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Pentagon Announces Military Quality of Life Reforms

Joe Wallace

The Pentagon has announced a series of proposed new programs and goals to improve military quality of life for service members and families.

These were announced via an official announcement titled “Our Enduring Duty to America’s Service Members and Their Families,” with  Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin describing the initiatives that are part of the “Taking Care of Our People” campaign.

Changes To PCS Funding

Among the changes, one of the most significant is the change in the number of days PCSing troops qualify for during a permanent change of station move.

According to the Pentagon press release on these initiatives, “To ease the burden of moving themselves and their families from one military base to another, the department is working with partners to adjust the number of days associated with both the Temporary Lodging Expense, or TLE, and the Temporary Lodging Allowance, or TLA.”

TLE Authorized for 3 Weeks, TLA 60 Days

The new proposed rules would extend TLE “from 14 days to 21 days for moves within the continental U.S. For moves that originate outside the continental U.S., TLA will be extended to as many as 60 days on the departure side to match the 60 days already authorized on the arrival side.”

TLE and the TLA allow service members and their families to live in temporary lodging or civilian hotels while looking for homes at their new duty station or after they have outprocessed and have moved out of their homes at the losing base.

Other policy changes described in the memorandum and elsewhere online include the following:

• My Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) Expansion: MyCAA is a military spouse scholarship fund created to help those who need professional credentials. The program is expanded to include spouses of service members in the top three enlisted ranks (E-7, E-8, E-9) and warrant officer 3.
• Free Wi-Fi in Barracks: Pilot programs offering free high-speed internet in barracks for junior, single service members may expand across the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force.
• Uniform Allowance and Quality Review: The Pentagon is evaluating the standard issue uniform items to ensure they meet their intended wear life. Additionally, the annual military clothing allowance is under review.
•  Enhanced Health Savings Plan: A proposed new health savings plan, designed to align more closely with civilian options, is also part of these reforms.

• Flexible Spending Accounts: Qualifying active duty troops and reservists may be authorized to use flexible spending accounts to set aside up to $3,200 pretax for qualified medical expenses.
• Improved Quality of Life at Remote Posts: Three remote duty stations go under review in 2025 to see what’s needed to enhance the quality of life there.

These reforms are part of an initiative that started in 2021 to improve the quality of life for military members and their families.

There is, at press time, no specific set of deadlines to accomplish these changes, though some speculate that the military clothing allowance changes could be effective in the summer of 2025.

And there’s also the issue of a defense spending cap approved in a prior year’s spending bill.

According to Yahoo! News, “Due to a deal struck to avoid a government default last year, defense spending is capped at a 1% increase in fiscal 2025. The limit is forcing members of Congress into a bind: renege on the deal or end up having to choose between funding big weapons programs or pay raises.”

At press time, there is no federal defense budget for 2025 in place, and there is talk of a continuing resolution to fund defense operations in the meantime. But under a continuing resolution, there can be no spending on new military programs, only existing ones.