Pay & Benefits

DoD should review special needs health care programs to ensure they’re helping military families, watchdog says

The coverage amounts for Tricare ECHO services haven't increased since 2009.

Air Force slashes number of fields eligible for fiscal year 2026 reenlistment bonuses

The number of career fields elibile for the Selective Retention Bonus dropped by 73% in fiscal year 2026.

VA hospitals earn top marks in federal review

Roughly 78% of VA medical centers earned four or five star ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services this year.

Opinion

Why Congress must end the remarriage penalty for military survivors

A policy that causes surviving spouses to lose their benefits if they remarry suggests their sacrifice ends the moment they seek a new chapter in life.

Military spouses head to the Hill, push for removal of barriers to small businesses to boost retention

Advocates aim to introduce the Military Spouse Small Business Recognition Act, arguing it could improve access to capital, national security and retention.

Lawmakers introduce bill to lower drug costs for service members, veterans

The proposal would allow Tricare beneficiaries and VA patients to pay the lowest government-negotiated price for prescription drugs.

Commissaries reverse decision to charge for single-use bags

The decision came only one month after the bag fees went into effect.

‘A beans and rice diet’: Government watchdog finds issues with military cost of living pay

The Government Accountability Office found the DoD used a mix of unsound sampling practices and inconsistent processes to set cost of living payments.

Vietnam veteran, daughter sue VA over Agent Orange birth defect benefits

The VA provides disability compensation for birth defects to the children of women Vietnam veterans, but not to the children of men who served in the war.