MIL News Weekly

MIL News Weekly 15-21 Mar 2026 (Episode 42)
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[00:00:00] Welcome and Overview
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Welcome to the MIL News Weekly for dd-dd month June 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. We’ll 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. Here’s what’s happened this past week.

[00:00:41]  Issues That Affect Active and Reserve Military Personnel
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Issues That Affect Active and Reserve Military Personnel

[00:00:44] Shutdown Pay Protection
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As of 20 March 2026, tens of thousands of Department of Homeland Security employees, including the Coast Guard, were facing their third consecutive missed paycheck due to a funding stalemate in Congress that began back on 14 February 2026. This has brought renewed [00:01:00] attention to the Shutdown Fairness Act (H.R. 7137 / S. 3168) ( https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7137)

This bipartisan legislation, led in the House by Representatives Dusty Johnson and Josh Gottheimer, aims to ensure that federal employees, active-duty military personnel, and reservists receive their pay on time and in full during any future government shutdowns. The bill comprehensively defines "covered individuals" to include active-duty members and reserve component members performing training, and it appropriates the necessary funds from the U.S. Treasury to bypass the standard appropriations process during a lapse.

For active-duty personnel, this bill means they are no longer "political hostages" during budget fights; their pay and allowances would be guaranteed even if Congress fails to pass a budget by the 30 September deadline. The importance of financial stability for our troops was also highlighted by the finalization of the "Warrior Dividend" during this period.

[00:01:55] Pentagon Press Access Ruling
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On 20 March 2026, U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman issued a [00:02:00] landmark ruling against the Pentagon. The New York Times had sued Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over a restrictive press credentialing policy that essentially forced reporters to agree to government-dictated rules or lose access to the building. Judge Friedman ruled that the policy violated the First and Fifth Amendments, stating that "governmental suppression of political speech" endangers national security.

The judge ordered the Pentagon to reinstate the credentials of seven New York Times journalists and applied the ruling to "all regulated parties," effectively reopening the Pentagon to independent media during this time of war. For our service members, this means the story of their actions is told by a free press, which the court deemed essential for an informed public.

[00:02:41]  Issues That Affect Retired Military Personnel
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Issues That Affect Retired Military Personnel

For many retirees, the transition from the military doesn't mean leaving public service; it means moving into the federal civil service. This week, a critical piece of legislation gained momentum to protect those very individuals from the shifting winds of political administration and [00:03:00] civil service reform.

Veteran and Military Families First Act (S. 1068)

( Source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1068)

Also known as the Putting Veterans First Act of 2025, this bill was introduced by Senator Richard Blumenthal and twenty co-sponsors. It provides sweeping job security for veterans, military spouses, and caregivers who are current federal employees. Specifically, the bill renders "without force or effect" any removal, demotion, or suspension of these individuals that occurred during the civil service restructuring period beginning 20 January 2025. For a retiree working at the VA or the Pentagon, this bill offers back pay and the immediate resumption of benefits if they were caught in administrative purges. It also creates a "group of five" rule, prohibiting the removal of more than five veterans or military family members on the same day without extensive oversight, effectively blocking mass layoffs targeted at the veteran workforce.

This legislation is essentially a shield for retirees against the implementation of policies like "Schedule F," which seek to make [00:04:00] career civil service positions easier to reclassify and terminate. By anchoring the rights of veterans in federal law, S. 1068 ensures that the hard-earned experience of military retirees remains a stable part of the government’s operational backbone. We are also following a major legal update regarding the GI Bill that could mean thousands of dollars for retirees and their families.

[00:04:23] GI Bill Lawsuit Update
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On 19 March 2026, the attorneys general of all fifty states and several territories filed a friends-of-the-court brief supporting retirees in their fight for extended education benefits. The heart of the issue is the VA’s "cramped reading" of the Supreme Court’s Rudisill decision. While the court ruled that veterans who earned benefits under both the Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bills are entitled to up to 48 months of coverage, the VA has been denying claims, arguing the extra 12 months only applies to those with a specific "break in service".

For a retiree like the ones represented in this suit, who served as both enlisted and officers, the difference is [00:05:00] huge—sometimes more than a year’s worth of benefits that they expected to transfer to their children.

[00:05:05] DFAS and COLA Changes
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The state attorneys general are telling the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims that the VA’s denial "cannot be squared with Rudisill's clear reasoning". On the administrative side, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, or DFAS, has released several updates this week to modernize how retirees manage their affairs.

Smart Wizard for DD Form 2656: This is a new web-based tool designed specifically for "Gray Area" retirees to simplify the application for retired pay.

The myAuth Transition: The Department of War is moving away from DS Logon and transitioning all retirees to "myAuth," a new digital credential system intended to be a more secure, single sign-on for all online benefits and records.

Electronic Payment Mandate: Following Executive Order 14247, DFAS is pushing all remaining retirees who receive paper checks to switch to electronic [00:06:00] direct deposit to ensure payment security and speed, especially critical during potential funding gaps. Retirees are also seeing the impact of the 2.8% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) that went into effect at the start of 2026. While this provides a modest boost to monthly checks, there is a looming concern regarding dental and vision premiums.

Legislative updates from 15-21 March 2026 suggest that premium changes are pending, which may require retirees to re-evaluate their TRICARE enrollment during the next open season.Lastly, we saw a deeply moving moment of heritage on 21 March 2026, at the White Sands Missile Range.

[00:06:40] Bataan Memorial March
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The 37th Annual Bataan Memorial Death March drew thousands of participants, including many retirees who march to honor the WWII defenders of the Philippines. One officer from Fort Drum, Lieutenant Colonel Adam Karlewicz, noted that he marched because his spouse and children are Filipino, highlighting the personal connections many retirees [00:07:00] maintain to the historical legacy of the U.S. military. For retirees, these events are not just about fitness; they are about the "unbreakable spirit of the human will" and ensuring that the sacrifices of previous generations are never forgotten.

[00:07:14]  Issues That Affect Veterans Affairs
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Issues That Affect Veterans Affairs

Our final section focuses on the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is currently the center of a massive legislative and administrative storm. On 18 March 2026, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a marathon legislative hearing to review twenty-seven different bills. The goal of Committee Chairman Mike Bost is to bundle these into a single, massive reauthorization package to modernize the delivery of healthcare, benefits, and infrastructure. One of the most impactful bills in this package is the VISN Reform Act of 2025 (H.R. 6733). ( https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6733)

This bill would radically change the VA’s management map, consolidating the current eighteen Veterans Integrated Service Networks, or VISNs, down to just eight [00:08:00] geographically defined regions. Each of these eight new VISNs would have a single headquarters co-located with a medical facility and would be capped at no more than fifty full-time employees. For the average veteran, this reform is intended to cut through the "middle management" that the GAO and Inspector General have criticized for years. By standardizing how these networks operate, the bill aims to ensure that healthcare policies are applied consistently across the country, rather than having different standards in every region.

Hand-in-hand with this is another major piece of legislation from the 18 March 2026 hearing, the VA National Formulary Act of 2025 (H.R. 6580) ( https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6580)

Sponsored by Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, this bill would codify and improve the VA’s national drug formulary. It mandates that the formulary be implemented uniformly across all VA facilities, prohibiting individual VISNs or medical centers from maintaining their own "local" drug lists that might restrict access to certain medications. [00:09:00] For veterans, this means if a specific drug is approved nationally, you shouldn't be told it’s "not on the list" at your local clinic. It also sets a goal of aligning VA drug availability with Health Care Industry standards, potentially opening up access to newer, innovative treatments more quickly. We also saw a significant funding announcement this week regarding veteran mental health.

[00:09:21] Mental Health Grants and GI Bill Cap
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On 18 March 2026, the VA announced a 112-million-dollar grant opportunity through the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program. This program is critical because it targets the sixty percent of veterans who die by suicide and are not currently enrolled in VHA healthcare. These "Fox Grants" empower community-based organizations to find those veterans before they reach a crisis point. In 2025, this program saw a thirty-one percent increase in the number of individuals served, and nearly ninety-two percent of veterans at elevated risk reported a decrease in risk factors after receiving help through these community [00:10:00] partners.

However, there is also some pushback on other legislative fronts. H.R. 5634 is a bill that would establish a 100,000-dollar cap on Post-9/11 GI Bill funds that can be used for flight training programs at public universities. While the bill allows for annual inflation adjustments, it represents a new limit on a benefit that many veterans used to pursue high-cost aviation careers. Supporters argue it controls costs, but for a veteran in a flight program starting after 1 August 2026, it could mean having to find other ways to fund the final stages of their training. Finally, we have to touch on the research breakthroughs reported this week.

[00:10:37] Agent Orange and Ratings Shift
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The VA has officially acknowledged new medical research linking Agent Orange exposure to skin cancer, a finding that will likely lead to expanded presumptive service connections for Vietnam-era veterans. At the same time, the VA is facing a "controversial" shift in how it handles disability ratings for managed symptoms, particularly for conditions like sleep apnea. Veteran Service [00:11:00] Organizations are watching this closely, as any change to the rating schedule could impact the monthly compensation for hundreds of thousands of disabled veterans.

[00:11:08] Wrap Up and Subscribe
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And that's your Weekly Briefing. Staying on top of these changes is key to navigating your career, your retirement, and your benefits.

Thank you for tuning in. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, so you never miss an update. We’ll be back next week with another roundup of the news that matters most to the military and veteran community.