3.4% Pay Raise for 2010 On Track
6/30/09 - The House passed its version of the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) including a 3.4% pay raise for 2010 - above the 2.9% raise proposed by the Obama Administration. See proposed 2010 pay chart (3.4% raise) here.

Stop-loss Troops to Get Retroactive Bonus
6/12/09 - The House and Senate reached a compromise to give a $500 retroactive bonus to servicemembers for every month they were forced to stay in the military beyond their enlistment term since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, said $534 million was allocated under the deal. An estimated 185,000 servicemembers would qualify.

Army Eases E-Mail, Networking Rules
6/09 - The Army will allow soldiers at bases in the U.S. to access Web-based personal e-mail and some social media and networking Internet sites — including Facebook, Twitter and Flickr — from military computers. Army officials hope the new policy will bring consistency to a patchwork of regulations, orders and rules for users of Army computers. Previously, network managers at different Army installations set their own policies about such access. Become a fan of NAUS on our Facebook site!

Aspirin Banned for Deployed Troops
5/15/09 - Defense Department officials are directing servicemembers and government civilians deployed in overseas war zones to refrain from taking aspirin unless under a doctor's orders. Aspirin use could contribute to excessive bleeding in the event of wounding or injury. Troops slated for deployment to combat zones should cease taking aspirin at least 10 days before departure. Servicemembers and civilians can use over-the-counter, non-aspirin-based medications, such as Tylenol or Motrin, for treatment of colds, fever, muscle aches and other maladies. Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) operations in contingency locations have removed all products containing aspirin from their shelves.

Servicemembers Would Benefit from TSP Changes Passed by House
4/2/09 - The House passed the Federal Retirement Reform Act (HR 1804), which would give service members participating in the federal Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) a Roth 401(k) investment option, and allow automatic TSP enrollment for new employees and servicemembers. Current enrollees also would be able to open a Roth TSP. The Roth option would likely be popular with military participants because service members, with their tax-free allowances, often fall into lower tax brackets than civilian peers, and can often benefit more from a Roth 401(k).

Earn 10% Interest - Guaranteed
The Savings Deposit Program (SDP) sounds just like a scam, but it's not. Servicemembers deployed in combat zones can deposit up to $10,000 of unalloted pay per deployment into an account that pays 10% annual interest, accrued quarterly. The interest earned on these accounts is taxable, stops accruing 90 days after the member returns from deployment, and generally cannot be withdrawn until the end of the deployment either. See more information on the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) website here.

2009 BAH Rates
See 2009 BAH rates online here.  

Military Leave Carry-over Policy
A new military leave policy, part of the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, allows members to carry over 75 days rather than the previous 60 days into the next fiscal year. The policy, in place until Dec. 31, 2010, is intended to reduce the amount of lost leave caused by the current high operating tempo.

New GI Bill
The new GI Bill, passed in 2008, means greatly expanded benefits, including the ability to transfer the benefit to spouses/children. Check out the new GI Bill fact sheet (pdf) here.

NOAA 2010 Budget
6/15/09 - The House Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations subcommittee added to the President's 2010 budget request for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) during its mark-up in early June. The subcommittee added $129 million to the 2010 NOAA budget request (see the NOAA FY2010 Blue Book, or budget summary, online here), to cover costs for NOAA to launch the National Climate Service, for a total 2010 budget of $4.6 billion. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a NOAA budget hearing on June 11 – view hearing webcast here. 

Military Homeowners Aid in Economic Stimulus Bill
Military personnel forced to sell their homes during the current real estate crisis may benefit from a new program included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, more commonly referred to as the economic stimulus package, signed into law by President Obama in Feb. The Homeowners Assistance Fund, authorizes the Pentagon to spend up to $555 million to buy the title to a service member's property or reimburse him or her for losses after a sale or foreclosure. It is intended for wounded warriors who need to move for medical reasons, surviving spouses of those killed in action, and servicemembers short-toured or receiving unexpected PCS orders. The program is also available to widows of Defense Department civilian employees killed in the line of duty. It is modeled on an existing DoD program for civilians affected by base closures under BRAC.

Army Warned About Getting Lax on Drug Use
5/20/09 - Gen. Peter Chiarelli, USA, Army Vice Chief of Staff, said hundreds of soldiers involved in “substance abuse-related misconduct, including multiple positive urinalyses,” were not being processed for possible discharge as they should be in a May 8 memo to commanders. He also noted that many are not referred to the Army Substance Abuse Program for help. What “worries me the most is that commanders feel a requirement to keep their numbers up” for combat deployments, Chiarelli said in a meeting with top staff officers. He said non-commissioned officers told him this during visits to 6 Army installations recently to examine strain on soldiers and address the record number of suicides in the Army.

Marines Ban Violent Dog Breeds from Base
4/16/09 - Camp Lejeune’s commander, Col Richard Flatau, ordered certain breeds of dog banned from the base – both pets owned by residents on base, and dogs brought aboard by visitors. The move came following a review of base policies following the 2008 death of a 3-year-old boy from a pit bull attack in a base housing area. Dogs banned are full or mixed breeds of pit bull, Rottweiler, wolf hybrids, and “any breed with traits of aggression as determined by the base veterinarian.” Col Flatau cited “a significant body of empirical evidence” that these breeds are apt to un-predictable, violent behavior. Lejeune residents who already own these dog breeds may keep them, if they install a Dept. of Agriculture approved pen by mid-June. Camp Lejeune is not the only Marine installation to ban specific breeds of dog from base housing. For instance, at MCLB Barstow, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Doberman pinschers, and German shepherds are banned, in addition to pit bulls and Rottweilers. Camp Pendleton has no breed ban in effect, but some housing areas are designated as “no pet” areas. Bulldogs, of course, do not appear on any of the Corps’ banned breeds lists. 

Bill to Repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy Introduced
3/4/09 - Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), Chair of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, introduced the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, HR 1283, which would repeal the so-called "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy that prohibits gays from serving openly in the military. While President Obama has indicated he’s willing to consider a change in the law, in February he said more analysis was necessary before any change. “This bill will once and for all end the discriminatory practices of the Department of Defense,” Rep. Tauscher said in a statement. “It will allow the men and women who have been administratively discharged to have the opportunity to serve again if they want.”

Bill Offers Stability to Military Spouses
2/27/09 – S. 475, a bill introduced by Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), would enable military spouses to claim the same home state as the servicemembers to whom they are married. Under current law, a servicemember can continue to claim his or her home State as their permanent State of residency for voting and tax purposes, no matter where the military sends her or him. But the spouse does not have that same privilege and becomes a resident of the state in which they physically live.