1. Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act (S. 3373)
Helps an estimated 5 million-plus veterans who have been impacted by toxic exposures while serving our country. In addition to providing this health care, the PACT Act invests in new research on post-9/11 veterans’ health trends. With Honor Action endorsed the PACT Act and assisted with the bipartisan negotiations to get it passed.
2. Establishment of a Casualty Assistance Program Working Group
This provision was included in the FY22 National Defense Authorization Act and improves the casualty affairs programs at the Department of Defense by creating a working group to standardize casualty assistance officer training across military departments. The provision also develops an iterative process of assessment that will continue to improve the program.
3. Supporting Education Recognition for Veterans During Emergencies (SERVE) Act (H.R.2587)
Tasks the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with creating an online database of veterans who self report service-connected medical training. In moments of healthcare crisis, this database will allow for the VA to call on these veterans for assistance.
4. Gold Star Family Tax Relief Act (H.R.2481)
Reduces the tax burden for approximately 67,000 Gold Star families by ensuring they can continue to receive all of the survivor benefits they are entitled to.
5. Widow’s Tax Repeal
This repeal was included in the FY20 National Defense Authorization and eliminates the widow’s tax which prevented more than 65,000 surviving spouses of fallen soldiers from receiving their full survivor benefits. Eliminating this tax saves these families an average of $12,000 per year.
6. Childcare Resources for Surviving Family Members
This provision was included in the FY20 National Defense Authorization Act and expands childcare services and financial resources to surviving family members of servicemembers who die in the line of duty.
7. VA Website Accessibility Act (H.R.1199)
Ensures greater interoperability between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veteran Affairs’ electronic health records.
8. Full Military Honors Act (H.R.1019)
Extends full military honors at the funerals of recipients of Medals of Honor and former prisoners of war.
9. Legal Services for Homeless Veterans Act (H.R.3749)
Provides legal services to veterans with outstanding warrants or fines, child support matters, and license revocations, as well as specific assistance for women veterans and their families.
10. Military Spouse Assistance
This provision was included in the FY20 National Defense Authorization Act and reimburses state licensure and certification costs for military spouses, so they can continue their careers after their spouse changes duty stations.
11. Gold Star Families Park Pass Act
Provides free access to America’s National Parks and federal recreation sites for families of servicemembers who have died in the line of duty while serving in the military.
12. Global War on Terrorism Memorial Location Act (S.535)
Authorizes the establishment of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial on the National Mall. A Global War on Terrorism Memorial was authorized under a previous defense bill, but this act mandates that the Memorial be built on an area called ‘The Reserve’ on the National Mall.
13. Brandon Act (S.2088)
Named after U.S. Navy Petty Officer Third Class Brandon Caserta, this legislation improves upon the Department of Defense’s mental health efforts by enabling servicemembers to seek mental health services anonymously. The act also charges commanders and supervisors with ensuring warfighters obtain mental health services quickly.
14. Military Moms Matter Act (H.R.3047)
Improves postpartum care for servicemembers and their families. Specifically, the act directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish clinical guidelines to ensure that postpartum care includes prompt mental health, pelvic health, and obstetric appointments. Additionally, the act requires the DOD to develop a standardized policy on body composition and physical fitness tests to ensure that servicemembers have adequate time for postpartum recovery before they are required to meet body composition and physical fitness standards.
15. Expansion of Support Programs for Special Operations Gold Star Families
This provision was included in the FY22 National Defense Authorization Act and expands support programs and access for the surviving immediate family members of Special Operations troops killed in service to the nation. This important legislation ensures that the family members of America’s special operators killed in the line of duty have access to the services and support programs they deserve.
16. Military Hunger Prevention Act (S.1488)
Requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to pay a monthly basic needs allowance to eligible low-income members of the Armed Forces. Eligible servicemembers (with minor stipulations) are those who have a gross household income under 130% of the federal poverty guidelines of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The act impacts at least 20,000 military families, dramatically improving the lives of warfighters and their families.
17. Alexander Lofgren Veterans in Parks (VIP) Act (H.R.4300)
Makes National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes available, without charge, to members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and Gold Star Families. The pass covers the entrance fees and standard amenity recreation fees for all federal recreational lands and waters.
18. Military Spouse Employment Assistance
This provision was included in the FY22 National Defense Authorization Act and orders a Department of Defense study on military spouse employment, including barriers to entry like state licensing requirements.
19. Report on the Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences for Servicemembers
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and directs the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study on the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), one of the most significant risk factors for suicide and future mental and physical health crises, among servicemembers.
20. Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas Supporting Expanded Review for Veterans in Combat Environments (SERVICE) Act (S.2102)
Helps address disparities in breast cancer diagnoses between female veterans and the rest of the population by extending access to mammograms to all female veterans who served in areas with burn pits or other toxic exposures, regardless of their age, symptoms, or family history. According to a 2021 study, female veterans are nearly three times more likely to develop invasive breast cancer than the rest of the population.
21. Making Advances in Mammography and Medical Options for Veterans (MAMMO) Act (S.2533)
Requires the VA to develop a strategic plan to improve breast imaging services, create a telemammography pilot program for veterans in areas where the VA does not offer in-house mammography, and expand veterans’ access to clinical trials through partnerships with the National Cancer Institute.
22. Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act (S.1084)
According to a 2020 report released by the Department of Defense, more than two-thirds of military servicemembers have reported that their spouse’s career prospects influence their re-enlistment decisions. With nearly 50% of military spouses working in fields that require licenses, relocation based on military orders can be enormously burdensome to military spouses who must then seek to regain their professional licensure, a process that can take up valuable time and money. This provision removes this barrier, requiring states to recognize the valid professional licenses of a military spouse that was obtained in another state.
23. Annual Report on Members Separating from the Active Duty Who File Claims for Disability Benefits
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a report that details the number of servicemembers who have filed claims for disability benefits since 2019. The report must include how these claims were handled, when the claim was submitted relative to their discharge date from active duty, and whether a mental health check was completed.
24. VITAL Assessment Act (H.R.5516)
Aims to provide critical mental health care and support to student veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Integration Academic Leadership Program.
25. Army Rangers Veterans of WWII Congressional Gold Medal Act (S.1872)
The U.S. Army Rangers earned their motto, “Rangers, lead the way,” scaling the staggering cliffs of Pointe du Hoc and vanquishing the enemy through brutal hand-to-hand combat on D-Day. This law awards the Congressional Gold Medal – “the highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions” – to these brave Army Rangers.
26. Requirements to Reduce Out-of-Pocket Costs of Members of the Armed Forces for Uniform Items
This provision was included in the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act and directs the Secretary of Defense to track out-of-pocket costs incurred for uniforms by servicemembers. The findings will be used to develop an appropriate uniform replacement allowance for members of the Armed Forces.
27. Treatment of Personally Identifiable Information Regarding Prospective Recruits
This provision was included in the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act and strengthens the privacy safeguards surrounding the collection of personally identifiable information in military recruitment. It authorizes the Secretary of Defense to establish the Military Recruiting Modernization Program as a pilot program to evaluate the usage of more modern technologies in handling personally identifiable information.
28. Increases in Maximum Allowable Income for Purposes of Eligibility for Basic Needs Allowance
This provision was included in the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act and addresses the needs of the estimated 24% of service members that face food insecurity by increasing eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance. Specifically, it raises eligibility from household incomes that fall below 130% federal poverty guidelines to 150%, and it empowers the Secretary of Defense to increase the eligibility threshold to 200% for specific cases.
29. Post-Widow’s Tax Repeal SBP Open Enrollment for Service-Disabled Veterans Act (H.R.4730)
Creates a special open enrollment period for nearly 1,600 service-disabled veterans who had withdrawn from the Survivor Benefits Plan and stopped paying premiums, allowing them to re-enroll, catch up on any missed premiums, and collect their benefits.
30. Demonstration Project on Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Services for Children of the Armed Forces
This provision was included in the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act and directs the Secretary of Defense to brief House and Senate Committees on Armed Services on the adequacy and availability of mental health services for military children with mental health needs.
31. Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act (S.1095)
Expands parental leave eligibility for Reserve and National Guard members to cover all new parents, not just birthing mothers.
32. Establishment of the Military Family Readiness Working Group for Military Housing
Establishes a working group for military housing within the Department of Defense’s Military Family Readiness Council, a crucial step towards addressing the shortcomings in oversight of privatized military housing, composed of officers and enlisted servicemembers from across the Armed Services, military spouses, and senior Department and branch officials. The working group will meet no less than twice a year and make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense on policies for covered military housing.
33. Annual report regarding overdoses by certain members of the Armed Forces
In response to a September 2022 letter, the Department of Defense reported 322 fatal overdoses among active duty servicemembers between 2017 and 2021 and as many as 14,961 non-fatal overdoses from 2017 to the present. This legislation was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization and requires the Secretary of Defense to provide to Congress a report on the number of annual overdoses among servicemembers and their families, and annually for four years after the first report.
34. Military Spouse Employment Act (S.349)
Allows executive agencies to appoint military spouses to remote work positions where current appointment authority does not explicitly extend to remote positions.
35. Amendment to the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and allows military service time to count towards the one-year employment requirement for eligibility to use family and medical leave for veterans who are now federal employees.
36. DOD PFAS Cleanup Transparency Act (H.R.5262)
Requires the Secretary of Defense to regularly update and publish information on a publicly available website regarding the status of the cleanup of sites that have been allocated spending for environmental restoration activities at military installations concerning perfluoroalkyl substances and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
37. Military Spouse Career Support Act (S. 1880)
Expands the definition of “qualifying events” to include transfers from a regular component of a uniformed service into the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve, making it easier for military spouses to be reimbursed for relicensing and business costs.
38. Junior Enlisted Housing Affordability Act (S. 1977)
Gives the Department of Defense more flexibility to determine housing stipends for servicemembers.
39. Dual Basic Allowance for Housing for Training
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and authorizes a dual basic allowance for housing for reservists without dependents who are called or ordered to active duty to attend training for at least 140 days but fewer than 365 days.
40. Comforting Our Military Families through On-Base or Remote Treatment
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and increases access to counseling services on military bases by allowing military and family life counselors to work outside of the state in which they are licensed, addressing the behavioral health professionals shortage and allowing the Department of Defense to surge resources to areas in response to traumatic events, natural disasters, or deployments.
41. Seaman Xavier Sandor Support for Sailors Act (S. 1556)
This provision, named after Seaman Xavier Sandor, who was one of the three tragic suicide deaths in two weeks aboard the USS George Washington in 2022, was partially incorporated and authorizes a basic allowance for housing for sailors who are assigned to a ship undergoing extended maintenance.
42. Modification of Calculation of Gross Household Income for Basic Needs Allowance to Address Areas of Demonstrated Need
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and authorizes the Secretaries of the military branches to exclude any portion of the basic allowance for housing paid to a servicemember from their gross income, when determining their eligibility for the basic needs allowance.
43. Cost-of-living Allowance in The Continental United States: High-Cost Areas
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and expands eligibility for the cost-of-living allowance for servicemembers stationed in CONUS (continental United States) by lowering the threshold for “high-cost areas” from 108% to 105% of the average cost of living.
44. OCONUS (Outside the Continental United States) Cost-of-Living Allowance: Adjustments
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and limits the Department of Defense’s ability to decrease the overseas cost-of-living allowance (OCOLA), a non-taxable allowance received by roughly 230,000 servicemembers on top of their regular pay to offset cost differences while serving abroad. To combat significant decreases in this allowance, the Department may only decrease it twice per calendar year and has been given limits regarding how much it may be reduced.
45. Military Families Mental Health Services Act (H.R. 4383/S. 1347)
Aims to cut costs for active duty military families and expand access to mental health care services by providing family members covered by TRICARE, the military’s health insurance provider, with three free outpatient mental health visits per year, an estimated savings of $90 per person, per year.
46. Protection and Legal Preparedness for Members of the Armed Forces Abroad
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and tasks the Department of Defense and the Department of State to review the legal protections in place for servicemembers deployed to foreign countries with which the United States maintains a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and to review and improve training and education materials for members of the Armed Forces covered by such protections.
47. Expansion of Authority to Pay a Member of the Armed Forces Who is Absent Without Leave or Over Leave for Such Absence
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and authorizes the Secretary of Defense to continue paying and making allowances to certain Armed Forces members absent without leave.
48. Due Date for Report on Efforts to Prevent and Respond to Deaths by Suicide in the Navy
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and extends the statutory deadline for the Department of Defense’s Inspector General’s office to conclude its report on the suicides that occurred in 2022 among servicemembers assigned to the aircraft carrier USS George Washington.
49. Family Separation Allowance: Increase, Review
The Family Separation Allowance is an additional compensation paid to servicemembers whose family members cannot live with or near them at their permanent duty station, currently capped at $250 per month. This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and increases that allowance by $150, bringing the total to $400 per month.
50. Report on the Provision of Mental Health Services via Telehealth to Members of the Armed Forces and Their Dependents
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing on the Department’s efforts to provide telehealth mental health services. This briefing includes any challenges experienced by servicemembers and their families in obtaining continuing care when moving states, when moving to a location outside of the United States, and how the Department accommodates members of the Armed Forces who benefit from continued care from a specific mental health provider.
51. Servicemember Mental Health Support Act (S. 2359)
Directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing detailing the mental health care referral policies of the military and making any related legislative recommendations deemed appropriate.
52. Government Accountability Office Study on the Process for Determining Cost-of-Living Allowances for Members of the Uniformed Services Assigned to the Continental United States, Hawaii, Alaska, and Overseas Locations
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on determining cost-of-living allowances for servicemembers, which includes the fairness of equity of the determination process and whether certain out-of-pocket expenses should be included in such calculations.
53. Sense of Congress on Access to Mental Health Services Through TRICARE
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and expresses Congress’s support for the Department of Defense’s efforts to ensure that members of the National Guard and their covered dependents enrolled in TRICARE have timely access to mental health services.
54. Report on Plan for Coverage of Certain Devices Capable of Preventing and Treating Migraines for Military Personnel
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing on whether to cover specific migraine prevention devices approved by the Food and Drug Administration capable of treating and preventing migraines for military personnel.
55. Annual Review and Update of Online Information Relating to Suicide Prevention
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and directs the Department of Defense to review and update online, publicly available information for suicide prevention efforts, including contact information, and to provide a briefing to Congress indicating the completion of this review and update.
56. Study on Non-Clinical Mental Health Services of the Department of Defense
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and directs the Department of Defense to provide a briefing regarding the Department’s non-clinical mental health services, encompassing how these programs are implemented across the Department, the distribution of non-clinical mental health professionals, their effectiveness, and recommendations for the future of non-clinical mental health programs including the Military and Family Life Counseling Program.
57. Report on Access to Breastfeeding Support
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and directs the Department of Defense to provide a report on breastfeeding support services offered by the Department, including sanitary expression, appropriate storage, and safe transport of breastmilk, and to provide clarity on how many servicewomen remain in need of breastfeeding support.
58. Report on Improving Fertility Support Services for Geographically Distant Servicemembers
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and directs the Department of Defense to provide a report that includes the number of servicemembers who have accessed fertility care at a military treatment facility (MTF), an analysis of commercial entities that provide fertility services, and estimated cost comparisons to Department facilities.
59. Report on TRICARE Coverage Issues for National Guardsmen and Reservists
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and addresses gaps in coverage and providers in TRICARE for National Guardsmen and Reservists who switch between TRICARE Reserve Select and TRICARE Prime as they shift to active-duty service and back. Such changes result in gaps that leave Reservists and National Guardsmen responsible for paying insurance deductibles multiple times yearly. In response, the Department of Defense will provide a report outlining the costs and feasibility of extending TRICARE coverage during transition periods, extending coverage to active duty servicemembers, waiving deductibles, and lowering the initial premium payment from a two-month to a one-month premium.
60. Protecting Widows of Servicemembers from Financial Exploitation
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and directs the Department of Defense to submit a report detailing the programs available to servicemembers and their families that provide financial advice. The report must also include the Department’s efforts to identify financial advisors’ qualifications and fiduciary responsibilities, efforts to decrease conflicts of interest with their non-Department of Defense positions, and whether these programs are duplicative of existing programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
61. Indoor Air Quality Monitoring and Remediation
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and directs the Department of Defense to prepare a plan for a pilot program to implement integrated air quality monitoring and remediation systems in military housing, healthcare facilities, and other facilities of the Department.
62. Comptroller General Report on Perinatal Mental Health in the Military
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and directs the Comptroller General to conduct a review of Department of Defense efforts to provide perinatal mental health services to members of the Armed Forces and their families, including a review of the specific training, certification, and resources the Defense Health Agency (DHA) makes available to obstetric and pediatric providers, and an assessment of the availability of perinatal mental health care within DHA facilities.
63. Report on Insurance for Military Housing Projects
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and directs the Department of Defense to provide a report on alternative insurance options for the construction and operation of military family housing and unaccompanied housing, noting that these insurance agreements were, in some cases, established over two decades ago.
64. Report on Military Enlistment with Dependents
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and directs the Department of Defense to provide a report on the cost and feasibility of implementing faster waiver processes for single-parent enlistment and the consideration of offering waivers for enlistment above the maximum allowable dependents based on spousal income.
65. Report on TRICARE Delays
This provision was included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act and directs the Department of Defense to provide a report to military treatment facilities that includes an accounting of access to care metrics for beneficiaries enrolled in TRICARE, a description of business rules for referrals to civilian providers, and potential options for increasing these referrals to improve access to care.