In late 2025, the Department of Defense announced a one-time bonus for currently serving military members. A payment of $1,776 was made to troops in honor of the year of American independence (1776) and the nation’s 250th anniversary. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service began distributing the bonus in late 2025. Most eligible troops received… Read more »
Transitioning from active duty to the National Guard or Reserve is a shift from a full-time military commitment to a part-time service obligation. Making the switch affects compensation, healthcare, and retirement benefits, and it pays to know how those benefits are affected long before you decide to leave active service. We cover some of the… Read more »
Stay informed about the upcoming shutdown 2026 and the legislative efforts to prevent a partial government shutdown.
If you are a fan of DoorDash, Instacart, or Grubhub, you should know about home delivery service options available to stateside troops and families offered by the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA). In 2026, DeCA expands its “Commissary CLICK2GO” home grocery delivery service to 70 stores across the United States. This transition from a pilot program… Read more »
When the President signed the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on December 18, 2025, it codified the defense spending budget and priorities for the new year. What it did NOT do was provide the actual funding for the DoD. Learn more.
If you are new to TRICARE, you are likely also new to some of its jargon. What two important things will you learn right away? TRICARE-allowable charges and TRICARE balance billing. These help determine how much money you’ll pay after a doctor’s visit.
The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act was passed in December 2025, and the passage of that bill marked essential changes in basic military benefits. Some of the changes take the form of benefit increases, while others involve adjusted benefit caps and reporting requirements. Learn more.
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 included many changes to military benefits, including the Family Separation Allowance (FSA), which was increased from $250 to $300 per month. That change took effect on January 1, 2026, and was said to be the first payment increase in over 20 years. The 2024 defense bill… Read more »
Military families have expanded access to mental health care thanks to TRICARE virtual mental health services, which began offering help in late 2025 to connect patients with therapists through secure video or phone calls. This program assists with outpatient therapy, substance use issues, and emergency psychiatric needs. Virtual visits eliminate common problems like finding child… Read more »
In mid December the President of the United States announced a one-time military bonus payment of $ 1,776 to millions of currently serving military members.Who receives this bonus? All active-duty members and certain reservists in pay grades O-6 and below. According to some sources, the Department of Defense plans to provide this bonus to “most recipients” by the end of 2025.