As anyone who has been recommended braces by a dentist knows, orthodontic work can be expensive, particularly when treatment stretches over years. For enrollees in the TRICARE Dental Program (TDP), orthodontic coverage can help with some of those costs, but you should understand its age limits and cost-sharing requirements before beginning treatment. Here’s what you… Read more »
Thousands of military care packages sent from loved ones to military members in combat zones are (at press time) stranded in transit. Military members in hostile fire zones related to the war of choice in Iran are not getting regular mail service, according to multiple sources. As combat operations expand, the Military Postal Service Agency… Read more »
Commissaries are the military’s grocery store. They operate on military bases, selling groceries at cost plus a five percent surcharge, providing service members and military retirees approximately twenty-five percent savings depending on location and other variables. These facilities are administered by the Defense Commissary Agency and are found at military bases around the globe. In… Read more »
Extended deployments connected to the Iran conflict can catch some service members and military families off guard. When orders change unexpectedly, or return dates are unclear, having outdated estate documents or lacking financial preparation makes it harder to manage bills and bank accounts, not to mention important legal decisions back home. Whether you’re deploying alone… Read more »
The Department of Defense manages more than 700,000 buildings at military bases and other facilities globally, with an estimated replacement value of $ 2.6 trillion. Federal auditors have kept defense real property management on their high-risk list since 2003, and, some 23 years later at press time, the Department of Defense faces a $285 billion… Read more »
The Department of Defense is working to better understand brain health and combat. The DoD has expanded career-long cognitive assessments and weapon safety limits under its Warfighter Brain Health initiative to prevent brain injuries from routine blast shockwaves. DoD Brain Health Initiative Studies Effects of Combat According to the Air Force official site, “The Defense… Read more »
Federal agencies, including the Department of Defense and the Military Health System, are deactivating legacy credentials and phasing out long-standing tools like DS Logon. In their place, federal systems require certified identity federation services, such as Login.gov and ID.me, that require multi-factor authentication and identity proofing. DoD and VA Benefits Login Consolidation: Active Portals, Login… Read more »
The VA tests GLP-1 drugs for alcohol use disorder to explore potential treatment benefits for veterans with substance issues.
According to Army.mil, the most recent Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation, or QRMC, “revealed that service members’ compensation is not only competitive with but often better than that of their counterparts in the private sector.” That’s the claim, but what’s the reality? Military Pay Review: Bad News for Military Families? The Fourteenth Quadrennial Review of… Read more »
If you’re a military family member who has never been assigned overseas before, those overseas permanent change of station moves mean adapting to different ways of accessing benefits and care. One of those changes is how you get prescriptions filled under TRICARE outside CONUS. Using TRICARE Pharmacy Benefits Overseas Moving to an overseas military base… Read more »