Unemployment eligibility rules vary by state.  You generally must have worked for an employer which paid into Unemployment.  In all states you must be able to work, and must show that you are actively seeking employment.  Other factors that are considered are the reason that you are unemployed - if you were fired for stealing, you will likely not be eligible. If you were laid off, you may be eligible. In some states, leaving a job to join your military spouse makes you eligible. You will make your application to the state(s) in which you most recently worked.

There are different types of employment on Goodfellow Air Force Base.

• Services Division Non-Appropriated Funds job vacancies and applications are taken at the Human Resource Office, Bldg 3303 on base.
• Most of the civil service (Appropriated Funds) jobs are Air Force - a few are Army, Navy and Marines.  All job vacancies and applications are online.
• Job vacancies and applications for the Defense Commissary Agency are online.
• Job vacancies and applications for AAFES (includes Base Exchange, Food Court, and Burger King) are online.
• For more information about application procedures for online jobs, please refer to the Federal Employment webpage.
• There are many contractors on base - cleaners, food service, grounds maintenance, construction, and more.  Applications for these positions are taken at their off-base offices.

Many employers post job vacancies at the Texas Workforce webpage.  Individuals may register and search for jobs here for free.

Many local employers use a temp-to-hire method for hiring new employees.  New employees are recruited through a hiring agency, and are offered permanent employment only if/when temporary employment is successful. Go to the Employment Agencies webpage for a complete listing.

Every state, and Washington D.C. and territories, offers web-based job search, as well as offices with employment counselors. Job seekers may register, post or build a resume, and search for job vacancies.  Go to the State Emp. Offices (50 States) webpage for complete listing.  Department of Defense personnel may also obtain employment assistance at the family center at any military installation.

There are many free, web-based tutorial programs.  There is good information, word lists, and sample resumes at the Resume Writing webpage.  Most Department of Defense family centers offer a Resume Writing class, as do state employment agencies.  Books and resources are available for DoD personnel in the Resource Room of Bldg 145.

There are several different types of military spouse employment preferences.  For all, there must be a job that is vacant (jobs are not created for military spouses) and the spouse must meet all the job requirements.  If the spouse meets the military spouse preference criteria, his/her application for the vacant job will be considered prior to someone who has no preference (please note that veterans preference, priority placement preference, etc are higher than spouse preference).  For Appropriated Fund jobs, the spouse must have been a civil service employee at another installation to be eligible - contact the Civilian Personnel Office. For Non-Appropriated Fund positions, submit a copy of the military member's orders with the employment application.  More details are available at Military Spouse Preference webpage.

The Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal may be awarded to military members who perform outstanding volunteer community service of a sustained, direct, and consequential nature.  It is generally not awarded more than once per tour of duty.  This award is processed through the Military Personnel Flight; approval authority is delegated to commanders authorized to award their Service Achievement Medal.  For guidance and sample format, please see the Volunteer Recognition page of this website.

For Goodfellow AFB personnel with an e-mail account, Postmaster notices often announce volunteer opportunities which are usually a one-time event.  For longer-term opportunities, non-profit organizations are always in need of volunteers, and most for-profit businesses gladly welcome extra help.  For a good list of organizations which are looking for volunteers Click Here.  For more assistance with locating a volunteer opportunity, please make an appointment via the Home Page.

The Air Force Aid Society generally pays childcare for active-duty Air Force family members who are volunteering on-base.  The paid childcare will be in a Family Child Care Home, not in the daycare center.  For a listing of homes, and the required Childcare for Volunteers paperwork, please make an appointment via the Home Page.

The first step I would recommend for you is to schedule and attend a pre-separation briefing at the Airman and Family Readiness Flight.  During the pre-separation briefing, you will receive information on benefits available to you at the time of separation, information on researching the civilian job market, options on furthering your education, helpful hints on preparing yourself for future employment, and much more.  From your pre-separation counseling, you will have the basic tools to determine your best course of action.  However, if you need future assistance, we will be standing-by to support you through the entire process for determining your future.

The pre-separation counseling is the only part of the TAP program that is mandatory.  Additionally, the pre-separation must be accomplished not-later-than 90 days prior to the member's retirement/separation.  The 3-day TAP seminar is not mandated, but is highly recommended for the member and the spouse.   

 During preseparation counseling, you will learn about your benefits, rights, and services that are available. You will be introduced to the DD Form 2648, "Preseparation Counseling Checklist" and assisted in its completion. The checklist helps you identify your needs and develop a personal plan for securing the assistance to meet those needs.

The Goodfellow Airman and Family Readiness Center transition services include:

• Individual counseling and assistance
• Job search libraries
• Access to job listings
• Automated tools for preparing resumes, cover letters, and federal job applications
• Assistance in preparing resumes and cover letters
• Assistance in preparing for interviews

The Service Members Civil Relief Act provides a number of significant protections to service members.  Two of the most used protections include: the reduction of interest to 6 % on pre-service loans and obligations and the termination of automobile leases when all criteria are met. For more information about the SMCRA, contact the Goodfellow Legal Office at 325-654-3203.

Go to www.annualcreditreport.com.  You can order one free report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies once a year. 

The easiest way to enroll is through MyPay.  After you enroll, TSP will send you a PIN.  You can then log into the the TSP website to designate the investments you wish to make.  A financial counselor at the Airman and Family Readiness Flight can help you with enrollment or provide information on investment options.

Assistance is given to help solve a problem in order to allow our military members to focus on the Mission.  Emergency assistance may include, but is not limited to the following:  funeral expenses for immediate family members, medical expenses not fully covered by TRICARE, dental expenses, food, rent, utilities - to avoid privation, emergency travel situations, car repairs, and certain other expenses in emergency situations.  The Airman and Family Readiness Flight provides support to personnel from all branches of the Department of Defense in their time of need.

The Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund (FEEA) is the only non-profit organization devoted solely to helping civilian federal and postal employees.  FEEA offers scholarships and emergency financial assistance to civilian federal and postal employees and their qualifying family members.  For more information on FEEA, visit their website at http://www.feea.org/

BAH Waivers requests are authorized for both active duty and ARC members for Permanent Change of Station (PCS) at the dependent rate based on training for 12 months or less in the following categories:
      Professional Military Training (PME)
      Technical Training
      Career Education

Members requesting a BAH Waiver request must include the following paperwork in the packet:
      - Letter request BAH Waiver
      - Copy of PCS orders
      - Letter with scheduled class dates/class course number
      - Letter from TMO verifying household goods were not shipped
      - Letter from Finance verifying single rate entitlements paid on travel voucher

As part of the 2007 Talent-Nelson amendment to the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act, the Department of Defense defined regulations that limit the impact of specific high cost predatory loans.  The final regulation was released August 31, 2007 and will be in effect beginning October 1, 2007.

The final rule regulates the terms of payday loans, vehicle title loans and tax refund anticipation loans when extended to active duty Service members and their families.  These three products have high interest rates, coupled with short payback terms. 

The rule limits the annual percentage rate on these loans to 36 percent.  All fees and charges, with few exceptions, are included in the calculation of the rate.  The rule also prohibits contracts requiring the use of a check or access to a bank account, mandatory arbitration, and unreasonable/onerous legal notice.        

Any credit agreement subject to the regulation that fails to comply with this regulation is void from inception.  The rule further provides that a creditor or assignee that knowingly violates the regulation shall be subject to certain criminal penalties.

Our legal assistance officer and financial counselors told us that predatory lending practices have continually had a negative affect on the financial well-being of servicemembers and their families.  We have heard from commanders and senior NCOs that our effort to educate servicemembers to stay away from these products has not been enough.

For many years the DoD has sought to support financial well-being by providing education and counseling and by advocating financial institutions that provide alternatives, but we've found that there is only a narrow window of opportunity to inform and convince our young families of what is a beneficial financial product, particularly when they receive many messages to the contrary. 

The law and regulation keep the most overtly problematic credit products at bay.  Unfortunately, there is still plenty of opportunity for Service members and their families to get into financial difficulty.  Installment loans, credit cards, courtesy overdrafts, and so forth, can be both helpful and a hindrance, depending on how they are used.  The bottom line is servicemembers and their families can only get ahead if they choose to manage their finances wisely and only assume debt that can be accommodated in their family budgets.

We believe these new laws and regulations will give us a better chance to influence servicemembers and their families to manage their finances, and in the event of finding themselves in financial trouble, to avoid very high cost credit to cover a bad financial situation.

The final rule envelops active duty servicemembers and their families.  The regulation covers payday loans, vehicle title loans and tax refund anticipation loans.

Payday loans are short term and have significant fees - around $17 per hundred dollars borrowed.  What makes these loans difficult for cash-strapped military families is that the entire amount is due on the next payday.  If they are short on cash the previous pay period, more than likely they will have difficulty making ends meet and pay back entire loan.  They may attempt to get another loan to pay off their growing debt.  This creates a cycle of debt.

Vehicle title loans are also short term, have significant fees, and risk the family's most important asset - their car.  These loans are usually for 30 days and can create a similar cycle of debt. 

Tax refund anticipation loans only happen at tax time and are paid for with money that is not part of the family budget - hence these loans do not create a cycle of debt.  Instead, refund anticipation loans amount to a costly loan for little apparent benefit.  These loans allow the borrower to receive a tax refund about 7 to 14 days earlier, at a cost of approximately $40 - $100, depending on the size of the return.  Although some may use the additional 7 - 14 days to pay off bills, most want the quicker return just to have the money in hand. 

The most significant protection extended to active duty servicemembers and their families is a cap of 36 percent on the annual percentage rate charged for credit products covered by the regulation.  This annual percentage rate can easily be triple- digit for payday, vehicle title and refund anticipation loans.

In addition, the annual percentage rate authorized in the regulation, referred to as the "military annual percentage rate" includes all fees and charges known at the time the loan is made.  This prohibits the possibility of charging origination fees, administrative fees, membership fees and a like to avoid the cap and continue to charge high rates for these short term loans.

The creditor is responsible for informing the borrower of the military annual percentage rate both in writing and orally, which is a change from the normal disclosures provided to a borrower.  The creditor is also responsible for informing the military borrower that they should seek other options to include financial counseling and assistance from the Military Aid Societies.

The regulation also prohibits mandatory arbitration, waiving servicemembers' Civil Relief Act rights, and onerous legal notice as a result of taking one of these loans.

The DoD has no intention of becoming a regulatory body that enforces the rule.  We have already received the assurance of the federal regulators that they will overseer the institutions they regulate.  Most of the providers of payday and car title loans are regulated by state agencies. 

We have been in contact with the state-level agencies responsible for overseeing these companies, and we have received assurance from many of them that they will enforce the restrictions imposed by the proposed regulation. 

We will also be working with the national associations that represent these administrators to see if there are other actions that can be taken.

Any credit agreement subject to the regulation that does not comply with this regulation is void from the start.  The rule goes further by saying that a creditor that knowingly violates the regulation will be subject to criminal penalties. 

Our hope is that creditors will be very hesitant to offer payday loans, vehicle title loans and refund anticipation loans to covered borrowers.

Because of the heavy penalties associated with noncompliance, the regulation allows the creditor to use a declaration signed by the borrower to determine whether the borrower is covered by the rules or not.  It is very important that borrowers remember they must be truthful in signing this declaration since it is a criminal offense to lie on a credit application. 

The regulation also allows the creditor to check on the status of an individual if the creditor has some concern about the truthfulness of the borrower.  We understand that some desperate borrowers may believe they have no other choice but to obtain a payday loan and will attempt to do so.  The regulation is set in place to direct Service members and their families to more productive sources of assistance.

Yes, we do.  The new rule  provides a clear firewall for creditors and equally important, servicemembers and their families to see what are considered to be harmful practices. 

As I mentioned, the regulation carries significant penalties for transgressors, which we hope may represent the importance of the issue.  We also hope that the regulation will act as a warning sign for Servicemembers to see that they need to pay close attention to their financial well being and act prudently with their financial resources. 

Yes.  Military Relief Societies and several banks and credit unions associated with the military provide low cost alternative loans.

Our intent is to support a movement towards these practices and to encourage local military leadership to work with their installation financial institutions to make these kinds of ‘work-out' loans more readily available and to help Service members to use these opportunities to turn their financial situation around. 

The Defense Department strongly encourages servicemembers and their families to choose alternatives which offer products designed to help them resolve their financial crises, rebuild their credit rating and establish savings instead of using payday loans, vehicle title loans and tax refund anticipation loans which can propel someone already overextended into a deeper spiral of debt.

Three main things are being done.  First, the Defense Department is stressing all servicemembers should have an emergency savings fund available for emergencies.  Our Service members are skilled planners - we want them to be equally adept at personal financial planning.  This includes setting aside a portion of their pay to cover emergency expenses.  Life happens.  Cars break down, house-hold appliances need replacing, and so on.  We want our Service members and their families to be financially prepared for situations like these - $500 in savings can take care of most "emergencies."  This is one of the core messages of our "Military Saves Campaign." 

Second, the Military Aid Societies, who are champion advocates against predatory lending, continue to provide grants and no interest loans to servicemembers in need.

Third, the Federal Direct Insurance Corporation has joined with us in advocating that banks and credit unions develop small low-interest loans for servicemembers and their families in case they are caught in a financial bind.  Currently there are financial institutions on about 51 installations providing these types of loans.

A review of on-base financial institutions surfaced programs on 51 military installations in the U.S. providing alternative small loan products designed to help service members and their families to recover from their financial problems.

These financial institutions supplement the emergency funding made available by the non-profit Military Aid Societies that provide grants and no-interest loans to needy servicemembers and families.

Financial counseling and education are often pre-requisites for the short term loans and some institutions have attached a requirement to develop savings as part of the loan.

Financial management courses and personalized support from financial management specialists - often known by their initials, "PFMs" - are available at military installations.  In the Army, these services are located at the Army Community Service Office; in the Navy and Marine Corps, you'll find these services and experts at the Fleet and Family Support Office; and in the Air Force, they are located at the Airman and Family Readiness Center. 

Military OneSOURCE offers free, confidential financial planners and counselors avail able toll-free 24/7 at (800) 342-9647.

Military HOMEFRONT  (http://www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil/), the official Department of Defense Web site for reliable quality of life information to help servicemembers and their families, leaders and service providers -- see the ‘Personal Finance' section.

Banks and credit unions located on military installations are excellent resources.  They provide financial management education in addition to providing lending services.

The magazine, Military Money, published four times a year, is available without charge and is distributed via the Defense Commissary system.  This is great resource.

Each of the Service aid societies assist servicemembers and their families through counseling, grants, loans and a number of other services, to include referral to outside agencies.