Families of high-school seniors may get to stay in place

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RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  Some Air Force families with a child entering his or her senior year of high school may get to stay longer at their current duty stations thanks to a new policy announced in March.

"In today's environment of deployments and high operations tempo, it's important that we alleviate stress on families wherever we can," said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray. "This initiative is designed to do that."

"This is a policy we think increases the quality of life for Air Force families," said Roger Blanchard, Air Force assistant deputy chief of staff for personnel. "The intent is to decrease turbulence and increase stability for military families.”

The High School Seniors Assignment Deferment Program allows senior master sergeants and below, and officers up through the rank of lieutenant colonel, to apply for a one-year assignment deferment. Back-to-back deferments may be possible, and dual-military couples may also apply.

Even with the changes, officials said the mission comes first and will be the overriding factor in granting deferments.

"Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis," said Col. Kathleen Grabowski, chief of assignment programs and procedures at the Air Force Personnel Center here. "The goal is to approve as many requests as mission needs allow without being unfair, but the reality is that some requests won't be possible due to Air Force needs. We'll work with people as we always have." she said.

To be eligible, the senior in high school must be a dependent of and living with the Airman requesting the deferment, and he or she must be enrolled in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility System, she said.

Officers will need to apply before being put on assignment while enlisted people will not apply until after being matched to an assignment, said Master Sgt. Letty Inabinet, superintendent of assignment procedures. Applications are available from military personnel flights and commander support staffs.

Officials estimate that annually 20 to 25 percent of officers and senior noncommissioned officers have children entering their senior year of high school and perhaps one third of those could be eligible for assignment in a given year, officials said.

"It's a benefit to families if teenagers can attend the senior prom and graduate with their established friends," Mr. Blanchard said.

The policy makes official what was already being done informally whenever possible in the past, said Colonel Grabowski. In some cases assignments teams were already successfully working with Airmen to allow families stability when children were preparing to graduate, she said.

The Air Force Contact Center offers information about this and other personnel programs by calling toll free (800) 616-3775 or online at http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil. (Courtesy of AFPC News Service)