Taking care of a soldier

Being a platoon leader didn't get any easier this week, but I did have the satisfaction of helping of my guys out.

He's in a tough spot -- his wife (also a servicemember) is having a difficult pregnancy. The diagnosis for the baby is that it will 1.) have Down Syndrome, and 2.) require heart surgery immediately after birth to correct an incomplete ventrical wall.

For the last month and a half of the pregnancy his wife will be down in San Antonio, but because (as a dual-military couple) he's neither her sponsor nor her dependent, he's not listed on her orders to go with. Though it's "highly recommended" that he be there, it wasn't clear what we could do to make that happen.

With a lot of phone calls and face-to-face consulations, I came up with several options, each with its pros and cons:

1. Permissive TDY can be done without a bunch of paperwork, but it can only last 10 days before it has to be renewed, and it won't take care of his extra expenses while he's there.
2. Paternity leave is 10 days, but that's only once the baby is born.
3. He's got about 40 days of ordinary leave available, but he wants to keep that for future surgeries (which seem likely).
4. There's "compassionate reassignment," but that takes time, and is more of a long-term solution. Plus, it doesn't address the issue of who's going to take care of her next week.
5. Finally, there's "non-medical attendant." Though it uses up ordinary leave and requires approval by a case manager, it would provide him with a food and lodging per diem, and in most situations is financed by Tricare. When put together with lodging the Fisher House (free accomodations near the hospital), it can take care of him for quite a while.

So the commander is mulling over the right mix of stuff to square him away, and in the mean time it looks like his case will be approved.