The following case story will unfold over the 2024 Military Family Readiness Academy (MFRA), Economic Readiness and Military Family Well-Being. The case story provides an opportunity to critically examine the services available within the Military Family Readiness System (MFRS) to support a family, like the Howards, experiencing financial instability. This case story also asks providers to examine the skills necessary to support family well-being while navigating the terrain of economic security and financial literacy for military service members and their families. The following is an overview of the case story. Further discussion will be held throughout the MFRA course and webinars.
Meet the Howard Family: 2024 Academy Case Story
Introduction
Joseph Howard
Active Duty Service Member (SM), Army; 30 years old; father.
Margaret Howard
Married to Joseph; civilian military spouse; elementary school teacher, 29 years old; mother.
Maya Lynn Howard
Daughter of Joseph and Margaret; 2-year-old child with developmental disabilities.
Note: The pictures shown are for illustrative purposes only.
The Howard Family's Story
Sergeant Joseph Howard joined the military within two years of graduating high school. Like his older brother, he knew he wanted to serve and enlisted at a young age.
Before joining the military at 19, Joseph worked for a local mechanic. His pay was enough to cover his bills (rent, groceries, utilities, gas), but he did not make enough money to accrue any substantial savings. When he entered the military, he looked forward to the support and financial security that would be associated with his new role.
Joseph met his wife, Margaret, at his first duty station in Texas. They married after she graduated college with a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood education at the age of 24. While Joseph had been integrated into the military for six years before getting married at 25, Margaret was unfamiliar with military life. The unique experiences of being an army spouse, such as deployment, PCSing (Permanent Change of Station), and job/time expectations were new to her.
As the Howards progressed through their relationship and Joseph’s military career, they faced numerous financial challenges.
Shortly after marriage, they purchased a house. From unforeseen car repairs to Margaret’s student loan debt, their credit debt soon increased. With mounting expenses and no significant pay increases coming up for them, they felt overwhelmed by their financial situation – both individually and within their family unit.
As an active duty Service Member, Joseph has taken required financial training. These services enhanced his financial literacy.
Throughout 2020, they were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many professions during that time, Margaret’s employment expectations shifted and she moved to remote schooling. Since she began teaching, she had worried about her contribution to the family finances. Teaching had proven to be a demanding field with relatively low pay and this caused increasing stress for Margaret, compounded by the uncertainty of the impacts of COVID.
Over the last few years, rising prices and inflation have affected their budget. With rising grocery expenses, mounting bills (mortgage, student loan, car payments, vet bills, etc.), and cost of living increases (gas prices, home goods, travel, utilities/bills), they made difficult choices regarding the management and priorities of their finances. One of the expenses they minimized was their grocery bills. They have faced food insecurity as a result of their reduced grocery purchases. During this time, Joseph was losing sleep. This impacted his ability to perform during training and while on duty.
Margaret had also been anxious about her shifting employment. Her school resumed fully in-person teaching in late 2020. Soon after, Margaret became pregnant with their first child, Maya.
In 2021, while Margaret was in the early stages of her pregnancy, her mother became ill, requiring her to become a secondary caregiver. She financially assisted her mother by supporting the payment of medical bills and related traveling expenses. Throughout her pregnancy, Margaret traveled, when she could, to visit her parents and support taking her mom to appointments. This schedule became difficult for her to manage with her job, but she was grateful that her school administration supported her need for a flexible schedule. These events created unexpected financial strain for Joseph and Margaret. Joseph was a massive support for Margaret – and her family – during this time.
Recently, Joseph received PCS orders. Margaret’s mother had been in remission and had not needed as much support from them. Margaret had been back to in-person teaching since the school reopened after lowered COVID restrictions. They had the support of Joseph’s parents and sister (Maya’s aunt) with childcare for baby Maya, who was diagnosed with developmental disabilities and referred to early intervention services by her doctor at that time.
Early intervention professionals provide services (e.g., speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, etc.) for infants and toddlers ages (up to age three) with developmental delays and disabilities and their families. These services are provided in the child’s natural environment (e.g., home, daycare, community, etc.).
Margaret and Joseph also enrolled Maya in the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) when she was diagnosed. The EFMP exists to support the unique needs and challenges related to military service and often faced by military families that include a family member with a disability.
In preparation for the transition to a new duty station, Margaret put in her notice to leave her current elementary school employer. She also coordinated with her local EFMP office and early intervention providers. She requested a warm hand-off to the providers at their new duty station, to help with a smooth transition for Maya at the new duty station. Additionally, Joseph and Margaret put their house up for sale in preparation for their move.
Margaret has not found a new teaching position ahead of their relocation and is currently among the 21% of military spouses who are unemployed. This situation has added to their financial stress and caretaking concerns for their young child, especially during Joseph’s deployments. The move has taken them away from their family’s primary childcare support and made it more challenging to navigate the necessary resources to support Maya’s needs.
Now, Joseph is preparing for deployment. He, Margaret, and Maya, almost 3, have recently settled in the northeast United States. They secured on-base housing and their family is in pre-deployment mode. This Army base is among the most frequently deployed units, so the Howards expected this duty station to be especially demanding of Joseph. Additional changes that have come with this move include adjusting to a new climate that requires cold-weather clothing, problems finding and connecting with community support, and new training requirements for Joseph. Joseph’s deployment will come with a temporary pay increase, which will positively impact the Howard family’s finances.
Margaret is struggling with having moved away from their previous duty station, which was closer to siblings and long-time friends. She is working to transfer her teaching credentials, and thus secure new employment, neither of which have been as simple or timely as she had hoped.
Caring for Maya and navigating her transition from early intervention services to special education services in preparation for Maya turning 3, adds additional layers of complexity to Margaret’s challenges. Margaret and Joseph learned about free respite care services through the family’s TRICARE ECHO health plan from the EFMP team they connected with before their move. They plan to schedule some days when Margaret can run errands while leaving Maya with a qualified caretaker.
Margaret is excited about the possibility of finding employment – and community – at their new location, but needs a bit of support in fully transitioning her credentials. She talked with the EFMP team at their new duty station and scheduled an evaluation for Maya for free special education services to transition from early intervention services for children 3 and younger to school-based special education services. Margaret and Joseph have found a good childcare center for Maya, but she was placed on a waiting list. Margaret has been extremely stressed with being in a new area and Joseph’s impending physical absence.
Margaret is hesitant to talk about the full scope of her stress with Joseph, as she knows he is already worried about being gone. Joseph has been supportive and understanding of Margaret’s unemployment status but can feel Margaret is stressed and that she has been pulling away.
Throughout the 2024 Military Family Readiness Academy, you’ll encounter scenarios pulled from this case story. Let’s work through some ways providers can join across the MFRS to meet this family where they are and to best provide support to the Howard Family.
