By MOAA Government Relations Staff

From a revamped pay table to improved housing benefits to expanded TRICARE coverage, the House version of the must-pass defense bill addresses even more MOAA priorities after its May 22 markup by the House Armed Services Committee … but more hurdles must be cleared, and more opportunities remain for your voice to be heard.

The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 now tops 1,000 pages, with many provisions added via amendment – the committee considered almost 700 amendments during the markup before a 57-1 vote sent the bill through to the floor. The Senate markup will begin June 12, with details on floor amendments and votes, and the House/Senate conference committee process that generally creates the final bill, still to be determined.

“The most important investment we can make is in the foundation of our military: our people,” said Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. “No servicemember should have to worry about making ends meet, putting food on the table, or having safe housing. The FY25 NDAA will boost compensation, improve housing, expand access to medical care, increase access to child care, and provide support for the spouses of servicemembers.”

[REGISTER NOW: MOAA's Legislative Action Center]

MOAA has been on Capitol Hill to urge support and additional funding for recommendations from the committee’s Quality of Life Panel – appropriations for quality of life improvements are key to avoid levying unfunded mandates on DoD. We also worked with member offices to ensure other key provisions were contained in the HASC version.

MOAA priorities not included in this still may be added via amendment as the NDAA process moves forward. Here’s a look at what’s in the legislation, as well as how you can keep pressure on lawmakers to ensure key improvements remain in the bill, or are added in the coming weeks:

Active Component

Junior Enlisted Pay Increase: On top of the 4.5% annual pay adjustment slated for 2025 (a figure in line with the Employment Cost Index, as per statute), the House bill would provide servicemembers E-1 through E-4 with an additional 15% raise. This would be a vital increase in the challenging recruiting environment.

Funding Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) to 100%: The bill would authorize $1.2 billion intended to fully fund BAH for FY 2025 to address housing challenges. This is not the full repeal of BAH reductions MOAA has supported through the BAH Restoration Act, as it would apply only to the coming fiscal year. This approach is necessary to circumvent Congressional Budget Office scoring mechanisms that would lead to additional offsets in other places.

[TAKE ACTION: Urge Your Legislators to Pay Full Housing Costs for Servicemembers]

Pilot Outsourcing BAH Rate Calculations: Given the challenges with BAH accuracy, especially during the pandemic, the House bill calls on DoD to create a pilot program to use machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms to calculate rates. MOAA supports seeking new ways to increase BAH accuracy in light of concerns raised by servicemembers across the nation about BAH being insufficient to cover their expenses.

Reserve Component

Reserve Component Transition Assistance Program (TAP): The bill would require the creation of a reserve component TAP course, an essential change given the unique circumstances faced by these servicemembers. Often, when returning to civilian life, Guard and Reserve troops have a job waiting for them and do not require the full TAP used by active duty servicemembers.

Expansion of Coast Guard Reserve Parental Leave: The House bill would expand parental leave to the Coast Guard Reserve, creating parity with DoD reserve components.

Health Care

Pregnancy Qualifying Life Event (QLE) Pilot: The bill would direct DoD to expand TRICARE QLEs to include pregnancy as part of a five-year program. Greater flexibility in switching between TRICARE Prime and Select will help ensure access to vital prenatal care. Although active duty servicemembers are not typically eligible for TRICARE Select, an amendment would expand this provision to allow certain members to switch to TRICARE Select during, and up to 180 days after, a pregnancy.  

Reserve Component Dental Coverage: The bill would provide TRICARE Dental Program coverage to Guard and Reserve members with zero premiums and cost sharing to support dental readiness, using language from the MOAA-supported Dental Care for Our Troops Act.

[MORE HEALTH CARE RESOURCES: MOAA's TRICARE Guide]

Pilot Program to Prevent Perinatal Mental Health Conditions: The legislation includes text from the MOAA-supported Maintaining our Obligation to Moms Who Serve (MOMS) Act, which would require the DoD secretary to implement a perinatal mental health prevention pilot program for pregnant and postpartum members of the armed forces and covered beneficiaries.

TRICARE Contraception Policy: The committee adopted two amendments related to contraception coverage. One would eliminate TRICARE copays for certain beneficiaries for all Food and Drug Administration -approved contraception for one year to more closely align TRICARE with Affordable Care Act requirements for zero-copay contraception. Another would allow certain servicemembers and their dependents to get a year’s supply of contraception at a time.

Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART): The bill would require TRICARE Prime and Select to cover ART, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), for Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force servicemembers and their dependents. It includes language that specifically excludes ART coverage for retirees and their dependents.

TRICARE Young Adult: MOAA sought inclusion of the Health Care Fairness for Military Families Act, which would provide parity for TRICARE families with young adult dependents when compared with private sector. While the House did not include this provision, the bill would require DoD to alert families to this TRICARE coverage gap by notifying young adult dependents and their parents nine, six, and three months before loss of TRICARE coverage, with a final notification on the dependent’s 21st birthday.

[RELATED: New TRICARE Rule May ‘Risk the Health of Military Kids’]

Families

Flexibilities for Military Spouses Employed by the Federal Government: The legislation includes text from the MOAA-supported READINESS Act, which requires federal agencies to offer military spouse employees remote work, reassignment to a position, authorization to perform a similar position, or leave without pay when facing PCS orders. The markup also includes an extension of non-competitive hiring authorities for military spouses.

Addressing Food Insecurity: The bill would increase the Basic Needs Allowance eligibility threshold from 150% to 200% of an area’s federal poverty guidelines based on family size, and would require DoD to implement a program to increase access to food on base at dining facilities, commissaries, exchanges, restaurants, and other locations.

Impact Aid: Local educational agencies supporting military and DoD civilian families would receive $50 million in general impact aid and another $20 million in aid for military-connected students with severe disabilities. 

Expansion of Child Care In Your Home Pilot: The bill would add four new locations to the in-home child care pilot: Fort Drum, N.Y.; Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.; and Naval Air Station Lemoore and Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.

[RELATED: 8 Ways the House NDAA Would Help Military Families With Child Care Needs]

Child Abuse Prevention and Safety at Military Child Development Centers: The bill would require services to notify parents and/or legal guardians of incidents of abuse within 24 hours and ensure installation commanders establish a process for investigating and addressing incidents of abuse or harm at child development centers.

Retirees

“180-Day Rule”: The bill includes language found in the MOAA-backed Retain Skilled Veterans Act (H.R. 939/S. 334), which will support badly needed DoD talent acquisition for GS-13 and below positions through repeal of the 180-day waiting period for those transitioning out of uniform. Last year’s House NDAA also included the provision, which was not supported by the Senate.

[TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Lawmakers to Repeal the ‘180-Day Rule’]

What’s Not in the House NDAA?

Despite over two-thirds of Congress’ support, the Major Richard Star Act is not in the base text of the House NDAA. MOAA continues its work to urge lawmakers to end the unjust offset faced by combat-injured veterans, who remain unable to receive their DoD retirement pay and VA disability compensation.

MOAA is asking leaders in Congress to include the bill (H.R. 1282/S. 344) in the FY 2025 NDAA though the amendment process and is urging the speaker of the House and the House Rules Committee to waive the necessary rules to allow for this inclusion.

[TAKE ACTION: Urge Your Legislators to Include the Major Richard Star Act in the NDAA]

Join our Legislative Action Center this election year and support legislation for our servicemembers, their families, retirees, and surviving spouses. You can follow updates on this and other MOAA advocacy campaigns at MOAA’s Advocacy News page.