Biden Celebrates Wins for Troops, Military Families

As Commander in Chief, President Biden made clear that as a nation, we have a truly sacred obligation to prepare and equip those we send into harm's way, and to care for them and their families while they are deployed and when they return home. Throughout his career, he has championed efforts to improve support for our military. And, as President, he made supporting service members, veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors, a key pillar of his Unity Agenda for the nation. The Biden-Harris Administration advanced bold and comprehensive actions to improve the lives of our service members, their families, and their survivors.

• Strengthening pay and food security for military members and families. The DoD raised base pay for service members almost 14.5% since January 2021, with the help of Congress. Additionally, the DoD published the Strengthening Food Security in the Force: Strategy and Roadmap report outlining more than 50 actions and subsequent progress made across the Department to improve Service members' access to nutritious, affordable food. This includes creating Dietitian-Approved Fueling Stations that are increasing healthy food options across DOD dining facilities and vending machines and enabling online shopping and curbside pickup service at its commissaries to now accept SNAP payments online. And the Administration enhanced and expanded access to the Basic Needs Allowance (BNA), which helps low-income military households better afford basic needs. DOD increased the eligibility threshold from 130 to 200 percent of federal policy guidelines and excluded federal food assistance programs from Service members' gross household income calculations making it easier for them to qualify for and receive a higher BNA.
• Addressing historical inequity. The Biden-Harris Administration took action to right several historic wrongs in the treatment of minorities by exonerating 110 Black Soldiers and 256 Sailors who were wrongly convicted and discharged, paving the way for these former service members to have their military discharges upgraded. It also awarded military medals, including the Medal of Honor, to deserving service members who had previously not received a medal due to racial bias.
• Reforming the military justice system to better protect survivors. The President led the most comprehensive transformation of the military justice system since the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) since 1950. Since 2021, President Biden issued three Executive Orders to implement historic, bipartisan reforms passed by Congress in National Defense Authorization Acts from Fiscal Years 2022-2024. Under the President's leadership, the Administration transferred key decision-making authorities from commanders to specialized, independent military prosecutors in cases of sexual assault, domestic violence, murder, and other serious offenses; modernized procedures to better protect victims and promote fairness before, during and after court-martial proceedings; reformed the court-martial sentencing system to promote uniformity and fairness; and criminalized the broadcast or distribution of intimate images. These changes fundamentally shifted how the military justice system responds to sexual assault, domestic violence, and other crimes, strengthening the military justice system's response to gender‑based violence.
• In addition, DOD made record investments in sexual assault prevention and survivor support, more than doubling annual funding from $500 million to more than $1 billion in 2024 for these lifesaving services. This work made a difference: for the first time in nearly a decade, rates of sexual assault and harassment within the active-duty force declined-with a nearly 19% drop in the number of service members who reported experiencing unwanted sexual contact since 2021.
• Expanding access to health care for women service members and veterans. The Administration took action to defend access to reproductive health care for service members and veterans and to improve maternal health outcomes. DoD issued new policies to support Service members and their families' ability to travel for lawful reproductive health care, to bolster Service members' privacy, and to afford Service members the time and space needed to make personal health care decisions. DoD also expanded walk-in contraceptive care services for active-duty Service members and other Military Health System beneficiaries and eliminated TRICARE copays for certain contraceptive services. VA revised its regulations to provide abortion counseling and, in certain circumstances, abortion care to veterans and VA beneficiaries and eliminated out-of-pocket costs for certain types of contraception through the Civilian Health and Medical Program. DoD and VA also expanded eligibility for in vitro fertilization services for certain Service members and veterans. And VA expanded maternity care for veterans, who now have access to maternity care coordinators through 12 months postpartum, helping connect veterans with care after delivery, follow-up screenings, and mental health support.
• Addressing the root causes of military and veteran suicide. Since releasing a comprehensive public health strategy for reducing military and veteran suicide, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to improve suicide prevention efforts. We launched the first ever federal lethal means safety campaign to encourage service members and veterans to securely store their firearms because time and space between a firearm and someone in crisis saves lives. As of October 2024, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has provided no-cost life-saving care to more than 82,000 veterans at risk of suicide since the program began. VA awarded over $150 million in grants for community-based organizations to deliver or coordinate suicide prevention programs and services for veterans and their family members. Because economic and financial uncertainty can increase the risk of suicide, VA launched the National Veterans Financial Resource Center earlier this year to provide veterans and their families with a one-stop website to locate tools and resources to improve financial wellbeing. The DOD also announced several actions to advance the recommendations made by the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee and invested historic resources to prevent military suicide.
• Addressing the harmful effects of military toxic exposures. For far too long, service members and veterans have suffered health effects associated with toxic exposures like Agent Orange, radiation, and burn pits. In 2021, VA expanded the respiratory conditions considered service connected for exposure to burn pits. Then, in 2022, President Biden enacted the PACT Act, the most significant expansion of benefits and services for toxic exposed veterans. Earlier this month, VA announced it added more cancers to the list of those considered presumptive for burn pit exposure, lowering the burden of proof for veterans to get access to benefits. To date, over 1.2 million veterans and 12,000 survivors are getting access to disability benefits.
• Supporting LGBTQI+ service members and veterans. In his first week in office, the President rescinded the discriminatory ban on transgender service members. In October 2024, DoD announced that it concluded its proactive review of discharge records for former service members who had received a less than honorable discharge due to their sexual orientation under Don't Ask, Don't Tell. As a result of DoD's new actions, 96% of individuals who were administratively separated on the basis of their sexual orientation and who served for long enough to receive a merit-based characterization of service now have an honorable discharge. In addition, this past spring, VA expanded access to care and benefits for some former Service members who received a less than honorable discharge based on homosexual conduct. Furthermore, in June 2024, President Biden issued a categorical pardon for certain former Service members convicted of crimes based on their sexual orientation.
• Championing military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors. In June 2023, the President, alongside Dr. Biden, signed an Executive Order on Advancing Economic Security for Military and Veteran Spouses, Military Caregivers, and Survivors. This Executive Order is the most comprehensive set of administrative actions any President has directed to support military spouses, and it included nearly 20 new actions aimed at enhancing career stability, expanding employment resources, and improving transition assistance support for military-connected spouses.
• Federal hiring and retention. In February 2024, the Administration released the first Government-wide Military-Connected Strategic Plan (MCP), for fiscal years 2024 to 2028. The MCP establishes a framework for federal agencies to recruit, hire, and retain military and veteran spouses, caregivers, and survivors by addressing military families' unique challenges. Additionally, OPM released The Guide to Recruiting and Hiring Military Spouses, a toolkit published by Joining Forces. Agencies integrated the toolkit into their recruitment efforts, establishing Career Resource Sites to provide targeted job listings, training, and support.
• On April 17, 2024, DoD and the Department of State (DoS) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to enhance the Domestic Employees Teleworking Overseas (DETO) program. The agreement streamlines the approval process, refines safety protocols, and strengthens support for military spouses working remotely from overseas. Additionally, in November 2024, DoS released official federal guidance for DETO program implementation.
• On January 1, 2024, DoD fully implemented Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (DCFSAs) for active-duty service members, allowing military families to use pretax funds for childcare and elder care expenses, enhancing economic security.
• In the fall of 2024 DoD implemented universal Pre-K in 80 DoDEA schools. The remaining 10 schools require facility improvements, five of which will open in fall 2025 and five to open within three years.
• In April 2023, DoD increased access and affordability of military child care, which was included in the Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers, by reducing DoD childcare fees up to 40% and expanding access through the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood-PLUS (MCCYN-PLUS) program to 14 additional states (beyond where it was initially launched in Maryland and Virginia).
• In November 2024, VA issued a proposed rule that would expand eligibility for service members and veterans to qualify for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers, implementing a key deliverable from the President's Executive Order.
• Protected service members, veterans, and their families from predatory actors. In 2023, veterans, military personnel, and their families reported $477 million in losses to fraud. Last November, the President announced the new Veteran Scam and Fraud Evasion (VSAFE) Task Force to better protect veterans and their families against these scams. In 2024, VSAFE released several resources to cut down on any confusion, and get veterans, service members, and their family members routed to the best support as effectively and efficiently as possible. A centralized website, VSAFE.gov, is a fraud prevention, response, and reporting information hub. Information from across federal agencies can be accessed in one place, making it easy for veterans, service members, and their families to find out more about different kinds of fraud, to get assistance, and to report. A single shared call line, 833-38V-SAFE, will connect veterans, service members, and their families with the best agency to handle their report and get help.