Every year Congress passes a defense policy bill that easily exceeds 1,000 pages. The Defense Department is legally required to follow through on the provisions Congress sets into law.

But sometimes things fall through the cracks and Defense Undersecretary for Personnel and Readiness Robert Wilkie was upset to find a program that would help military families not getting the attention it needs.

“I was shocked there were so many major programs directed by [Senate Armed Services Chairman] John McCain (R-Ariz.) and [House Armed Services Committee Chairman] Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and the chairmen that preceded them that had not been worked. I went all the way back to the 2010 defense authorization act and found the major program in that legislation that had gone by the wayside was the Exceptional Family Member Program,” Wilkie told Federal News Radio.

The Exceptional Family Member Program Resources, Options and Consultations got an upgrade on May 31, under Wilkie’s watch.

The program is designed to support the 135,000 military families with special needs members by scheduling appointments 24/7, connecting families with health and insurance professionals and setting up a medical support system for families before a change of station.

The program has a special place in Wilkie’s heart.

“I was one of those children. Back in the 1960s my father was a young officer and Walter Reed [Hosptial] gave me about five years to live,” Wilkie said. He was diagnosed with a serious heart condition.

“There was no program at the time for military children in my condition,” Wilkie said. But through friends, family and professionals who cared Wilkie’s support system was able to cobble together a program that got him better.

“They had to jump through a lot of hoops,” Wilkie said. His family had friends who pulled strings to make sure Wilkie’s father, only a captain, had central air conditioning in his house on base to keep Wilkie in the environment he needed. When Wilkie’s father transferred to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, his family was lucky enough to have connections to get Wilkie into Duke University Hospital.

Wilkie obviously overcame his condition and is now nominated to be the new Veterans Affairs secretary.

He now wants to make sure other children have that chance too without needing connections or relying on the kindness of people.

“The way [Defense Secretary] Mattis views it. It is not strictly a health issue or a family well-being issue, but it is one of readiness and retention. In my Dad’s day less than 8 percent or 9 percent of the troops had families. Today it’s over 70 percent. If the family is not happy the warrior walks and we do have a duty to these volunteers to take care of them and take care of their children,” Wilkie said.

The program covers not only medical needs, but mental health care needs like autism too.

Read more of the DoD Personnel Report.

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