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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »