From Grinch greetings to Santa sightings, the holidays come to troops
Holiday helpers have been busy, as plenty of organizations and individuals have been working to make the days a bit brighter for troops and their families.
Pay & Benefits
Will most troops move under new household goods program in 2025?
More than half of installations in the continental United States are moving troops' shipments under the new system.
VA to resume new electronic health record rollout in mid-2026
The project was scheduled to take 10 years and cost $16 billion. Nearly eight years later, only six of VA’s 170-plus medical sites are using the software.
Suicides among veterans remain unchanged despite federal focus
The figures are the latest available from federal census data and suggest limited progress on the issue of suicide prevention by Veterans Affairs leaders.
Looming government shutdown could hurt military families, veterans
Plans to avert a partial government shutdown starting this weekend appeared scuttled after President-elect Donald Trump opposed the bipartisan deal.
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Senate finalizes plans for a massive junior enlisted pay boost in 2025
Troops ranked E-4 and below would see a 14.5% raise and all other troops a 4.5% raise under legislation headed to the White House.
Plan to avert government shutdown does not include extra VA funds
VA leaders had asked for roughly $6.6 billion in extra funding for FY25, and said they could face problems with hiring and programs without it.
Plan would cover all health care costs for thousands of vets overseas
Providing more health care coverage for disabled veterans living abroad could be a major focus of the next session of Congress.
Troops to get an average housing allowance boost of over 5% in 2025
The new rates take effect Jan. 1.
Trump says he’ll begin Jan. 6 pardons ‘the first hour’ in office
Trump said he would look at each individual case, rather than issue a blanket pardon for all Jan. 6 defendants.
Navy to cut boot camp from 10 weeks to nine
The Navy is revamping its curriculum to “eliminate redundant training."
Army to cut credentialing benefit, drop officers from program
The cap for credentialing reimbursements through the Army program will drop from $4,000 to $2,000 in coming months.
Medical care limits for transgender minors complicate defense bill
A provision in the must-pass defense measure would block certain military medical care options for transgender youth.
Lawmakers call for in-depth VA study on blast pressure injuries
The 10-year research plan would examine blast injuries among veterans and offer suggestions for treatments.
Will senior enlisted troops see a targeted pay boost in 2026?
After lawmakers agreed to plans to boost pay for junior enlisted troops, they are now shifting focus to more senior enlisted members.
Congress to boost junior enlisted pay by thousands of dollars in 2025
Troops E-4 and below will see a 14.5% pay raise under a deal reached by congressional negotiators this week.
