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 »
Military members assigned to high-cost areas in the US may qualify for a COLA similar to the benefit offered to those assigned overseas.
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 »
Will the government shut down in 2024? The federal government is already 1/4th of the way through the current fiscal year? FY2024 has not seen the passage of a federal budget to keep the government from shutting down when the current stopgap funding (via a continuing resolution or CR) expires. The current stopgap spending measure… Read more »
In the last weeks of 2023, Federal Times ran an article with the headline, “Wait, the VA doesn’t do dental care? Group aims to fill a health gap”. That story, about a Nevada-based company trying to change the availability of dental care for the veteran population, included a quote from one of the private dental… Read more »
President Joe Biden signed the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act into law. He signed the NDAA the Friday before the December holiday break, and the Defense Department issued a press statement announcing the new budget for the new year. “The Act provides the critical authorities we need to build the military required to deter future… Read more »
Childcare is one of the biggest issues facing military families in an age where inflation, higher interest rates, and increasing payments make it hard to stay on budget. A critical resource for military families? On-base care at Child Development Centers (CDCs) at stateside and overseas military bases. The fee structure for CDC care is based… Read more »
It’s a simple question. Why does the Department of Defense, a federal agency with an $800 billion-plus budget, have an issue with some of its troops going hungry or having limited access to nutritional food? And no simple answers are forthcoming in 2024. However, according to a government report issued in December, the DoD is… Read more »
The Department of Defense official site is updated with rates for the 2024 Basic Allowance for Housing. Rates increase in 2024 but the actual rate you are paid depends on your with-dependents status, rank, and how expensive your housing market is. Learn more.
Update: The House and Senate have passed the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, and the bill was been sent to the President’s desk for signature in December. It was signed into law Friday December 22nd 2023. We review some of the most relevant benefits-related features of the NDAA below. What to Know About the 2024… Read more »