The military flagship spouse and family support tool is planning to roll-out a new look and easier to navigate framework August 1.
Military OneSource has long been advertised by military spouse and family policy officials as the go-to destination for every single thing a military family could possibly need. For example, not only is it the place to get free counseling or employment help, but when I first joined the military fold back in 2008, I was told I could use OneSource for handy things like dryer repair help. Yes, dryer repair.
But that’s exactly what has made the Military OneSource tool so difficult to use – it contains way, way too much that was not military specific. It is also really hard to navigate and not mobile friendly.
Now as of August 1, officials said, that is all going away.
We first told you about this update back in May when Rosemary Williams, the deputy secretary of defense for military family policy, announced it at the Military Spouse of the Year awards town hall.
Williams said the site would be reorganized to have everything under just six areas instead of 23, making it easier to find what you need. They also planned to eliminate articles that were not specific to military life (think: dryer repair) – whittling down the whole thing from 1,500 articles to about 600, she said. And they planned to make the site easier to use on mobile.
We’ll let you know after August 1 how we think the new site stacks up (we know a thing or two about good web navigation – and how hard it is to achieve when you have a ton of information to offer). But for now stay-tuned for the rollout.
And officials, of course, still want you to call the OneSource number if you really need assistance. "If you get in a pickle, call this number," she said. "If you have a pulse, call this number,” Williams said in May.
Free counseling (both in person and on the phone), free career guidance and free employment help are all just there for the taking. And regardless of what you think of OneSource site, those services can be some very handy tools for military spouses. The number is: 800-342-9647.
