The U.S. Army announced a change in policy in October 2024 that benefits soldiers on real-world deployments. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth announced a higher compensation rate for soldiers deployed for more than 60 days. Qualifying troops now earn $240 more per month in Operational Deployment Pay. Who Qualifies for Army Operational Deployment Pay? Those deployed… Read more »
Permanent change-of-station moves require military families to pack up their homes and move to a new base and neighborhood. Once the family gets to the new assignment, the process of finding essential services, including military-friendly childcare, begins. The childcare aspect can be challenging for incoming families, but the Department of Defense launched a pilot program… Read more »
Military paychecks were potentially due to stop coming in October because of lawmakers’ inability to find a solution to fund the federal government, but that has been delayed for now. Under a stopgap funding measure passed in the last full week of September 2024, the government will stay open for a while longer. The House… Read more »
Changes to Navy housing allowance policy now add flexibility for sailors who may want choose to collect BAH based where their family lives. Learn more.
The Pentagon has announced a series of proposed new programs and goals to improve military quality of life for service members and families. These were announced via an official announcement titled “Our Enduring Duty to America’s Service Members and Their Families,” with Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin describing the initiatives that are part of… Read more »
In 2025, the federal government is having no better luck passing a defense budget than it did the year before. In a letter to Congress, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned that passing a temporary spending bill instead of the full 2025 budget would severely harm the Defense Department. The potential fallout from resorting to a… Read more »
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.
Get insights into PCSing with pets and discover how recent policies can ease financial burdens for military families.
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 »
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 »