By MOAA Staff

The current Senate version of must-pass defense authorization legislation does not include many of the quality-of-life improvements proposed in the House text – but opportunities remain to ensure these measures and others find a place in the final bill.

The text of the Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025 (S. 4638) was released July 8. The House version cleared that chamber in mid-June on a 217-199 vote.

Among the differences and similarities in the versions:

• Pay: Both plans would authorize a 4.5% pay raise for all ranks. The Senate version includes an additional 1% increase for those in grades E-1 to E-3, while the House plan would raise E-1 to E-4 pay an additional 15% beyond the authorized increase, along with a smaller boost for E-5s.
  
  
• Allowances: The Senate version does not include a mechanism to restore the Basic Allowance for Housing to 100%, a provision included in the House bill that would cover the coming fiscal year but not subsequent years (as covered by the MOAA-backed BAH Restoration Act). The Senate NDAA does not address Basic Needs Allowance eligibility, which would expand under the House NDAA to cover families making up to 200% of their locality’s federal poverty guidelines.
  
  

[RELATED: MOAA Briefs Hill Staffers on Quality of Life Report as NDAA Process Rolls On]

• Health Care: The Senate bill does not include a House provision creating a pilot program to expand TRICARE Qualifying Life Events to include pregnancy – a move which would give more care options to expectant mothers who may struggle to access needed care in some locations. It also lacks the text of the Dental Care for Our Troops Act, MOAA-supported legislation included in the House NDAA that would extend zero-premium dental coverage to Guard and Reserve members.

[RELATED: 6 Ways MOAA Wants to Improve Your Earned TRICARE Benefit]

• Career Support: The Senate bill lacks a provision in the House bill which would remove the so-called “180-day rule,” which requires transitioning servicemembers seeking civilian DoD positions to wait six months – a requirement which forces many to seek employment elsewhere and restricts DoD hiring managers in need of those with up-to-date experience and clearances.
  
  
• Military Spouse Employment: The Senate NDAA does not include the text of the READINESS Act, a MOAA-backed bill which improves career flexibility for military spouses employed by the federal government who may lose their position thanks to a PCS move. One thing from the Senate version that the House is missing is a provision to clarify a recent change to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act intended to improve portability of professional licenses for military spouses who PCS across state lines. Additionally, the Senate bill would permanently authorize the noncompetitive hiring authority of military spouses by federal agencies.

[RELATED: What the House NDAA Would Mean for Military Families]

• Child Care: The Senate and House NDAAs have similar provisions to redesign and modernize child development program compensation and staffing models. 

What’s Next

The Senate bill will move to the floor, where senators may offer amendments before a final vote. This window may allow the inclusion of some of the above provisions, as well as other MOAA priorities. For example, MOAA and other advocacy groups are working to secure a Senate amendment with the text of the Major Richard Star Act, a bill with support of nearly three-quarters of the Senate that would end an unjust pay offset faced by combat-injured veterans.

Once a final vote takes place, the House and Senate traditionally name members to a conference committee charged with building a compromise bill out of the two versions. With the number of differences affecting key MOAA priorities, this conference represents a critical point in the NDAA process – one that could make the difference in whether the bill offers significant quality-of-life improvements to generations of military families.

Keep up with MOAA’s advocacy news and our Legislative Action Center for the latest updates on this process, along with ways you can make your priorities known to your legislators as the NDAA moves toward final passage.