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Military Benefits

TRICARE Changes Scheduled For 2025

TRICARE has announced new healthcare provider contracts and expanded services, all scheduled to take effect in 2025. There are several changes with those contracts that TRICARE officials believe will bring improvements, such as more flexibility for in-network care, more telemedicine options, and improved care transfers during PCS moves. Some of these changes were meant to… Read more »

VA Weighs Accelerated PACT Act Benefits

The PACT Act, also known as the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, has helped over 100 thousand veterans who signed up for PACT Act benefits since 2022. Some benefits promised under the Act aren’t active at press time, though some seek to change that. The Department of Veterans Affairs describes the act as a… Read more »

Lawmakers Submit Bill to Prevent Veteran Foreclosures

Lawmakers have introduced a bill meant to help veterans avoid foreclosures on VA home loans in the aftermath of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Even at press time in 2024, the economic effects of COVID are still being felt, and the veteran community is especially vulnerable to home loan default because of economic hardship. There are… Read more »

Military Benefits Updates for 2024

Military Benefits Updates and Changes for 2024 Military benefits are updated for 2024 as of the first day of the new year. BAS, BAH, COLA, and other rates are subject to change from year to year. Here are the rates and information for 2024. Military Pay Raise in 2024 The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act… Read more »

Military Healthcare Reform: DoD to Stabilize MHS

The Department of Defense wants to overhaul the military healthcare system and re-attract patients (who previously chose a non-military care option) back to military medical waiting rooms. In early December 2023, the Deputy Secretary of Defense signed a memorandum “directing the stabilization of the Military Health System,” requiring military hospitals to “add capacity to reattract… Read more »

DoD, VA Modernize In Vitro Fertilization Care Policy

UPDATE: Jan 31, 2024: This article has been updated to reflect a change in IVf policy at the Department of Veterans Affairs (see below.) The VA and the Department of Defense changes some healthcare policies in early 2024 to be more inclusive for couples who need in vitro fertilization services supported by the VA and… Read more »

Government Shutdown Temporarily Delayed

Update: On March 6, 2024, the House passed multiple spending bills funding certain government agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, for the remainder of the fiscal year. These spending bills moved to the Senate for a vote on Friday, March 8, 2024. The bills passed the Senate and were signed into law by the… Read more »

Lawmakers Demand Employment, Financial Reform For Military Families

In the earliest days of 2024, lawmakers are calling on the federal government to do more to improve military spouse employment and financial literacy for troops. Legislators have filed new bills and resolutions in January, and some efforts from the previous year are also being revisited in 2024. New Bill Requires Military Financial Literacy Training… Read more »

Thousands More Stateside Troops Qualify For Cost of Living Allowance (COLA)

2024 brings an extra cost-of-living benefit to more troops stationed in the United States.  Military members assigned to high-cost areas in the United States may, depending on circumstances, qualify for a cost-of-living allowance or COLA similar to the benefit offered to military members assigned overseas. Those stationed in selected areas in Oregon, New York, Virginia,… Read more »

Government Shutdown? Federal Budget Closer To Reality

When this story was originally published we asked, would the federal government make its deadlines to avoid part one of a phased-in government shutdown on February 19, 2024? No. The House and Senate did not approve a full-year spending package for the VA and military construction projects until March 2024. The story below is preserved… Read more »