VA Loan Refinance Options You Should Know
Discover the 2 types of VA refinance loans. You can either refinance an existing loan or tap into the equity you’ve built. Learn more.
Military Benefits
PCSing With Pets Overseas: DoD Policy Changes
In 2024, The Department of Defense implemented updated policies to reduce the financial burden on military members PCSing overseas with their pets. The policy offers reimbursement for pet transportation expenses. In the past, service members often had to cover these costs out-of-pocket. But with the moves forward, there were also setbacks. The Centers for Disease… Read more »
5.5% Pay Raise for Junior Troops: Senate Defense Spending Bill Announced
A Senate panel has endorsed a proposed 5.5% pay increase for junior enlisted troops in 2025. The Senate version of the 2025 Pentagon spending bill offers a raise for E-1s through E-3s and a 4.5% raise for all other ranks (officer and enlisted). The bill is worth over $850 billion and covers much more than… Read more »
Free Paris Olympics Streaming On NBC For Military Communities
The Army and Air Force Exchange Service and NBC Universal have partnered to bring full coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games to military communities free from July 26 to Aug. 11, 2024. Those authorized to shop in BX/PX locations and the Exchange official site online “will be able to stream all the action from… Read more »
Junior Enlisted to Get Economic Hardship Bonuses
In 2023, Congress authorized economic hardship payments to enlisted troops through the National Defense Authorization Act. Those funds were designed to offset the effects of inflation on the lowest-paid military members and some mid-career enlisted troops. But the money didn’t start flowing as planned, and the program experienced trouble due to delays in passing a… Read more »
VA Health Care Benefits for Active Duty Service Members
Did you know you may be allowed to apply for VA healthcare benefits while serving on active duty? Some vets, especially returning service members deployed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn, can apply for VA health care while still on active duty. This is true after these troops… Read more »
VA Home Loans for National Guard Members
The Department of Veterans Affairs has eliminated an expiration date on its VA home loan policy, allowing VA mortgages to members of the National Guard with qualifying full-time service. Thanks to policy updates in 2024, Guard Members will benefit from expanded VA loan eligibility rules until the Department of Veterans Affairs says otherwise. In 2020,… Read more »
ASVAB Scams Prey on New Recruits
Military communities have always been the target of scammers, but in 2024, the scams have become more sophisticated. Potential new recruits are the latest victims of “pay-for-free-help” scams around the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB. Military Test Scams And Test Prep Scams In the last five years, scammers have aggressively targeted certain aspects… Read more »
Senate NDAA Proposal Includes Smaller Pay Raise For Junior Enlisted Troops
The Senate has released a draft version of the 2025 NDAA which includes a smaller pay increase than the House version. Read more.
Lawmakers Call for More Commissary Options for Kosher, Halal Groceries
Some lawmakers are calling on the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) to be more inclusive about the types of groceries it stocks at stateside and overseas bases. Two U.S. Representatives have called on DeCA to improve access to food that is acceptable to the approximately 15 thousand Jewish and Muslim troops in the United States military…. Read more »