The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is actively investigating the health effects of exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of manufactured chemicals used in numerous products, including those used by the military to fight fires. In the fall of 2024, the VA began an assessment “to determine if there is a relationship… Read more »
TRICARE has announced open season for 2024. According to the TRICARE official site, open season is your opportunity to make changes to your health plan for the coming year without a qualifying life event or QLE. In 2025, new TRICARE regional contracts in the U.S. will affect TRICARE beneficiaries there, so participating in this open… Read more »
From November 1, 2024, to February 28, 2025, those serving on active duty and their family members, members of the National Guard, and those in the Reserve will pay less for TRICARE Dental Program premiums. The TRICARE Dental Program (TDP) is a voluntary option administered by United Concordia. The new rates affect overseas and stateside… Read more »
Every fall, there is a window of eligibility for TRICARE enrollees to start or change plans without a “qualifying life event.” This is called the TRICARE Open Season, which begins on November 11, 2024. It coincides with similar windows of opportunity under FEDVIP for federal benefits and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account open seasons. Fall… Read more »
The U.S. Army announced a change in policy in October 2024 that benefits soldiers on real-world deployments. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth announced a higher compensation rate for soldiers deployed for more than 60 days. Qualifying troops now earn $240 more per month in Operational Deployment Pay. Who Qualifies for Army Operational Deployment Pay? Those deployed… Read more »
Permanent change-of-station moves require military families to pack up their homes and move to a new base and neighborhood. Once the family gets to the new assignment, the process of finding essential services, including military-friendly childcare, begins. The childcare aspect can be challenging for incoming families, but the Department of Defense launched a pilot program… Read more »
Military paychecks were potentially due to stop coming in October because of lawmakers’ inability to find a solution to fund the federal government, but that has been delayed for now. Under a stopgap funding measure passed in the last full week of September 2024, the government will stay open for a while longer. The House… Read more »
Changes to Navy housing allowance policy now add flexibility for sailors who may want choose to collect BAH based where their family lives. Learn more.
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… Read more »
In 2025, the federal government is having no better luck passing a defense budget than it did the year before. In a letter to Congress, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned that passing a temporary spending bill instead of the full 2025 budget would severely harm the Defense Department. The potential fallout from resorting to a… Read more »