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In this final report, Insight summarizes findings associated with the National Evaluation of ConnectHome, a collaborative effort of communities, the federal government, and the private sector to bring high-speed internet access to low-income families in HUD-assisted housing. This multipronged evaluation had 3 primary components: a baseline access survey, which assessed the baseline level of internet access among families with children in 22 pilot communities prior to implementing the initiative; a telephone follow-up survey, which assessed how and for what purposes residents used the internet; and case studies of participating communities including 3 focus groups per community to probe further how internet access affected residents’ lives. Results indicate that before receiving ConnectHome services, many residents connected to the internet only through a cell phone data plan and faced data limits that constrained their online activities. ConnectHome expanded the ability of these households to use the internet. After receiving ConnectHome services, residents reported many benefits to increased access, including helping their children do better in school; enhancing connection to family, friends, and community; and making it easier for them to find and apply for employment.
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This summary outlines the findings from the 2016 Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) focus groups. DACOWITS collected qualitative data during visits to 14 installations—representing all four DoD Service branches (Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy) and the Coast Guard—from April to May 2016. During the focus groups held at these sites, the Committee addressed four topics:
Chapters 2–6 list the questions asked for each topic and summarize the responses for each topic.
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The Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) (hereafter referred to as the Committee or DACOWITS) was established in 1951 with a mandate to provide the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) with independent advice and recommendations on matters and policies relating to servicewomen in the Armed Forces of the United States. Individual members of the Committee are appointed by the SECDEF and serve in a voluntary capacity for one- to four-year terms.
It has been the Committee’s approach since 2010 to divide its work into two areas of focus: Assignments and Wellness. The Committee selected topics for study under each area of focus, and gathered both primary and secondary sources of information: briefings and written respons- es from DoD, Service-level military representatives, and subject matter experts (SMEs); data collected from focus groups and interactions with Service members during installation visits; and literature reviews. These sources of information, along with information DACOWITS gained through studying some of these topics in previous years, formed the basis—or reasoning—for the Committee’s recommendations.
The Committee voted on recommendations during its September 2015 business meeting and approved this annual report at its December 2015 business meeting.
Download The Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) (hereafter referred to as the Committee or DACOWITS) was established in 1951 with a mandate to provide the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) with independent advice and recommendations on matters and policies relating to servicewomen in the Armed Forces of the United States. Individual members of the Committee are appointed by the SECDEF and serve in a voluntary capacity for one- to four-year terms.
It has been the Committee’s approach since 2010 to divide its work into two areas of focus: Assignments and Wellness. The Committee selected topics for study under each area of focus, and gathered both primary and secondary sources of information: briefings and written respons- es from DoD, Service-level military representatives, and subject matter experts (SMEs); data collected from focus groups and interactions with Service members during installation visits; and literature reviews. These sources of information, along with information DACOWITS gained through studying some of these topics in previous years, formed the basis—or reasoning—for the Committee’s recommendations.
The Committee voted on recommendations during its September 2015 business meeting and approved this annual report at its December 2015 business meeting.
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The Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS), hereafter referred to as “the Committee” or “DACOWITS,” was established in 1951 with a mandate to provide the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) with independent advice and recommendations on matters and policies relating to service- women in the Armed Forces of the United States. Individual members of the Committee are appointed by the SECDEF and serve in a voluntary capacity for one- to four-year terms.
It has been the Committee’s approach since 2010, and again in 2014, to divide work into two areas of focus: Wellness and Assignments. The Committee selected speci c topics for study under each area of focus, and gathered both primary and secondary sources of information, including brie ngs from DoD and Service-level military representatives and subject matter experts (SMEs); data and other informa- tion collected from focus groups and interactions with Service members during installation visits; and literature reviews. These sources of information formed the basis for the Committee’s recommendations and reasoning.
The Committee voted on recommendations during its September 2014 business meeting and approved this annual report at its December 2014 business meeting.
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This is the fourth and final Annual Report of the Department of Defense (DoD) Recovering Warrior Task Force (RWTF), which was established at Congress’ behest to examine the effectiveness of military Recovering Warrior (henceforth Recovering Warriors, or RWs) policies and programs and to recommend improvements.1 Congress specified more than a dozen RW matters that RWTF was to study each year; although these matters focused primarily on RW needs and resources prior to signing a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty form (known as the DD2142), Congress also charged RWTF to address RWs’ transition to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and civilian status. Drawing upon a comprehensive research plan encompassing a wide variety of data sources and collection methods (see Appendix D, Methodology), RWTF produced a total of 77 recommendations in its first three years of effort. These recommendations can be found in RWTF’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, FY2012, and FY2013 Annual Reports, which are available at http://rwtf.defense.gov/. The present FY2014 Annual Report makes 10 recommendations, for a total of 87 RWTF recommendations over four years of operation.
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