Edward: Welcome to the MIL News Weekly for 26 October to 1 November
2025, your essential guide to the latest news impacting the
military and veteran community.
Whether you're currently serving in uniform, a military retiree, a veteran,
or a family member, this is your source for the critical updates you need to know.
Each week, we cut through the noise to bring you the most important developments
from the Pentagon, Capitol Hill, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Weâll cover everything from new policies and pay raises affecting
active and reserve forces, to changes in healthcare and benefits for
retirees, and the latest on VA services and legislation for our veterans.
Let's get you informed.
Hereâs whatâs happened this past week.
Issues That Affect Active and Reserve Military Personnel
The most acute crisis of the week centered on the financial
stability of the uniformed services.
Despite being classified as "excepted" employees who must report for duty,
active duty and reserve personnel faced the prospect of working
without pay as internal defense funds were quickly exhausted.
The Imminent Pay Crisis and Stop-Gap Measures
On Sunday, October 26, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued a
critical warning that active duty troops would begin missing paychecks
by November 15, 2025, if the ongoing government shutdown was not resolved.
Initial military paychecks disbursed earlier in the month were covered only
through desperate stop-gap measures.
These measures included the reallocation of unused Pentagon
research and development funds, authorized by the administration,
and the acceptance of a $130 million donation from a private donor.
Pentagon officials noted that these stop-gap funds covered only one prior
pay cycle, confirming that the resources intended to insulate the force from
the political dysfunction were rapidly depleting, setting a definitive
deadline for congressional action.
The financial strain on military families was already profound
before the November 15 deadline.
Reports indicated that military families were already seeking external
assistance from food banks and various support groups to help manage bills,
a direct consequence of the uncertain funding situation and delayed payment
deposits earlier in the month.
The timing of the financial disruption coincided with the peak season for
Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves, which affect approximately
400,000 military households annually.
Military spouses cited the added expense of moving, combined with the
instability of paychecks, as contributing to late fees, debt accumulation, and
significant administrative difficulty.
The necessity for high-profile private donations and the legislative
scrambling for narrow, standalone pay bills demonstrates a systemic
failure in guaranteeing reliable support for the current force.
When military personnelâwho are fulfilling their essential dutiesâare
subject to imminent financial stoppage caused by congressional gridlock, this
burden directly impacts morale and mission readiness, threatening the
long-term retention of experienced personnel in critical roles.
Legislative Efforts to Guarantee Military Pay
In an effort to mitigate the impending financial crisis, congressional
leaders advanced specific legislation aimed at guaranteeing compensation
for uniformed personnel and their immediate support staff.
H.R.
5401, the Pay Our Troops Act of 2026, was introduced to provide
continuing appropriations specifically for the compensation of the
Armed Forces, including reserve components performing active service.
Crucially, this legislation also extends funding to cover the pay of civilian
personnel and contractors working for the Department of Defense (DoD) and
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which includes the Coast Guard,
provided they are offering direct support to active service members.
If passed, the bill guarantees funding until full appropriations
legislation is enacted or until January 1, 2027, whichever comes first.
A similar, earlier measure, S.
876, the Pay Our Military Act of 2025, provided continuing appropriations for
FY2025 under the same terms, but was set to expire earlier, on January 1, 2026.
Neither bill contains provisions that directly affect the
benefits or compensation structures for military retirees.
The push for these specific military pay guarantees occurred amidst
a broader legislative standoff.
Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, planned to bring a stopgap
spending bill (a Continuing Resolution) to the House floor to fund the
government through November 21, 2025.
However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, and other
Democrats voiced opposition, conditioned on the inclusion of an extension
of Affordable Care Act tax breaks.
The inability of Congress to pass a comprehensive funding measure by
consensus forces these narrow, piecemeal funding bills that leave the majority
of federal operations, and many military support functions, in jeopardy.
Installation and Operational Adjustments
The reliance on these temporary funding measures and the forced
furlough of non-excepted employees severely constrained daily
operations on military installations.
Guidance issued by the DoD indicated an expectation to furlough
approximately half of the agencyâs 741,477 civilian employees, leading
to substantial service cuts.
Operational impacts varied widely by installation but included
significant disruptions to family and community services.
At Fort Riley, Kansas, the general Army Community Services office, the
outreach/mobilization office, and the Soldier and Family Assistance
Center were all forced to close.
Child care services saw mixed results: Fort Riley managed to keep five Child
Development Centers (CDCs) operational, but the Whitside North CDC, which
offers hourly care, was closed.
Conversely, Kadena Air Base in Japan reported that its child
and youth programs remained open.
The shutdown also impacted essential administrative functions,
particularly those related to the high volume of annual troop movements.
Government housing offices reported having a "diminished" ability to
provide oversight and advocacy for military personnel during inspections
of privatized housing, affecting crucial move-in and move-out procedures.
This diminished capacity, combined with the financial stress of the
PCS process, created a cycle of difficulty for moving families.
A separate, pressing concern involved military commissaries.
Defense Department officials granted an exception allowing all military
commissaries to remain operational by drawing upon cash reserves held
in the Defense Working Capital Fund.
However, this is not a permanent solution.
Officials warned that if these cash reserves were exhaustedâa projection
pointed toward December 5, 2025âthe agency would be compelled to close
168 stateside commissaries, retaining only those in overseas and remote U.S.
locations.
In other significant operational news, the week included the official
designation of October 26, 2025, as the "Day of the Deployed,"
supported by House Resolution 828.
The resolution recognizes the profound service of military members
deployed since September 11, 2001, and specifically acknowledges the
"tremendous sacrifices" of their families.
Meanwhile, the use of federal forces for domestic actions continued to expand.
In October 2025, President Trump authorized the deployment of
federal troops, primarily National Guard members, in Chicago.
These actions, framed by the administration as addressing crime
and illegal immigration, are part of a broader expansion of military domestic
roles that have been heavily scrutinized by critics who cite potential abuses
of power and violations of the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits military
involvement in domestic law enforcement.
Issues That Affect Retired Military Personnel
For military retirees, the narrative was one of stability and guaranteed benefits,
starkly contrasting with the immediate funding crises facing active-duty members.
The most significant financial news of the week cemented benefit
reliability for the coming year.
Guaranteed Retirement Benefits and Cost-of-Living Adjustment
A critical distinction during the government shutdown is that military
and federal retirement benefits operate on mandatory funding and
thus continue without interruption.
Retired military personnel continued to receive their retirement payments
throughout the shutdown period.
However, it was acknowledged that the processing of new retirement applications
or requests for changes could be delayed due to reduced agency staffing.
The financial stability of retirees was further secured by the announcement of
the 2026 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA).
On October 24, 2025, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that
the COLA for 2026 would be set at 2.8
percent.
This announcement, which had been delayed by nine days due to the shutdown, is
crucial because the COLA rate applies automatically to military retired pay,
as well as to veteransâ disability compensation and Dependency and
Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits.
The 2.8
percent adjustment, calculated based on the Consumer Price Index to ensure
benefits keep pace with inflation, will take effect starting in January 2026.
This adjustment will result in tangible increases for retirees.
For instance, a military retiree receiving a monthly retired pay of
$2,500 will see their benefit increase by approximately $70 per month.
This 2026 rate of 2.8
percent is slightly higher than the 2025 COLA of 2.5
percent.
The certainty afforded by the COLA announcementâa long-term measure
of financial security guaranteed by mandatory funding structuresâstands
in sharp relief against the short-term crisis facing active-duty families.
This stability-crisis paradox means that political dysfunction that
directly harms current troops fails to impact the financial security
of those who have already retired.
TRICARE Open Season and Program Updates
Beneficiaries were advised to prepare for the annual TRICARE Open Season,
the period during which they can enroll in or make changes to their health
coverage for the following calendar year.
TRICARE Open Season 2025 was scheduled to commence on Monday, November 10, 2025,
and conclude on Tuesday, December 9, 2025.
All coverage adjustments made during this time will become
effective on January 1, 2026.
Defense Health Agency (DHA) officials advised beneficiaries to use the online
TRICARE Plan Finder and Compare Plans Tool to evaluate their options, particularly
differentiating between structured options like TRICARE Prime and more
flexible plans such as TRICARE Select.
Notably, 2026 cost figures for out-of-pocket expenses and premiums,
including those for premium-based plans such as TRICARE Reserve Select and
TRICARE Retired Reserve, will be posted online prior to the start of Open Season.
These costs are directly impacted by the recently announced COLA.
Specific policy changes were also noted for TRICARE Young Adult (TYA) coverage.
Effective October 1, 2025, surviving young adult dependents of deceased
Selected Reserve (SelRes) members became eligible to purchase TYA coverage
using survivor (retiree) cost-shares, extending up to three years after
the service memberâs death or until the dependent reaches the age of 26,
provided the service memberâs death occurred on or after October 1, 2025.
Legislative Debate on Retroactive Pay for Federal Civilian Employees
The financial fate of the furloughed federal civilian workforce, a group
that includes future retirees and essential civilian support staff
for the DoD and VA, was a key legislative debate during this period.
The central conflict revolved around the interpretation of the Government
Employee Fair Treatment Act (GEFTA).
Draft memoranda originating from the Office of Management and Budgetâs (OMB)
General Counsel, intended for Director Russell Vought, asserted that GEFTA does
not automatically guarantee retroactive pay to furloughed federal employees.
This perspective argues that Congress must include express language specifically
appropriating funds for back pay within the legislation that ends
the current lapse in appropriations, or such payments cannot be made.
This position significantly raised the political stakes for civilian employees
waiting for the shutdown resolution.
In the Senate, three competing bills were debated, addressing
compensation during the ongoing crisis
: S.
3012, the Shutdown Fairness Act: Proposed by Senator Ron Johnson, Republican
of Wisconsin, this bill sought to pay only those federal employees deemed
"excepted" (those who are working without pay) during the shutdown.
S.
3039, the True Shutdown Fairness Act: Introduced by Senator Chris Van
Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, this bill was more expansive, proposing
to include payment to furloughed federal employees and contractors.
It also included a provision restricting reductions-in-force (RIFs)
initiated in response to the shutdown.
S.
3043, the Military and Federal Employee Protection Act: Proposed by Senator
Gary Peters, Democrat of Michigan, this bill sought to provide payment
for work already performed by both excepted and furloughed employees.
Organizations like the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association
(NARFE) voiced strong support for measures covering all employees, favoring S.
3039 and S.
3043 because they specifically address furloughed staff.
The argument supporting the retroactive pay for furloughed staff transcends
simple fairness; it is seen as a necessary measure for long-term talent retention.
The recurring financial uncertainty caused by periodic political dysfunction
creates a risk that employees critical to agency missionsâincluding those
who process future retirement claims and provide support servicesâwill
depart federal service, ultimately damaging the quality and efficiency of
services provided to future retirees.
Issues That Affect Veterans Affairs
Despite the nationwide government shutdown, the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) demonstrated strong resilience, largely maintaining critical
services and continuing the aggressive implementation of the PACT Act.
Continuity of Benefits and Services
The structure of VA funding allowed the agency to continue the
vast majority of its operations.
An estimated 97 percent of VA employees remained working during the shutdown
to provide essential services.
Core services that remained fully operational included VA medical
centers, outpatient clinics, and Vet Centers, which continued to operate
with unaffected working hours.
Furthermore, essential benefitsâcompensation, pension, education,
and housing benefitsâcontinued to be processed and delivered, ensuring
the financial lifeline for veterans and their families remained intact.
For disabled veterans, benefit payments for November were
confirmed to be proceeding normally.
Since the usual payment date of November 30, 2025, falls on a weekend,
the November disability compensation payments were scheduled to be
deposited on Monday, December 1, 2025.
These payments will reflect the 2026 COLA adjustment starting
in the January 2026 payments.
However, some non-essential services were temporarily
curtailed due to the funding lapse.
Noteworthy services that ceased included VA benefits regional offices being
closed, transition program assistance and career counseling being temporarily
halted, and all grounds maintenance and placement of permanent headstones
at VA cemeteries being suspended.
Despite the regional office closures, veterans were assured that Veterans
of Foreign Wars (VFW) Accredited Service Officers retained the ability
to assist veterans with claims remotely via internet connection.
The PACT Act: High Volume Claims and Transparency
The implementation of the PACT Act, which expands health care and
benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic
substances, continued at a record pace.
This legislative change has driven an unprecedented surge in claims.
The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) is on pace to process 2.5
million disability claims by the end of 2025, which exceeds the agency's
2024 output by half a million.
To manage the historic claims volume and reduce a persistent backlog of
approximately 200,000 applications, the VA reinstated mandatory overtime
for its VBA employees in May 2025.
Specifically, Veterans Service Representatives (VSRs) and Rating
Veterans Service Representatives (RVSRs) are required to log 25 hours
of mandatory overtime each month.
A notable administrative change concerning PACT Act transparency
was announced in October 2025.
The VA reported that, starting with Fiscal Year 2026, it would move
the publication of the PACT Act Performance Dashboard from a monthly
to a quarterly publication schedule.
The first quarterly report, covering October through December 2025, is
scheduled for release in January 2026.
This shift in reporting frequency, occurring precisely when the VA is
under maximum stress handling a historic claims volume through mandatory overtime,
raises questions about public oversight.
While the VA cites a commitment to transparency, reducing the frequency
of public reporting may make it more difficult for stakeholders to track
real-time progress on claims backlogs and processing capacity during
this critical implementation phase.
Debate on Claims System Reform
The record-breaking volume of claims driven by the PACT Act has brought the
disability compensation system under intense public and legislative scrutiny.
On October 29, 2025, the U.S.
Senate Committee on Veteransâ Affairs convened a hearing titled "Putting
Veterans First: Is the Current VA Disability System Keeping Its Promise?".
The American Legion submitted a Statement for the Record (SFR)
to the committee, advocating for necessary reforms and defending the
integrity of the claims process.
Veterans Claims Disability Specialist Marty Callaghan submitted the SFR,
utilizing the forum to strongly criticize external reports that characterized
the rise in disability benefits as a âbonanzaâ and disparaged legitimate
claims for common disabilities such as tinnitus, migraines, and trauma.
The statement argued that such criticisms erroneously reduced claims for legitimate
service-related illnesses and injuries.
The American Legion countered that the increase in claims volume and
expenditure is not evidence of veterans exploiting the system, but rather a
direct result of Congress intentionally requiring the VA to enhance outreach
and increase online resources.
The contemporary veteran population simply possesses far more information
regarding their earned benefits than at any point in the nation's
history, leading to a legitimate and expected increase in claims.
This strong defense of the claims system integrity is vital, as it
serves to protect the benefits system from potential future legislative or
administrative attempts to restrict access to conditions newly granted
presumptive status under the PACT Act.
And that's your Weekly Briefing.
Staying on top of these changes is key to navigating your career,
your retirement, and your benefits.
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Weâll be back next week with another roundup of the news that matters most
to the military and veteran community.