If your loved one is injured or becomes ill, he or she will most likely be treated at a major military or VA medical center that may not be located near your home. For example, many severely wounded warriors are sent to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the Washington, DC metro area. Therefore, you will need to make travel and housing arrangements for long-distance visits to such medical facilities.

The good news is that The Fisher Foundation (http://fisherhouse.org), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, has established 38 Fisher Houses - 37 in the U.S. and one in Germany - at all major military medical centers as temporary residences or “comfort homes” for family members who must travel long distances to visit their loved ones who are being treated at the medical facilities.

Each year over 10,000 families are served by the Fisher House program. Here's what you need to know:

• You will be able to join your spouse depending on the amount of time required for healing or rehabilitation.

• The typical Fisher House is a 5,000- to 16,000-square foot building with 16 suites that can accommodate 16 to 42 family members. It includes laundry and kitchen facilities as well as spacious dining and living room facilities, with a library and play area for children.

• Family members stay at a Fisher House free of charge because the Fisher House Foundation is funded by donations, which are used to reimburse the individual Fisher Houses operated by the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

• The Fisher House Foundation also helps with the cost of flights, which are primarily donated frequent flyer miles.

• Your spouse may also stay at a Fisher House if the injury or illness requires time for recovery, rehabilitation, or frequent treatment.