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Army Needs Better Data To Develop Policies for Sole and Inservice Parents

FPCD-82-50 Published: Sep 13, 1982. Publicly Released: Sep 13, 1982.
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Highlights

As a result of congressional concern, GAO conducted a review of military policies for sole and inservice parents and the affect of such parents on the Army's ability to meet its mission. GAO tried to determine whether the Army has a valid basis for making policy decisions regarding sole and inservice parents.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Army The Secretary of the Army should forego discharging all sole and inservice parents from the Army or assigning them to positions coded as nondeployable until scientific and objective data supporting these actions are obtained. This data should compare the performance of sole and inservice parents with their peers in the service and individuals who likely would be recruited as replacements.
Closed – Not Implemented
The Army believes that this recommendation is unnecessary since it has no plans to take class action against such members. The Army says it will continue to discharge or separate those who are unable to perform their prescribed duties due to parenthood on a case-by-case basis.
Department of the Army The Secretary of the Army should develop the data necessary to reconsider the reasonableness of restricting the enlistment of sole and inservice parents.
Closed – Not Implemented
The Army does not concur with this recommendation because only deployability is at issue, not quality. The Army's position is that it is both inequitable and unsupportable to declare a certain category of people nondeployable.
Department of the Army The Secretary of the Army should clarify the definitions of sole and inservice parents.
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Army The Secretary of the Army should enforce the Dependent Care Counseling Program's regulations and verify data on persons assuming responsibilities for dependents during sole and inservice parents' absences for military reasons.
Closed – Not Implemented
The Army stated that it is designing a more simple plan to ensure that the service members understand his or her responsibility to his family and to the Army.

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Topics

Child care programsCombat readinessMilitary dependentsMilitary enlistmentMilitary personnelMilitary policiesPersonnel managementSingle parentsSocial sciences researchMilitary forces