On March 26, 2020, the Senate passed the Ryan Kules and Paul Benne Specially Adaptive Housing Improvement Act of 2019. This was a different version of the bill which the House passed on July 23, 2019. With the Senate changes the bill is now at the House where it is waiting a final vote. The bill changes the current program by allowing blind veterans to use the program, increases funding from about $85,000 to about $98,000, and it extends access to the funding from three times to six times.

According to the news release from Senator Jerry Moran’s (R-Kan.) office who sponsored a Senate version of the bill with Senator Kyrsten Sineme (D-Ariz.), the bill was introduced to expand Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) eligibility for seriously injured or ill veterans. It was named after Army Colonel (Ret.) Paul Benne, MD, MPH. The companion legislation was introduced by U.S. Representatives Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), David Roe (TN-01) and Mike Levin (CA-49),to the House and named the Ryan Kules Specially Adaptive Housing Improvement Act of 2019.

“This legislation will serve veterans who may need similar assistance to that received by Colonel Benne by expanding SAH eligibility qualifications for seriously ill or injured veterans,” said Sen. Moran. “This modernized and expanded grant program will allow veterans to utilize vital SAH grants in a way that best fit their needs – providing greater support and improving the quality of life for many of our nation’s veterans. Thank you to Colonel Benne and his wife, Christine, for their decades of selfless service to our nation and for their advocacy, resiliency and willingness to share their story, which will undoubtedly help many veterans in the future.”

“Many veterans carry wounds from their service that make everyday life more challenging,” said Sen. Sinema.“That is why our bill is so important; it breaks down barriers and helps veterans access the specially adaptive housing benefits they’ve earned.”

Col. (Ret.) Benne received a rating of 100 percent disabled when he retired from the U.S. Army after 23 years due to a medical condition. He applied for a SAH grant to help pay for the costs of making his home wheelchair adaptable. After trying for more than a year to receive a grant through this program he reached out to Sen. Moran’s office for assistance. After three months Sen. Moran’s office was able to help Benne achieve a favorable decision on his claim. The legislation was developed to help other veterans facing the same issues Benne had while navigating the process. At the time Benne said, “Sen. Moran is good about putting veterans first. “This SAH grant has given me the ability to stay at home and my family the ability to better care for me. As my disease continues to change, the ability to change my surroundings will be met with this legislation.”

Currently Blind Veterans do not have access to an SAH grant. This bill will allow them to participate in the grant program. Some technology used to adapt a blind person’s home includes safer cooktops, voice-activated thermostats and for those with poor vision special lighting and window treatments.

The bill will also provide access to SAH grants more times for disabled Veterans. This is needed so that when a Veteran moves to a bigger home to accommodate a growing family or moving due to a new job they will have a grant to help with the cost of adapting the new home such as widening hallways and doorways, adding wheelchair ramps or lowing countertops to accommodate a wheelchair. Also, some modifications need upkeep over time such as replacing a wheelchair ramp.

The urgency of getting bills like this passed for our veterans really hit home when Col. (Ret.) Paul Benne for whom this bill was named died in December 2019 at the age of 54.

Marguerite Cleveland is a freelance writer who specializes in human interest and travel stories. She is a military brat, a veteran and now a military spouse.  Her military experience is vast as the daughter of a Navy man who served as an enlisted sailor and then Naval Officer. She served as an enlisted soldier in the reserves and on active duty, then as an Army Officer. She currently serves as a military spouse. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Visit her website www.PeggyWhereShouldIGo.com

Military troops and federal employees, to varying degrees, cannot use their roles, positions, uniforms or jobs to support or demean any political party, movement or elected official at the federal and state level. Basically, what it means is that troops can’t say they support or oppose someone while in uniform.

But where does that leave the spouses of military personnel?

Can Military Spouses Be Vocally Politically Active?

Quick answer: yes. You, as an American, citizen have the right to exercise your First Amendment right to free speech during election season.

You can speak out about your political views, support your candidates of choice and join any political marches or protests you’d like.

There are also limits to what you, the non-serving spouse, may display at your home or on your car.

For example, bumper stickers on cars are totally fine, according to an article on The Balance Careers. However, military members, and their families by extension, should avoid large signs, posters or banners on cars, in yards or in homes are not allowed.

Military spouses who also hold a federal job, like a DODEA teacher, also fall under the Hatch Act. The rules regulating political speech and activity are similar to those that military troops must follow. Basically, don’t use your role or position as a federal employee to promote anything politically.

Many Military Spouses Fear Repercussions for Political Views

While military spouses can be visibly politically active, it seems that many abstain out of fear.

Articles on MilitarySpouse, NextGenMilSpouse and Military Families all noted that many spouses avoided being political in order to maintain the status quo. Some have felt that their politics were outside the “norm” or might prevent their spouse from being promoted.

However, your political activity should not impact your spouse’s career since you do not fall under the same political speech regulations as active duty troops.

If you feel more comfortable avoiding political discussions, that is your choice to make. You should not feel as though your political views will impact your spouse’s military career.

Ways You Can Get Politically Involved

Military spouses can get be politically involved in whatever way feels comfortable to you.

Before you jump into the fray, do a little research. Know your political views and research your positions. The Pew Research Center has a comprehensive assessment to help determine which political views, and candidates, match your opinions.

Then reach out to the local organizing committee in your current area. It’s as simple as searching for “political party + location” online. Send an email or use their contact form to get involved. Political organizers are always looking for volunteers!

Finally, follow through. Stay involved and up-to-date on the issues surrounding the upcoming election. Reading newspapers and watching news broadcasts from across the political spectrum can be useful in helping to create an informed opinion.

Military spouses can even run for local office wherever you are stationed. Homefront Rising is a grassroots organization associated with the Military Spouse JD Network to help facilitate this process.

Have you been politically active as a military spouse? Share your experience in the comments!

I’ve been living the military life for over a decade now. In that time, we’ve lived all over the world, including homes both on and off military bases.

While living on base definitely has it’s perks, like being completely surrounded by a community that “gets” situations unique to military life, I’m a strong advocate for living off base whenever possible.

The Case for Living Off Base

Don’t get me wrong. We’ve enjoyed living in base housing. Being surrounded by mostly caring military families who understand about TDYs and deployments is great.

However, living on base, to me at least, means that my spouse is living where he works. He, and by extension our whole family, is constantly surrounded by military colleagues.

Again, that’s great when you need to have the always awkward “will you be my emergency contact” conversation with a person you met three seconds ago.

Still, living inside the military bubble 24/7 is a lot.

We Were Really Never Off Duty

From here on out, I’m going to use “we” because when our family has lived on base, we have been way more tied to everything about my husband’s military job. Every second of every day is consumed with military-centered realities.

There is no time for him to be “off.” Sure, there are weekends and he can take leave. Which is great and much needed.

But also, he’s still shaving every day and prepping for the inevitable moment when we run into his CO randomly.

Shop talk is always happening. There is never a chance to just talk-talk, to talk about literally anything other than the military life. All of his conversations when we’ve living on base seem to revolve about work – even on weekends or when he’s on leave.

He is never not on duty, which means we are also always on duty. There is no break, no complete separation between work life and home life. Everything is military 24/7.

Off Base Living Gives Us Space to Breathe

Right now, we live off base. We’re coming off of three years of living in military housing OCONUS.

We needed a break from being constantly “on.”

Sure, he’s still “on” duty and reachable by phone or email 24/7. But it feels different than when his boss lived just down the street. He has to leave our living space to physically go to work or have work conversations. It’s no longer an in-passing situation.

I can see how much he needed this space away from the grind of military duties. Living within the military 24/7 meant he was never able to switch it off, ever.

Now, he leaves and returns our home in civilian clothes. There is a clear, definite transition between job and home. When we walk outside, there is very little chance of getting roped into future planning with a colleague or CO.

There is no shop talk.

We Have Freedom to Choose

We often joke that we had our biggest home before we had kids, and it’s true. Our first on base house dwarfs our current civilian home.

But we had no choice in where we lived on base. Sure, we were given “options,” but it was mostly choice in name only.

We could go with A or B, this or that.

The lack of choice was especially apparent OCONUS. On base living wasn’t even a choice; rather the housing office made that decision for us. Then they gave us two choices, this one or that one.

Luckily, our options were somewhat different, a townhome or an apartment. Others stationed with us were sometimes given adjoining townhomes, and asked to choose. We also know people who were asked to select between two identical apartments, on the same and often in the same building.

There was no choice in where we were assigned to live.

Living off base has given us this freedom back.

Making our housing decisions during our last move was great. We could consider all sorts of factors and options that just weren’t a thing had we lived on base.

We talked about square footage, windows, yard space, schools and commute options. We talked about neighborhoods and green spaces.

We had true, radically different choices to make about where we were going to live. And it felt so freeing.

Building Connections Between Military Life and Civilian Life

One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard in the last 12 years is that civilians just don’t “get” military families or military service.

Have you ever thought that maybe it’s because many military families are self-isolating in on base housing?

Right now, we have a few military-connected neighbors, but mostly our community is filled with folks who have no immediate connections to the DOD. It’s wonderful.

Beyond just being able to turn the military side of our lives off outside of working hours, it’s really cool to see the wonder and genuine curiosity if our neighbors eyes,

When we got dressed up for the ball last year, everyone came out to see us off. They had never seen those classic dress blues up close and personal. The kids wanted to examine his sword. And everyone thought it was incredible that I still got to dress up as a grownup; for everyone else that mostly stopped after their wedding day.

A few weeks ago, my husband casually mentioned that new neighbors (also military) would have been stuck in their old duty station under the recent stop movement orders had they moved any later. That thought never occurred to them before, that your whole life revolves around orders.

Over drinks a few months ago, someone asked about deployments. When I shared our deployment story, a refrain that common in our military community, my neighbors were stunned.

They had never really considered that someone they know and like had experienced something with the potential to be deadly. Hearing that I was only in my early 20’s, sending my spouse off to combat, knowing that people we knew wouldn’t make it home alive – I think it put things into a different perspective. Suddenly the casualty numbers became a little more real to them.

Living off base allows everyone to learn and grow freely as we build these important bridges together.

Do you prefer living on or off base? Sound off in the comments!

Sure, the community fireworks displays and parades might need to be reconsidered this summer, but we can still safely celebrate the 4th of July in patriotic style!

Safely Celebrating the 4th of July During the Pandemic

For many, 4th of July means huge BBQ blowouts, fireworks and parades. This year, with the highly contagious pandemic still rolling through our communities, many of us are considering different ways to safely celebrate.

To help you stay safe while honoring America’s Independence Day, we’ve brainstormed a few options to get inspire you!

Backyard BBQ for Just You

Instead of hosting your entire neighborhood or unit for a massive party, keep the guest list smaller and more intimate. Perhaps consider limiting invites to your immediate family only or including one other family with whom you’ve been quaranteaming.

However, big or small your BBQ is in 2020, it’s still a great time to go all out!

Fire up the grill and cook:

• burgers
• hot dogs
• ribs
• chicken
• corn
• veggies

Go nautical with a seafood feast, including:

• steamed clams, oysters, muscles
• peel-and-eat shrimp
• crayfish
• crabs

Include yummy sides like:

• chips and dips
• veggie trays
• corn on the cob
• potato salad
• pasta salad
• fruit salad

Even though your celebration is slightly smaller this year, it’s no less patriotic!

Decorate & Celebrate the 4th Safely

There are no parades, but your home and yard can still get all decked out!

Consider flying a flag, putting out bunting or painting artistic fireworks for your windows with DIY window paint! Get your children involved in the process and talk about why we’re celebrating independence in America.

If you live in a location that allows sparklers, you might consider enjoying a few of them to light up the night. Remember to observe fireworks safety and closely monitor children.

Enjoying a small fire and roasting marshmallows is another great way to enjoy the 4th of July safely. Break out the s’mores supplies for an evening of fun together.

Watch a Patriotic Movie Marathon

Celebrate the 4th of July with film. There are tons of great movies out there that honor our fight for freedom or have ties to independence as a theme.

Check out this list:

• The Patriot: the Mel Gibson Revolutionary War classic explores the ties between fathers and sons against the backdrop of 1776
• Top Gun: there’s nothing like the sound of jets and competing for the top spot to honor our independence
• The American President: watch a US president fall in love and navigate political upheaval
• National Treasure: Nic Cage follows a treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence while evading the bad guys; make sure to watch the sequel, too!
• Independence Day: Will Smith saves the US and world from alien invaders
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: a Jimmy Stuart classic about an idealistic young politician in DC
• Glory: the heroic actions of the 54th Massachusetts regiment in the Civil War are incredible
• Gettysburg: in 1863, Confederate and Union troops “celebrated” by fighting over the future course of the US in this Civil War classic
• Captain America: this superhero saves American troops, and the world, from Nazis and the forces of evil
• A League of Their Own: during WW2 women played professional baseball, with Tom Hanks giving a home run performance as a troubled coach

Take a Virtual Trip to DC

Sure, you might not be going to the fireworks on the Mall this year, but you can still enjoy a capital fourth virtually!

For 40 years, PBS has held a concert and fireworks display on the National Mall on July 4. While this year’s celebration is canceled, you can watch videos of last year’s concert and fireworks online!

While you’re “in” DC, you could also take virtual tours of the monuments and memorials on the National Mall or pop in to a Smithsonian for a quick peek.

How is your family celebrating Independence Day during the current pandemic? Sound off in the comments!