MILITARY FUNERAL HONOR PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Military Funeral Honors Program Coordinator

Performs program development and the coordination of functions for the Military Funeral Honors Program (MFHP), which provides military funeral honor ceremonies for service members and veterans. The position serves as an agency coordinator for the statewide MFHP in promotion and coordination of the program through the education of the State's National Guard, active component, veteran's service organizations, and other Veteran's advocacy groups. Develops, implements, interprets, and publishes SOPs, policies, operating regulations, and procedures. Plans, develops, schedules, and makes recommendations for changes to MFHP. Responsible for creating a cooperative network of agencies, organizations, and individuals whose interactions can lead to an improved MFHP. Develops, manages, and coordinates MFHP training for the state. Is responsible for maintaining the documentation and recording the certifications into the various NGB required systems. Recruits, organizes, and trains National Guardsmen from within the Guard communities to render Military Funeral Honors in a professional and dignified manner. The Military Funeral Honors Manager coordinates with NGB and the Regional Casualty Assistance Coordinator (CAC) for assistance and support in the conducting of training for the Military Funeral Honors/Casualty Assistance Programs in support of the State's Program. Serves as the primary point of contact, coordinator, and advisor for questions regarding Military Funeral Honors and/or Casualty Assistance. Receives request for Honor Guard support, verifies eligibility, and assigns appropriate Funeral Honors Staff to perform the ceremony. Provides advisory services to family members of deceased military members (current and former), and serves as a liaison between the family, funeral directors, veterans services organizations, Veterans Affairs offices, National Guard Bureau (NGB), Regional CAC, and other military services. Provides assistance to the family members by advising them of the deceased member's entitlements and provides information or assistance with filling out any required forms. Maintains files and libraries of current funeral/casualty assistance material including policies, procedures, and guidance from Department of Defense (DoD), NGB, Regional CAC, and the Veterans Administration. Coordinates with the Regional CAC, funeral home, Honor Guard Teams, supporting military units, and each Casualty Assistance Officer/Casualty Notification Officer (CAO/CNO) to ensure all requests for funerals and casualty assistance are supported. The Military Funeral Honors Program Coordinator (MFHPC) also interacts with the community by providing briefings on the capabilities of the program, eligibility requirements, and procedures to receive Honors, as well as the training for Military Funeral Honors. The MFHPC works with various community Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) to provide certification for their Honor Guard Teams. Also works to develop a cooperative network of organizations and individuals whose interaction can lead a network of professional honor guard teams in all regions of the state. MFHPC is responsible for consolidation of Military Funeral Honor's expense information used to make estimates for the program's annual operating budget. MFHPC participates in the establishment and control of fiscal programs necessary to ensure compliance with applicable state funding rules and regulations. MFHPC sets up controls to monitor expenses during the year and recommends budget adjustments including restructuring budget allocations to deal with changing situations and changes in the availability of funds. Maintains and transfers funds between several unrelated appropriated fund accounts. Serves as the program manager for travel orders, ensuring availability of funds, proper lines of accounting, reviewing orders for appropriate expenditures, and reviewing vouchers prior to submission to travel section for payment of travel claims. Reconciles un-liquidated obligations to maximize funds utilization and may serve on the Program Budget Advisory Committee (PBAC). May direct the daily activities of a small staff assigned to assist in carrying out the operations of the state program. Assures the effective and efficient administration of activities supervised. Plans work to be accomplished by the team, responsible for setting and adjusting short term priorities. Assigns work to team members based on their capabilities. Provides input to the supervisor on performance evaluations. Advises, counsels, or instructs new employees on both work and administrative matters. May participate in interviewing candidates for vacant positions and recommends selections, evaluates and enacts minor disciplinary measures, identifies training needs of employees and assures the conduct of such training, and develops performance standards. Serves as representative at conferences and meetings for MFHP. Performs other duties as assigned