You’ve got stuff, no doubt. Several sets of curtains, a few different sizes of rugs and lots of hooks. None of which fit your current home.

To help you finally cut the clutter in your military home, we checked in with military family organizing pro Christa Curtis from Permanent Change of Storing.

Pro Tips to Truly Cut the Clutter in Your Military Home

After many moves across the country and around the world, Christa has learned a lot about cutting clutter for military families.

Now, as a professional organizer dedicated to serving military communities, she’s sharing her knowledge and insights beyond her own front door!

Everyone Has Clutter

That’s the main thing. Military families aren’t any different than civilian families in the amount of stuff we have. We just need to move it all every few years.

“Too much stuff and not enough time to deal with it are the biggest struggles,” Christa explains. “If our things are not unpacked quickly and stored in functional, meaningful ways, we tend to end up being unable to find what we need when we need it.”

She recommends finding a universal system that travels with you.

Invest in a quality storage system. Christa uses hard plastic bins and sturdy furniture that can be used in several different ways.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• heavy-duty plastic tubs that stack neatly in various sizes
• cube shelving
• collapsible shelving

Having several different options that can be mixed and matched or switched helps you to find easy storage solutions. The cube shelves might hold books this time around but serve as toy storage next time. Tubs can be stacked or slid neatly under beds and couches for easy access to items. Collapsible shelving can help maximize space in closets or the garage.

Start Before You Pack

When you’re rushing around right before you pack the crates isn’t the ideal time to stress about organizing. Instead, Christa recommends that you make a plan well in advance on the moving crew’s arrival.

Definitely pre-pack,” she recommends.

Here’s what to do:

• Bag up stuffed animals, linens, pillows, and clothes in trash bags, space bags, or plastic tubs
• Put small-piece sets into small ziplock baggies and bigger toys into plastic grocery bags
• Flatten out collapsible bins, take apart lamps gently, and definitely bag all of the utensils in your kitchen drawers

“When the movers unpack your stuff on the other side – and I mean all of it- this will make it easy for them to empty the boxes without your stuff piling up or scattering on the floor, and they can still take all of the boxes and paper away for you.”

Avoid the Danger Zone Pile-Up

If there is one place that becomes messy fastest, in any home anywhere, it’s the “drop zone.” The place where families drop mail, bills, papers from school and other paperwork.

“With each move, you have to change all your addresses with every financial institution, your medical services send you new referrals and explanation of benefits, the kids’ schools send home a ton of fliers, and you know you swung by the family services office earlier to pick up some info on the available classes and activities,” Christa says. “This collects in a corner of the kitchen counter or in a basket on the table by the front door.”

She recommends a clear, easy to understand filing system – featuring a shredder!

“Shred anything with a family member’s name or address on it that does not need to be kept.”

The shredder should be kept plugged in and stored out of reach from children. As mail with personally identifiable information but that isn’t needed arrives, it should immediately be shredded. Everything else should be filed according to type: medical, bills, etc.

Do a Nightly Clutter Sweep

“Just quickly walk around a room and pick up things that don’t belong, and drop off things along the way as I go around the house – toys, shoes, dishes, dog toys, books.”

This helps to get things stored back in the right place, mostly. And it saves you the step of clearing clutter before you do a deeper clean.

“Monthly, I go a little deeper with a full reset – make sure things are sorted into their different bins, shoes are stacked neatly on shelves with folded scarves and hats, the pantry and fridge get a once-over to remove stale snacks and old leftovers shoved to the back, sweep under the sofa and check the cushions.”

Doing things in smaller chunks daily makes the bigger organization tasks simpler since there will be less to re-sort and store. Make this easy for kids (and adults) with clearly labeled and possibly color-coded storage systems. Keep all the books in one place and put toy trains in another. Add a train sticker to help younger kids know where to put Thomas when he’s done chugging down the track.

Ready to Get Started? Let’s Go!

“Getting started is definitely the hardest part,” Christa says. “It can be insanely overwhelming, but if you start with a reason why you need it done, your motivation becomes your fuel.”

Her motivation was spending money on duplicates. When Christa needed a certain item, she often couldn’t find it in the moment. So she bought another and then another, somehow ending up with multiples of many core household items.

To get started, she recommends considering how each item serves your home. What is its purpose? Is it valuable to you and your family?

If not, why are you keeping it?

“If you think of a 12″ x 12″ space, a square foot, a sheet of scrapbook paper or one large floor tile in your kitchen – that little spot has a value that you pay for in rent or mortgage every single month,” she explains. “Whatever you put in that space, that you also pay to heat and light, had certainly better bring you joy, or peace, or function, or heck, even make you some money. Because 99% of what we own is not paying us back any of those hard-earned dollars that we spend on it to buy it and house it, AND, in the military, move it around the world with us!”

Go room by room or drawer by drawer, whatever is manageable for you right now. Consider each item’s usefulness and then decide what to do with it.

“Pick a small room, corner, space, even your car, and just give it a go. Your small early victories will kindle with your reason-fuel and you will see how easy it can be.”

What Do You Do with the Decluttered Items?

Not everything you currently own will (or should) stay in your home. But where should it be sent?

Just because your family no longer has a use for a particular item doesn’t mean that it won’t be useful to someone else. With that in mind, consider:

• selling your items online or in a consignment shop
• donating your items to a reputable charity
• joining a Buy Nothing community and regifting things to others in your community

How do you keep clutter to a minimum in your military home? We’d love to steal your tricks and tips!

By Marguerite Cleveland

I think the lady with her dog in a front carrier like a baby carrier in the grocery store was what finally put me over the edge. Don’t get me wrong, I have a dog that I love and like to spend time with, but I would never have the audacity to bring him to a grocery store. We have all heard about the emotional support peacock and other outside the box comfort animals. It really has gotten ridiculous. You can order your own vest for a pet or a simple note from your doctor to have a comfort pet. Why should you care about this? Well now service members with dogs trained to help them are starting to get push back or being denied entry with their Service Animals. So how do you tell the difference?

Under Title III of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and virtually all state laws, a service animal is an animal that has been trained to perform work or tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability. The key word here is trained. A Service Dog has undergone extensive training to perform skills specific to a handler’s disability. In addition service dogs receive training in public access skills. They learn how to sit quietly in public and to remain under control in a variety of settings. Costs of training a dog can be over $25,000 and 50 to 70 percent of dogs fail the training. Under the ADA only dogs or miniature horses can be service animals. In contrast, an emotional support pet can be just ordering a vest for your dog online or getting a note from your doctor. People have claimed peacocks, snakes, ducks, chickens, roosters, a turkey and many other things to be a comfort animal. Another thing to note is the ADA recognizes a distinct difference between a psychiatric service dogs who is trained to resolve an anxiety attack versus an emotional support pet whose presence provides comfort.

So the ADA requires public accommodations for service animals to accompany their handler any where the handler goes. Recently the Department of Justice prohibits service animals from swimming in public pools and they can’t be placed in shopping carts. The only two questions you can ask to determine if a dog is a service animal is 1. Do you need the animal because of a disability? 2. What work or tasks has the animal been trained to perform? If someone can’t answer the second question, then the dog is not a service animal. Emotional support animals can not go into restaurants and grocery stores.

 There are some areas that must accommodate emotional support animals. The Fair Housing Act (FHA) provides protection for emotional support animals so even a non-pet friendly apartment or home may have to accommodate an emotional support animal. Airlines must comply with the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) which covers accommodations for those with disabilities on airplanes. They have typically accommodated emotional support animals but recent abuses (i.e. the Peacock) have resulted in the Department of Transportation reviewing the issue and new rules are pending.

Also be aware that some states have enacted laws which allow more access for emotional support dogs. Don ’t bring pets into areas with food like grocery stores and restaurants. If you have an emotional support dog be respectful of the fact that your pet is not a trained service animal. They do not have the same access or accommodation as protected under Title III of the ADA. Please do not make things confusing or difficult for businesses by taking your animal where it is not authorized. Protect our veterans and those who are disabled rights’ to have a service animal.

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 will see a 3.1% pay raise in 2020, thanks to a continuing resolution passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump on November 21. However, a government shutdown is still possible should spending bill negotiations deteriorate.

In addition to securing this pay raise, the resolution also funds the US government through December 20. Funds in this bill will extend expiring health care programs and allow the Census Bureau to prepare for the 2020 census.

Continuing Resolutions Secures Troops 3.1% Pay Raise in 2020

This raise marks the largest increase for the military in ten years. Active duty and reserve troops will both see more in their paychecks.

In addition to this pay raise, troops are also expected to see a general increase in BAH rates as well. Across all services, BAH rates should increase between 3.4% and 3.9% generally. Rates will vary by location. Service members should check their specific BAH rates.

Continuing Resolution Funds Government Again

The most recent continuing resolution is the latest in a series of stop-gap measures designed to keep the government running. This funding bill runs out on December 20, which might result in another government shutdown.

Lawmakers have continued to negotiate 12 spending bills to fund the fiscal year 2020. Included in this omnibus spending package are additional funds for Trump’s border wall and a proposed 2020 pay increase for federal workers.

Negotiations over these spending bills are competing for time with Trump’s ongoing impeachment inquiry, as well as a renegotiated trade deal with Mexico and Canada. This is in addition to the normal volume of bills and resolutions that Congress considers daily.

Should these funding packages fail to pass the Senate, House or be signed by Trump, the US government could face another shutdown. Legislators narrowly avoided another government shutdown in August 2019 when they negotiated a spending bill to continue operating.

The last, and longest ever, government shutdown occurred between December 21, 2018 and January 25, 2019. Congress and the president failed to agree to a funding bill by the deadline. Negotiations over funding of Trump’s border wall with Mexico were cited as a key reason for this shutdown.

As a result of the 2018-2019 shutdown, many federal employees and contractors were furloughed. Many continued to report for work even without receiving paychecks. Federal exempt workers received back pay; contract employees did not.

In addition, food stamps and other social support programs went without funding, impacting families. National parks saw natural and historic resources destroyed due to understaffing as a result of the shutdown.

Will a Shutdown Impact My Military Raise?

Short answer, no. Your pay raise is secured as part of the most recent continuing resolution passed by Trump and Congress in November 2019. However, your pay increase may be delayed should a shutdown occur.

Other agencies and operations associated with the Department of Defense, including the VA, should continue to operate as usual. Some decreased staffing may occur, with percentages of staff reporting for work varying by position and agency.

Troops serving in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines should expect to receive their regularly scheduled paychecks on time, albeit possibly without the anticipated 3.1% raise. Those serving in the Coast Guard may not receive paychecks. During the last government shutdown, the Coast Guard was the only branch of the military to remain on duty and unpaid.

In addition, other services related to military life have a high likelihood of being negatively impacted by pending government shutdown:

• CDCs: closing is a base-by-base decision
• Commissaries: remain open OCONUS, in remote areas; scheduled closing stateside to ensure perishables are sold safely
• Furloughs: some federal employees will be placed in a non-work, non-pay status during a shutdown
• Healthcare: some appointments and elective procedures may be rescheduled
• PCS & TDY: orders to move to a new duty station or assume temporary duties may be canceled or paused due to funding
• Death gratuities: families of troops killed during a furlough would not receive the $100,000 death benefit, military-funded travel arrangements for funerals

Military families should consider how their lives, and paychecks, might be impacted by a government shutdown and prepare accordingly.

What do you think of the ongoing funding negotiations in DC? Sound off in the comments!

Thousands of Tricare beneficiaries woke up to bills about 100 times higher than normal on December 5. Patients faced monthly premium bills that were thousands more than usual due to a “processing error,” according to Humana.

Tricare Accidentally Bills Patients 100 Times of Actual Cost

All told, about 26,000 beneficiaries were impacted due to this billing error from Humana, which manages the Tricare East region. Among those impacted were retirees using Tricare Prime, as well as families using Tricare Reserve Select, Tricare Retired Reserve and Tricare Young Adult. Users saw bills ranging from $2,400 to $108,400 or approximately 100 times the normal monthly premiums charged.

Customers were alerted upon receiving calls from banks and credit card companies, inquiring about the unusually large charge from Tricare and Humana. Many customers reported that their credit card company or bank declined to process the pending charges altogether.

Military Families Face Uncertainty Due to Billing SNAFU

As customers began to learn of the billing error, many expressed concern about both the charges and their continued health insurance coverage.

Beneficiaries took action quickly. Some cancelled credit cards, concerned about possible fraud or stolen identities.

Tammy Austin, the spouse of a retired Army First Sergeant, immediately cancelled her credit cards. Then the worry about insurance for her children kicked in.

“It caused a lot of anxiety. My daughter has an autoimmune disease and I worried that if she had a flareup she wouldn’t be covered,” Austin said. “They check your insurance when you go to the doctor — all these thoughts were running through my head at 100 miles per hour.”

In addition to her daughter’s Tricare Young Adult insurance, Austin also worried about coverage for her son on the same plan. Humana had attempted to charge him $8,500. Luckily, USAA refused the charge and notified him immediately.

Other customers who were billed incorrectly took to social media to spread the word and express outrage.

Bradley Foley, @bfoleyus, Tweeted:

@tricare@Humana just billed my credit card 100x my monthly premium. Guess they forgot the decimal. #Mathematician

Another customer, Rdan Golden-Castano, @rodangol, shared his thoughts on Twitter as well.

Hey, @Humana, thanks for trying to charge $21,801.00 for my monthly premium.

Humana Responds to the Billing Errors

As reports of the incorrect charges filtered through to Humana and Tricare, the healthcare system responded.

“We pledge that we will do everything we can to ensure that beneficiaries are not adversely affected by this error, including covering overdraft and related fees. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and appreciate the patience shown by beneficiaries while we work to correct the problem,” Humana said in a prepared statement.

Humana offered extended customer service hours through the weekend following the billing issues. They pledged to work to make this right so that the incorrect charges didn’t impact lives.

According to a spokesman for the Defense Health Agency, all processed bills would be credited back to customers. Any customers with outstanding charges related to this matter should contact Humana or Tricare immediately.

Tricare & Humana Experience End of Year Tech Glitches

In addition to the December billing error, Tricare and Humana experienced issues with their open enrollment platform. Throughout the open enrollment period, from November 11 to December 9, users were unable to enroll or switch insurance plans online.

In order to make changes, beneficiaries had to call or submit forms via mail. Even changes made online that seemed to have gone through might not have registered in the system. If you made a change online during Tricare open enrollment, it is advised that you call Tricare to ensure that your enrollment was processed correctly.

The enrollment issues are particularly troubling since beneficiaries can only make changes once per year. Only qualifying life events allow changes to be made outside of open enrollment.

The most recent Tricare glitch, resulting in the incorrect and inflated charges to customers, remains under investigation as of mid-December.

Did you experience issues with your insurance charges in December? How did everything shake out? Sound off in the comments!

It’s the holiday season, and you might be going to a lot of celebrations and shindigs. Showing up alone can be intimidating. Your colleague from the shop might take on a new shine. But can you date a colleague?

Okay, so the answer is complicated. Fraternization is a nuanced situation with lots of grey areas, without clearly defined rules. And it’s easy to cross over that line if you’re not spun up on all the info.

Can You Date a Colleague? And Other Fraternization Questions Answered!

So let’s unpack fraternization and all the nooks and crannies that might trip you up!

What is Fraternization?

Fraternization is when relationships between service members of different ranks, specifically between officers and enlisted personnel, cross established norms and impact the chain of command negatively.

But wrapped up in this super general statement are a lot of grey areas, spaces where you could trip yourself up.

Relationships between individuals of various ranks classified as inappropriate could range from overly casual office exchanges to friendships off-duty to romantic relationships.

So, Can You Date a Colleague?

Again, it’s complicated.

Among troops of the same or similar rank, like two Lance Corporals, it seems like you could skate by with a romantic relationship.

But, just to be on the safe side, it’s good policy to not date anyone you work with on a daily basis. Dating inside of your immediate unit or shop could have implications on the larger chain of command. Plus, most companies and offices prohibit colleague romances.

Long story short: if you’re dating someone also in the military, make sure you’re of similar rank and not in the same chain of command.

There are, however, exceptions to this rule. Because grey areas. So, these are the circumstances that romance can cross the fraternization divide:

• You were married before the military: your spouse was enlisted or commissioned before you enlisted or commissioned
• One of the people in the relationship leaves the military in order to continue the romance

That’s kind of it.

How About for a Casual Non-Date?

You need someone to socialize with at a holiday party and you’re thinking of asking (fill in the blank).

Which might be fine, if:

• You’re of similar rank
• You’re seriously not considering a romantic relationship
• If a romance develops, it won’t impact your chain of command

Totally, it’s fine to bring a buddy with you. It gives you someone to hang with, which can be a lifesaver at big events. Just make sure you’re not crossing any lines.

What About Friendships with People in My Unit?

Yes, to a certain extent.

Building rapport is important. A unit that genuinely likes each other, knows each other, performs better in a stressful situation – like a battlefield. And that’s important.

So unit functions to promote morale are given the green light from the UCMJ. Seriously, do things together as a unit. Play softball, grab lunch, host a family day. Do all those types of things.

The key is that all members of the unit or a particular sub-group are involved. Or you’re enjoying time as together with your enlisted colleagues, officer colleagues, other SNCOs in your unit, etc. Basically, you’re being inclusive.

What crosses the line is when someone senior and junior to each other, like a major and a corporal, grabbing beers after the unit softball game.

Fostering a close, personal friendship that crosses significant rank lines, like between officer/enlisted or very senior officer or enlisted to very junior officer or enlisted, is a major no-go. Basically, don’t do it.

Like office romances, friendships seem to be something left between personnel of the same or similar rank. And definitely avoid a close relationship of any kind with the person writing your fitness report!

How About Renting a Home or Doing Business?

Again, probably not. Having financial dealings with another military member that would violate UCMJ for friendship or romantic relationships is not wise.

You might be able to skate by if you’re not in the same chain of command or in different branches of service.

But the kicker is that the UCMJ includes how things “look” as a qualifier when considering legal action. So doing anything that could create some blurred lines should be carefully considered before proceeding.

Big Ask: Why Should You Care?

Fraternization is kind of a big deal. Basically, what the military wants to avoid is the appearance or fact of impartiality because of relationships between individuals of differing ranks.

Being buddies with your reporting officer doesn’t look good when it comes time to consider fitness reports. Maybe they scored you higher because you’re friends?

But a few beers or a casual BBQ – what’s the harm?

Well, it could cost you your career.

The UCMJ is pretty clear on this point. Relationships between officers and enlisted personnel, officers of different ranks or enlisted personnel of different ranks can be punished pretty harshly. The maximum sentence is dishonorable discharge, giving up all pay and benefits, as well as up to two years of confinement.

So there’s good reason to be aware of fraternization and where you’re landing with your relationships, friendships and even casual conversations.

What’s your take on fraternization? Sound off in the comments!

I must admit my experience with military housing has overall been very positive, but I never lived on an installation until my husband was a more senior officer. Recent news reports have me horrified at what is going on with our military families and the substandard housing they have had to live in. Privatizing housing was supposed to fix all of that. These companies are racking in huge profits at the expense of our military families while receiving long term contracts, subsidies and low interest federal loans. Everything from moldy, rodent filled homes to excessive utility fees are hurting our struggling families especially the junior enlisted military members who do not have the disposable income to move.

These contracts allow companies such as Corvias Property and Balfour Beatty Communities which isn’t even a U.S. company to manage military housing. Most housing is almost always 100% occupied with usually a two-week period to turn the houses over. Only about 30-50% turnover each summer. For a landlord this is an exceptionally high rate of return netting these companies a high profit margin.

Recently 10 military families filed a lawsuit accusing Corvias Property Management who overseas the housing at Fort Meade, of 14 charges including gross negligence and Fraud. The families say they were stuck in mold-infested, substandard housing and were unable to move because the company received their BAH each month making it difficult financially to move or by charging fees to break the lease. The suit is being closely watched by Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) who personally had members of his staff visit Fort Meade to report on the conditions.

It is not just Fort Meade either, Corvias was also the subject of a congressional hearing relating to properties they managed in North Carolina. At all the locations families complained how their maintenance requests were rarely fixed or took way to long. Mold and rodents raised concerns about heath with many families suffering severe respiratory and allergy illnesses.

A recent Reuters investigation documented similar allegations against Balfour Beatty Communities which is even more egregious as it is not a U.S. company but based out of the United Kingdom. At multiple bases former employees related how they forged maintenance repair data reports so that Balfour Beatty could collect millions in bonuses from the Defense Department. So outrageous! The employees felt pressured to doctor the reports so they wouldn’t lose their jobs.

There are not any specifics as investigations are ongoing but the FBI and Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) are pursuing fraud allegations at three bases and OSI is persuing allegations at a fourth base. According to the Reuters report the Army is also investigating the company.

What can you do if you are experiencing some of these issues?

• Report to housing and schedule work orders. Mold is extremely dangerous and is considered an emergency. These work orders should be addressed immediately.
• If you are given the run around have the service member talk to their chain of command.
• Give the system time to work, if not the Inspector General on base may be able to help. You can write your Congressman for assistance.
• If issues in the home put your family at risk and you wish to move but can’t financially make a visit to organization on your base like Army Emergency Relief who can assist with loans or grants.

I grew up with the saying “Don’t Air Your Dirty Laundry in Public” but when it comes to the safety and health of our military families we need to loudly say enough. Those that are in a position should help younger families who may need a voice to help them resolve and address their concerns. Often those new to the system think they must accept shoddy work. Hopefully with all the attention the substandard housing is getting in the media this will be resolved soon.

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