In 2025, the Federal Government could stop drug testing new recruits for marijuana, making it easier to join the military as a result. In the past, in addition to broad DoD regulations regarding pot, the various branches of the military, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force, have used service-specific marijuana policy to… Read more »
In late 2023, published reports noted that in the first year of an Air Force marijuana waiver pilot program, waiver requests from potential recruits were three times the anticipated volume. In 2024, the military seems forced to reckon with its older substance policies in light of continued problems filling the ranks with recruits. A sea… Read more »
Update: On March 6, 2024, the House passed multiple spending bills funding certain government agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, for the remainder of the fiscal year. These spending bills moved to the Senate for a vote on Friday, March 8, 2024. The bills passed the Senate and were signed into law by the… Read more »
The Defense Department has expanded a pilot program allowing some military families to renew their military ID cards by mail. A program started in 2023 allowing stateside ID card renewal options for military family members has expanded to include retirees, their dependents, and members of the Reserve to participate. Now, more military families have expanded… Read more »
Are you an active-duty military spouse interested in giving the Defense Department a piece of your mind about military quality of life? 2024 is your year because the Pentagon actively seeks participants for its quality of life survey. Since 1985, military spouses have had the opportunity to speak their minds about military quality of life… Read more »
It’s a simple question. Why does the Department of Defense, a federal agency with an $800 billion-plus budget, have an issue with some of its troops going hungry or having limited access to nutritional food? And no simple answers are forthcoming in 2024. However, according to a government report issued in December, the DoD is… Read more »
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warns that PCS moves and military construction projects may be threatened if lawmakers in the House and Senate can’t agree to a full-year defense budget. The DoD would be nearly $6 billion short if a full-year Pentagon spending bill cannot be agreed to. A Brief History of… Read more »
The 2023 Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA) Open Season is now closed. It ran until December 11, 2023, and after that date, the enrollment period was closed until the same time in the following year. What Is DCFSA Open Season? This is the period of time when you may set up a DCFSA to… Read more »
A military quality of life panel addresses issues impacting military families, including compensation, child care, housing, and health care. Learn more.
The Air Force is going “green” with promotion testing, announcing all Air Force Bases are expected to be ready to switch to an all-digital testing format in early 2024. At press time many overseas bases have issued press releases announcing their readiness for the new testing season, and all bases are expected to administer digital… Read more »