A PCS (Permanent Change of Station) move is a big event for military families in the best of times, and the 2025 PCS season is definitely not that, due to the Defense Department’s seeming inability to work out their problems with HomeSafe Alliance, the DoD’s single contractor for global household goods shipments and deliveries. Many… Read more »
UPDATE July 1, 2025: The Department of Defense announced it has cancelled its global PCS contract with HomeSafe Alliance. DoD officials have promised that a PCS move hotline associated with the DoD PCS Move Task Force will be operational sometime in July 2025. More than a quarter million permanent station moves occur every year, with… Read more »
The Department of Veterans Affairs issues warnings and guidance about protecting private data online for military members, veterans, and families. Sometimes, these warnings coincide with a rise in hacker activity targeting military communities, so when they surface on the VA official site, it pays to take stock of your current passwords, how old they are,… Read more »
If you’re an active-duty servicemember with a family member who has special medical or educational needs, you’ve probably heard about the Exceptional Family Member Program, or EFMP. Maybe you’ve been told to enroll, or someone brought it up in passing. Like many families, you might be wondering: What exactly is this program? Will it affect… Read more »
The Army and the Department of Defense are considering a move to expand the number of privatized single-soldier housing units, informally known as barracks. Army officials have toyed with this idea since the 1990s and the most current version of the concept is being developed as a pilot program to see whether single soldiers should… Read more »
How much do you know about National Guard and Reserve pay? If you are considering a move from active duty to the National Guard or the Reserve, you’ll want to see how that pay differs from current active duty military pay, and you may even need to know how it stacks up to a civilian… Read more »
Transitioning from active duty to the Guard or Reserve allows veterans to continue military service while pursuing a civilian career or higher education. Have you ever thought about taking a break in full-time service to attend school? Or to stay in uniform but at a less intensive commitment? Transitioning from active duty to a reserve… Read more »
Military reassignments, deployments, retirements, and separations can be stressful. Some struggle more than others when it’s time for big life changes, a DoD program can help. inTransition is a Military Health System (MHS) program designed to support service members by providing mental health resources, coaching, and assistance with various transitions. This includes permanent change of… Read more »
Balfour Beatty Communities (BBC) is a private entity responsible for military housing in public/private agreements with the DoD and stateside military bases. The company’s official site describes itself as “a leading national residential real estate investment and management company.“ The official site once described Balfour Beatty Communities as “one of the nation’s largest providers of… Read more »
The Department of Defense implemented a targeted pay raise for enlisted service members in the pay grades of E-1 through E-4, effective April 1, 2025. This increase targets early in their military careers, a demographic that has reportedly shown higher attrition rates in recent years. Stripes.com reports DoD officials felt “a need to ensure that… Read more »