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What Happens if Congress Fails the Military and Forces a Government Shutdown?

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On September 19, 2023, Stars and Stripes reported on a Pentagon statement about a potential government shutdown if the House and Senate cannot reach a deal to approve more money for the federal government by the September 30 deadline when the current fiscal year’s federal funding runs out.“ The U.S. military will keep active-duty troops and a limited number of civilian defense employees at their posts during a federal government shutdown,” Stripes.com reported, adding that troops may have to go without pay until lawmakers reach a deal to end such a shutdown. Learn more.

Army Pauses Reenlistment Bonus Program

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There’s good news and bad news. The good news (for the DoD) is that the United States Army met its retention goals for fiscal year 2023. The bad news? Meeting that goal means the Army has no incentive (for now) to continue offering reenlistment bonuses. It has temporarily paused the program. What is the U.S. Army… Read more »

Navy Offers Alternative Camp Lejeune Contaminated Water Compensation

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Some veterans and family members affected by the Camp Lejeune contaminated water scandal have an alternative way to collect the compensation they are due from the federal government for exposure to contaminated water at the North Carolina Marine Corps base. The passage of the PACT Act created opportunities for veterans and family members to submit… Read more »

Department of Veterans Affairs Admits More Claims Processing Issues

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If you tried to add or remove dependents from your VA records since 2011, you may need to contact the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure your updates were actually recorded in the system. VA Admits Problems With Updating Dependents In Its System The VA has issued another apology for failure to process claims. This… Read more »

VA Improves Benefits Notifications For Visually Impaired Veterans

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The Department of Veterans Affairs system is designed for veterans to submit claims for benefits, have those claims reviewed and approved (or denied), and the VA has a standardized notification process for those decisions. The notification phase of the process typically includes the physical mailing of on-paper VA benefits “decision letters” announcing the application was… Read more »

TRICARE Adds Laboratory Developed Tests to Benefits

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In the summer of 2023, the Defense Health Agency (DHA) announced an extension of a 2013 pilot program allowing the DoD to provide military members and their families with certain healthcare testing that fell outside FDA regulatory procedures. TRICARE has since made its own announcement, adding coverage for some testing previously offered in the pilot program.

New Army Suicide Prevention Plan Criticized For Lack Of Guidance

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Update: September 5 2023 The United States Army updated its suicide prevention policy on 1 September 2023 to include congressionally-mandated mental health rules permitting soldiers to request mental health care for any reason. This means the Army is finally in compliance with the Brandon Act of 2021. What follows is preserved here for archival purposes…. Read more »

Important VA Healthcare Deadline For Post 9/11 Care Passes

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UPDATE: November 28, 2023 The Department of Veterans Affairs reminded qualifying veterans about an important deadline–September 30, 2023, which was the final day for vets who deployed to a combat zone after 9/11 but never enrolled in VA healthcare to apply for VA healthcare benefits. Veterans who left active duty between September 11, 2001, and… Read more »

Policy Fight Could Force Federal Government Shutdown

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The federal government has until September 30, 2023, to reach an agreement on stopgap funding for the federal government or risk a federal government shutdown this fall. The problem? Members of an organization within the House of Representatives called the House Freedom Caucus refuse to commit to any deal that falls short of its demands… Read more »