Air Force permanent change of station moves and bonus pay are being restored by emergency funding after those programs were suspended due to budget problems. In July 2023, the DoD announced a pause in PCS moves for Air Force troops as lawmakers from Colorado and Alabama were reported to have held up supplemental military funding… Read more »
Education benefits are one of the most powerful incentives to join the military. Army Times reports that the GI Bill and individual branches of service versions of student loan repayment plans are benefits viewed almost as important as drawing a regular paycheck. But for some that benefit isn’t being paid as expected. For some members… Read more »
The Department of Veterans Affairs has announced major changes to how it handles disability claims and the appeals of VA decisions denying such claims. You may now file a VA Supplemental Claim online when you need to appeal a VA determination. > Frustrated with your VA disability rating? Register for a free consultation for… Read more »
Update: 7/24/2023: Emergency funding has led the Air Force to resume PCS moves for many after pausing them, and the budget cuts that resulted in the end of special duty pay for selected career fields may no longer be an issue for many. The Air Force announced it received emergency funding for critical programs and… Read more »
Military housing benefits are an important part of the compensation troops and their families are offered in exchange for the sacrifices made through military service. But how is this benefit eroded when those benefits require people to live in substandard, poorly maintained, and even dangerous housing? In 2023, lawmakers pressed the Department of Defense to… Read more »
Update August 16, 2023: The VA deadline to file (or submit an intent to file) for retroactive PACT Act benefits has passed. The deadline was 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, August 14, 2023. Those who filed before that deadline may qualify to have their benefits backdated to August 10, 2022, the day the PACT Act… Read more »
UPDATE 8/29/2023: TRICARE now covers several preconception and prenatal carrier screenings including some mentioned below. These are tests previously offered through the Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) demonstration program. These screenings are now part of the basic TRICARE benefit. In 2013, the Defense Health Agency introduced a pilot program to allow the DoD to provide military… Read more »
The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Trade Commission issue scam warnings occasionally, but it seems rare that such warnings would involve a specific brand. And some of these warnings aren’t aimed at consumers but rather at a company offering services to those consumers. According to an article by the Texas Tribune, that’s exactly… Read more »
The Department of Defense has placed a ‘strategic pause” on the Skillbridge program. DoD Skillbridge is a career transition assistance program for military members in their final six months of military service. Skillbridge, according to the DoD official site, “matches civilian opportunities to your job training and work experience,” but this program is more than… Read more »
Congress is trying to decide if the Department of Veterans Affairs should be allowed to prescribe medical cannabis, psychedelics, and other alternative treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The latest draft of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, approved by the House Armed Services Committee, contains language requiring the DoD to consider clinical trials for psychedelics,… Read more »