08/30/2026
30 August 2026 – AFSA Legislative Update
1. Too Few Eligibles Apply for Basic Needs Allowance. Military.com reports, “The Department of Defense created the Basic Needs Allowance in 2023 to address a problem that had been quietly acknowledged for years: Some active-duty families, particularly larger households at junior enlisted pay grades, were living below the federal poverty line despite a parent serving full-time in the military. The allowance is designed to close that gap, in the form of a monthly payment added to a service member's regular pay. In its first year, only 77 service members applied for and received it.
“What it Pays: The Basic Needs Allowance brings a qualifying household's gross income up to the eligibility threshold for their family size and location, rather than paying a flat amount. That threshold has moved considerably since the benefit launched. It started at 130 percent of federal poverty guidelines; the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act then required DoD to raise it to at least 150 percent; and current official guidance sets the eligibility threshold at 200 percent of the federal poverty threshold for the service member's family size and assigned duty location.”
To read more, including eligibility criteria, go to: The Basic Needs Allowance Can Add Hundreds to a Military Paycheck, But Few Apply
2. DoD Reports Sexual Assault, Harassment Incidents Trending Downward. The Military Times tells us, “The estimated number of sexual assaults on U.S. military personnel continued to decline in 2025, extending a downward trend that began in 2023. The Defense Department’s Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military, released Friday, estimated that 20,492 active-duty service members, including 9,860 women and 10,632 men, were sexually assaulted in the year preceding the fiscal year 2025 survey, down from 29,000 in 2023. The 2025 figures represent a drop in sexual assaults from roughly 35,900 in 2021.
“The assault estimates were derived from the department’s 2025 Workplace Experiences Survey that polls troops on various topics such as sexual assault and harassment, work climate, leadership and training.”
More on this at: Incidents of sexual assault, harassment continue to drop in US military, report finds
3. GAO Says DoD Underfunds Installation Maintenance Needs. According to the Military Times, “The Department of Defense does not request enough funding to fully meet its installation maintenance and major improvement needs, a Government Accountability Office report found. The department sought to fund 90% of its maintenance needs, but the GAO found that the services continue to request funding for only about 80% of their needs, according to the report released Friday. The funding shortfall led to an estimated $285 billion of maintenance backlogs in fiscal 2025.
“DOD has not fully determined the risks to its mission and to the quality of life of its personnel as a result of not meeting its funding goal,” the report reads. “Fully determining and communicating these risks would provide better information to DOD and Congress to weigh budget priorities.”
“GAO authors examined Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force military installations across the U.S. and its territories for this report.”
For the entire article, go to: Some military barracks ‘chronically neglected’ due to $285 billion in maintenance backlogs, GAO finds
You can view the complete GAO report at: Installation Maintenance: Better Information on Risks and Challenges Needed to Improve Oversight of DOD Facility Conditions | U.S. GAO
4. GAO Finds DoD Struggles to Identify and Support Military Kids with Specific Learning Disabilities. The Military Times reports, “A new GAO review found gaps at multiple stages of the Department of Defense Education Activity’s process for identifying and supporting students with specific learning disabilities, including screening, referrals, evaluations and instruction. GAO officials said those gaps can compound, affecting when students receive help and the quality of the services they receive.
“About 5% of DODEA’s roughly 60,000 full-time K-12 students had an identified specific learning disability during the 2024-25 school year, and the number of students identified with such disabilities increased 29% from 2018-19 through 2024-25, according to the latest GAO report. About 10% of DODEA students received strategic instruction, which provides short-term, small-group academic support. Specific learning disabilities include disorders such as dyslexia and dyscalculia that affect understanding language or performing mathematical calculations.”
Those interested can read more at: DoD schools struggle to identify, support military children with learning disabilities, GAO finds
GAO Report: GAO-26-108038, K-12 EDUCATION: Improved Oversight Could Help DOD Schools Better Support Students with Literacy and Math Skill Deficits
5. Reserve Component Fairness Act to End Military Retirement Inequity. According to the Website of Rep. Abraham J. Hamadeh, R-Ariz., “Congressman Abe Hamadeh (AZ-08) is introducing the Reserve Component Fairness Act, legislation to correct an inequity in military retirement rules that disadvantages veterans who served on regular active duty before transitioning to the National Guard or Reserve.
“Under current law, certain members of the Ready Reserve can reduce the age at which they receive Reserve retirement pay below age 60 by three months for every qualifying 90-day period of active service. However, that credit generally applies only to qualifying active-duty service performed while the service member was already affiliated with the Ready Reserve or National Guard. As a result, a veteran who serves several years on regular active duty before joining the Reserve can receive no credit toward a reduced retirement age for that prior qualifying service. Meanwhile, a reservist who performs the same qualifying active-duty service after joining the Ready Reserve can receive the full retirement-age reduction.
“The Reserve Component Fairness Act would allow qualifying active-duty service performed after January 28, 2008, before a service member joins the Ready Reserve to count toward reducing the age at which they can receive Reserve retirement pay.”
To read the press release, go to; Congressman Hamadeh to Introduce the Reserve Retirement Fairness Act to End Military Retirement Inequity | Congressman Abe Hamadeh
6. Claims Process Streamlined for Veterans Affected by 1973 NPRC Records Fire. A Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) news release informs us, “In July 1973, a massive fire broke out at the [National Personnel Records Center] NPRC near St. Louis, Missouri, destroying an estimated 16 to 18 million military personnel records. The fire mainly impacted Army Veterans discharged between 1912 and 1960, and Air Force Veterans discharged between 1947 and 1964 with last names starting with Hubbard through Z. For many of these Veterans, the records that burned may have contained crucial details about their military service and medical treatment—the kind of evidence often needed to support a disability claim decades later.
“What’s changing for Veterans: VA began using a more consistent, Veteran-friendly process last month. That process includes:
One packet, not repeated requests. Veterans will now receive a single, comprehensive packet at the start of the process containing both forms, so they only provide this information once. That packet will be saved and reused for all future development on their claim.
No more duplicate paperwork. If a Veteran has already submitted the required forms, claims processors won’t ask again—unless NPRC specifically says it needs new or different information that isn’t already on file.
Better visibility for VA staff. VA is improving how this information is organized and displayed internally, so all fire-related records and forms are easier to find in one place. Greater visibility reduces the chance of Veterans being asked to repeat themselves.”
For more on this, go to; Claims process streamlined for Veterans affected by 1973 NPRC records fire - VA News
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