Patriot Center offers one-stop programs shop for Warriors, Families

By Matthew J. Wilson
Ngmo.pao@US.ARMY.MIL

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Taking care of business for Missouri National Guardsmen, retirees and their Families should be a little easier now that the Patriot Center is in place.

Located just inside the gate at the bottom of the hill of Ike Skelton Training Site in the now shared Regional Training Site Maintenance building, the Patriot Center is a collection of offices with Guard programs that were previously spread throughout several different areas.

"This is better for the Families and the retirees because it's one-stop shopping," said Lt. Col. Regina Kilmer, chief of the Family and Warrior Support Division. "You can get a copy of your DD-214, get your I.D. Card made and come talk about your TRICARE benefits."

As part of the Missouri Guard's joint staff personnel directorate reorganization that began in January, the Family and Warrior Support Division is responsible for part of the third leg of the Military Personnel Office, which is caring for the force, and part of the second leg, which is sustaining the force.

"From the Department of Defense level on down to the Missouri National Guard adjutant general, Families are part of the force," Kilmer said. "Families are a priority and that's why we listed them first when we reorganized. The reason for Warriors is because our program is joint, for Missouri Army and Air Guard."

Offices that fall under 'care' within the center include, the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program, Family Program, Youth Program, Transition Assistance Advisor/Benefits Coordinator, Resiliency, I.D. Cards, and Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System.

Under 'sustain', offices include Survivor Outreach Services, Retirement Services, Archives and Veterans Recognition Programs.

"Although there are many more of these 'care for the force' and 'sustain the force' elements up the hill, all of the functions that the public needs - retirees, Families and the general public - they can come down here," Kilmer said. "Before, they were over at the headquarters building."

So far the feedback on the center has been good.

"They are glad they don't need a map anymore to make it to all of their stuff when going through Soldier readiness processing," said Laura Bennett, Yellow Ribbon support specialist.

"I know for the retirees that come here, it's very convenient for them because they can do their retiree paperwork and I.D. cards, and then they can come right over and do their TRICARE," said Kay Calton, a training assistance specialist who works at the center. "So they can do the three most important things for a retiree at one time. When they are in the waiting areas for an I.D. card, they look through the windows and see all the TRICARE stuff so they know who the next person is that they've got to go see."

Calton said her customer numbers have increased by four or five times the number before the move.

"Where I was getting four or five a week, I'm getting now six or seven a day," she said.

'Convenient' and 'accessible' are the words Maj. Gregory Sampson, State Family Program Director, has heard from his customers.

"They are able to multiple things," Sampson said. "When one person is coming in for a Family related action, another person is able to get an I.D. card updated."

1st Sgt. Robert Miller, Veterans Services noncommissioned officer in charge, agreed.

"Before, when we were up the hill, they'd go by retirement services and they'd have to walk all the way on the other side of the building to find the I.D. card place," Miller said. "Here it is all centrally located. We can give them their brief in the conference room and they can walk next door and update their I.D. card for their spouse or Family members."

Not only has the convenience of the center drawn praise, but so have the facilities.

"We had one retiree couple that liked the fact that we are right here just inside the gate at a good location," Miller said. "It's different from before in that we have a little conference room that we can do the briefings in, where it is a little more private."

Other than convenience, there also have been other benefits to the creation of the center.

"It's also good from a sheer production standpoint as it provides a better collaborative environment," Kilmer said. "Yellow Ribbon, Family Benefits and Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves, they are at all of the Soldier Readiness Processing and Yellow Ribbon ceremonies together. The I.D. card folks deploy their machines for the same functions. So there is a lot of synergy, communication and cooperation that occurs because we are all under the same roof."

Miller cited an example within his department.

"We combined our retirement brief so we've got TRICARE involved, so that when we get to the medical part, Kay comes in and introduces herself as the benefits advisor," he said. "So the retirees not only get to know what's going on in the retirement office and who the points of contact are, but if they have any in-depth or specific questions, now they know who the benefits advisor is."

Kilmer said the offices all being together also saves on costs and makes it easier to manage the staff.

"It's easier to make sure we have coverage when people go on temporary duty or weekend events," Kilmer said. "We can more easily make sure we can answer the mail and keep the ball rolling."

The Patriot Center occupies about half of the building it is in.

Over the next 18 months, Regional Training Site Maintenance is scheduled to move to Fort Leonard Wood, which will allow additional room for the center to expand.

By December, Kilmer said, the center should expand by at least one more room that will provide space for the Sexual Assault Response coordinator and the director of Physiological Health. Offering these services at the center among many different programs, versus in the health clinic up the hill should make it easier for anyone who is dealing with a psychological issue or sexual assault to come forward with their problem without stigma, or the fear that others will know of their private concerns, Kilmer said.

"Bringing them out of the clinic and getting them down here in the near-term will be a boon," she said. "You can come down to this building and no one knows whether you are coming to see the Family Program or get an I.D. card."

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please call 1-800-GoGuard or visit www.moguard.com.

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For more information about this release, please contact Matthew J. Wilson at 573-638-9500 EXT. 4853 or e-mail him at matthew.j.wilson4@us.army.mil.