 states

Contact

JBSA-Fort Sam Houston
(210) 221-2705
Email

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