April paychecks for junior enlisted members (E-4 and below) will include a 10% raise on top of the 4.5% servicewide increase issued in January – a MOAA-supported move designed to ease the financial burden faced by the most vulnerable servicemembers and families.

The raise, approved in the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and funded through the yearlong continuing resolution passed this month, saw its roots in recommendations from the House Armed Services Committee’s Quality of Life Panel, whose April 2024 report outlined the need to “restore real value to basic pay” and keep pace with civilian earnings.

MOAA has worked closely with panel members and staff since its 2023 founding. The panel’s leaders – Chairman Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and ranking member Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) – are among MOAA’s annual award recipients in 2025. We look forward to continuing our work with the panel as the FY 2026 NDAA takes shape.

[RELATED: Join MOAA’s Work to Restart Key Financial Protections for Servicemembers]

“The most junior of our uniformed services will carry the heaviest burdens for our nation in the years ahead. Investing in them now is essential,” MOAA President and CEO Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, USAF (Ret), wrote in an October commentary published by Military Times. “[I]gnoring and dismissing the clear indicators of need, doing nothing or simply deferring action should not be an acceptable option.”

A Stronger Force

The raise will mean thousands of additional dollars for young servicemembers and their families, many of whom face financial difficulties caused by high rental costs, scarce and costly child care, spouse employment challenges, and other service-related factors. Without such measures, the all-volunteer force risks a retention crisis.

[RELATED: Bipartisan Bill Would Restore Basic Housing Allowance to 100%]

But there are other issues affecting these members beyond their take-home pay, including an ongoing fight to ensure members in unaccompanied housing (UH) can live in safe, healthy conditions. MOAA’s work on this issue is part of this year’s Advocacy in Action event; members from across the nation will visit their lawmakers and seek greater UH transparency -- specifically the public availability of housing-condition reports and a reporting database designed to support photo and video submissions from UH residents.

You can support this work via our Legislative Action Center by sending a message to your lawmakers. Share the link with your network – you do not need to be a MOAA member to register and send a message.