Right now, it seems like our military life is particularly unstable. Rapidly changing international relations and mounting tensions overseas are creating stress among troops and military families worldwide. When the going gets tough, access these free counseling and support services you should know about now.

Free Counseling and Support Services Every Military Family Need to Know

Handling mental health can still have a negative stigma among military members and families. However, it’s important to know that keeping your head in the game and your mind clear is just as important to the mission as your physical fitness.

When you need to get things off your chest or figure out how you’re operating mentally, use one of these free resources to seek support.

Military Family Life Counselor (MFLC)

Military troops, their families and survivors can access completely free, 100% confidential mental health counseling via the MFLC program.

Licensed therapists, social workers and counselors are stationed at bases worldwide, ready to support your mental health needs. Your need must be non-medical in nature.

MFLCs are able to help you with:

• Marriage or relationship counseling
• Parenting
• Adjustment difficulties
• Stress at home or work
• Loss and grief
• Work-related concerns

They may not cover issues such as:

• Active suicidal or homicidal thoughts
• Sexual assault
• Child abuse
• Domestic Violence
• Drug, alcohol or substance addiction(s)
• Serious mental health concerns

This treatment is confidential. No one will be informed that you have spoken with an MFLC without your consent. Not your chain of command, spouse, PCM, friends or family.

However, MFLCs must report instances of domestic or child abuse, past or present illegal activity, violence or harm to yourself or others.

To contact the MFLC(s) at your current location, reach out to your duty stations Military and Family Life Center. You can also call 800-342-9647 to connect with MilitaryOneSource and MFLCS. If you are located OCONUS, follow these calling instructions.

Some DoDEA schools have an on-campus MFLC or MFLC team. For more information, contact your child’s teacher or the school’s administration team.

MilitaryOneSource Offers Free Counseling Support

MilitaryOneSource serves as a go-to resource for everything about military life. That includes accessing non-medical counseling services, specialty support services and other tools.

Non-Medical Counseling

MilitaryOneSource offers free, short-term non-medical counseling. This means that your counselor will not prescribe you any medication related to the concerns you raise. Instead, he or she will listen to you and then share strategies to help you cope.

Some of these counselors are MFLCs, but others are civilian counselors practicing in your community. This can be a good option for support outside of, but connected to, the military community. No one will be informed that you have sought help without your direct consent or involvement. That includes your chain of command, your PCM, your spouse, your children, your friend or other family.

These services are available to all active duty, guard, reserve troops and their families; designated members of the DOD expeditionary civilian employees and their families; survivors.

Children may access these services, with certain supervision restrictions for children younger than 17.

Specialty Counseling Services

MilitaryOneSource offers many specialty support or counseling services for individuals in a particular moment of life or with a certain set of needs.

These include:

• Adoption
• Adult disability
• Building healthy relationships
• Education
• Elder care
• Health & wellness coaching
• New MilParent
• Peer-to-Peer
• Spouse relocation & transition
• Transitioning Veterans
• Wounded warrior

For more information about each of these support services, contact MilitaryOneSource at 800-342-9647. A consultant will be able to direct you to the program or support option that best meets your immediate needs.

Military-Provided Mental Health Support & Counseling

MilitaryOneSource and the MFLC program are ideal for individuals who are looking for short-term support for a non-medical problem. However, there are some times when individuals will need to bring their medical team into the loop.

Troops and other Tricare beneficiaries have access to fully trained medical professionals who can treat a wide range of medically involved mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety and more.

Medical professionals can recommend combining medication with traditional therapy. Many MTFs and civilian medical practices have personnel licensed to prescribe and/or offer other therapeutic options to treat your current mental health conditions.

Unlike the previous options, any treatment you seek or receive via your Tricare-authorized PCM will become part of your medical record. They are also mandated reporters, sharing information about things related to:

• Domestic abuse
• Child abuse or neglect
• Illegal acts, past or present
• Suicidal or homicidal thoughts

Military & Veterans Crisis Line

When you need help fast, especially involving a situation that might result in harm to yourself or others, it important to have a resource on speed dial. that’s the Military or Veterans Crisis Line.

You can call, text or chat online 24/7 with a qualified VA provider. Many are veterans who have transitioned to helping others through tough moments in life.

If you, or a loved one, need immediate mental health support for a serious concern, please call 800-273-8255 and select option 1. You can also text at 838522 or chat online with a provider.

If you or a loved one need mental health support, or just want to talk things through with a counselor, do not hesitate to reach out.

His retirement papers were literally ready to be executed this month. Instead of riding off into the sunset he was prepping to board a plane for the Middle East as part of a rapid response force to help quell the increasing tension in the region.

Across the US, stories just like this are being played out in thousands of homes as military families quickly send their loved ones off on no-notice deployments. Retirements will be put on hold, babies will be born and milestone events will happen – all without a clear return date for many deployed troops.

Some troops are leaving in as little as hours with others getting a few days or weeks to prepare. Forward deployed troops on non-combat missions have been rerouted to support actions in the Middle East.

While many of these units are rapid response teams, trained and prepared for exactly these situations, it doesn’t make it any easier for families left behind on the home front with little to no warning.

Military Spouses Band Together In Face of No-Notice Deployments

In the face of the upheaval a no-notice deployment brings, seasoned spouses and non-profit organizations have been rallying together to provide community and support to military families everywhere. From powerful messages going viral on Facebook to counseling support offers, the military spouse community is coming together with a singular focus.

Kellie Artis, Fort Bragg Army spouse and COO of MILLIE, shared her thoughts in a viral Facebook post that has been republished on Jo, My Gosh. She reflected on the impact these quick, unexpected troop movements is having on the Fayetteville community. Artis has seen groups of women, sitting silently with tension and worry evident in their interactions. She’s seen an increase in the number of soldiers in uniform running errands out in town, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice.

“Uncertainty is a given in this lifestyle, but it hits hard when it’s out of the blue and under such looming circumstances. There’s a painful tension between pride and apprehension; importance and fear.”

Seasoned Spouses Share Wisdom, Support as Community Copes with Traumatic Deployments

Artis has been in this same position during earlier troop surges.

“I remember sitting alone during one such deployment with my sister and 6-month-old daughter at a Fayetteville restaurant and our server came over to tell us our meal was taken care of by another patron,” she wrote. “She didn’t tell me who, but I knew. There was an older couple sitting in a corner, he with his Vietnam-era VFW cap on and she with sympathetic tears in her eyes. We barely exchanged words, I couldn’t without sobbing, but we didn’t have to. She squeezed my hand as we stopped by their table to thank them and that was all we needed to share. I’ll never forget that.”

Rapid and short-notice deployments are not limited to US Army units. Many USMC spouses have faced, and are facing, similar situations.

A USMC spouse who wished to remain anonymous shared how unprepared and overwhelmed she was for deployment orders that went through in under a day.

“You always heard how you can get deployed less than 24 hours, it really does happen,” she shared. “The timing wasn’t great. Our children always pick where they want to go for dinner on their birthday. Our youngest had picked where he wanted to eat that night and we had to tell them the news their dad was leaving the next day for deployment.”

However, she shared advice that got her family through this no-notice deployment.

“Things we had planned as a family and vacations got canceled, but we made other plans to look forward to each month to make the time pass.”

She advised picking one big thing to do with your family every month. It helped her to focus on something good and made the time pass more quickly. Having a busy schedule for the kids, with sports and Scouts, also helped her to focus on the present.

Military Spouses Rely on Each Other for Support, Assistance

When she found out her husband was deploying, another anonymous USMC Infantry spouse was weeks away from giving birth after a challenging pregnancy when her husband told her about his upcoming deployment. While it wasn’t a few hours turnaround time, it was still a shock during an already tumultuous moment in their family.

Luckily, his unit allowed him a little bit of flexible time to support his spouse. He was able to be there for his child’s birth and early weeks. However, the next time he will see her will be when she is over 6 months old.

At first, this USMC Infantry spouse was unsure of how she would manage. But her spouse community stepped into the gap, providing support and encouragement when she needed it most.

“I didn’t know how I was going too, but again, you adapt,” she explained. “We truly are stronger and more capable than we think. The (spouses) around me had a huge impact on getting through this. They are amazing. They get groceries for me or just watch my toddler sometimes.”

Having a community to support her allowed this Infantry spouse to survive and thrive during an unexpected deployment.

“The only way to cope is to find a support system,” she said. “If you don’t have a family, find other military moms. It’s key.”

Ways to Help Military Families Right Now

If your military community is impacted by the recent and on-going rapid deployments, it’s important to connect with each other and show support. Even if your family isn’t directly impacted, you likely know someone who is in the think of the whirlwind.

Use these ideas to “keep on, keepin’ on” as one spouse said:

• Swap babysitting duties so everyone can run errands, exercise or simply have a minute to think
• Meal prep together because many hands make light work
• Set up regular play dates for children
• Offer to help each other with chores, cooking, child care
• Carpool for school drop off and pick up, sports and scouts
• Call, text or email just to check-in
• Make a meal for a family in the middle of prepping for deployment
• Listen

The most important way that you can show up for your military family and community is to simply be there and be ready to listen without judgment.

If you need someone to talk to, MilitaryOneSource has a hotline. You can call them, 24/7 at 800-342-9647.

How are you supporting your military community during this moment? Share your ideas and opportunities in the comments!

Touched off by the US Embassy attack in Baghdad, the Middle East became a high-conflict zone in the opening days of 2020. Further escalating tensions were the US-ordered airstrike that killed top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and a US Embassy attack in Kenya by al-Shabaab.

In response, thousands of troops across the country are being deployed rapidly into possible combat zones in an effort to support US forces already in the region.

Escalating Tensions & Further Conflict Between US and Iranian Forces in Middle East

On the night of January 7, Iranian forces launched concentrated missile attacks at US bases located in Iraq. Dozens of missiles were directed at two US bases, with Air Base al-Asad being struck by 6 of the explosives.

Iranian forces claimed “dozens” of US dead, but DOD officials had not confirmed any casualties. As of the morning of January 8, officials would only state that they were still assessing damages and casualties, according to a Washington Post article.

The recent missile attack is claimed by the Iranian government and their forces as opposed to non-affiliated fighters in the region. This action is reportedly in direct retaliation for the US airstrike that killed Soleimani.

President Donald Trump declined to address the nation on January 7th and reportedly sent Vice President Mike Pence to brief Congressional leaders about the airstrike from Iran.

Trump tweeted updates on the situation throughout Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning prior to his national address on Wednesday.

All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2020

Trump Continues to Tweet Foreign Policy & Updates

This latest Twitter update from the President comes on the heels of a series of Tweets over the previous week related to the US airstrike, embassy attack and future actions of US troops in the region.

On January 5, Trump tweeted that his Twitter feed and updates should serve as legal notice to Congress of potential future actions against Iran.

These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2020

He also implied that he was willing to attack Iranian civilian and cultural sites in a series of tweets on January 4. Targeting cultural sites and civilians explicitly is a violation of the Geneva Conventions.

….hundreds of Iranian protesters. He was already attacking our Embassy, and preparing for additional hits in other locations. Iran has been nothing but problems for many years. Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2020

US Rapidly Mobilizes Troops Across Branches in Response to Increased Middle Eastern Threats

In the middle of this war of words on Twitter, service members and military families are experiencing fast deployment notification and execution, with some units leaving in a matter of hours and others waiting for the incoming call to report.

Members of the 82nd Airborne’s Immediate Force Response unit, operating out of Fort Bragg, were given just a few hours notice of their deployment. According to 82nd Airborne spokesperson, Lt. Col. Mike Burns, troops in this unit are given a 2-hour window to report to base, deploying rapidly after that.

“So whether they were on leave, whether they were home drinking a beer, whether they were, you know, hanging out, throwing the kids up in the yard, you get the call and it’s time to go,” he said.

Seven hundred soldiers from this unit deployed within hours of the Embassy attack, with up to 2800 more troops following in the days after Soleimani’s death.

Burns also noted, in an interview with Business Insider, that this was not a typical deployment. Troops were instructed to leave cellphones and other personal electronic devices at home.

Other units are also mobilizing rapidly to shore up defenses in the region. Additional Marines were deployed to the US embassy in Baghdad to provide additional support and force protection.

In addition, as of January 8, 2,500 Marines from Camp Lejeune will also be headed to the Mediterranean as part of the 26th MEU. These troops were already operating in this theater but will cancel planned international training exercises to join the Navy’s 6th Fleet, according to reports from Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Comer, a U.S. 6th Fleet spokesman to USNI News.

Dryuary is now officially a thing that people do. But what is it and why should you consider skipping booze to kickoff the new year? We’re breaking down the history, possible benefits and sharing yummy mocktail recipes to get you through all 31 days!

Are You Going Dry for January? Here’s What You Need to Know

After the excess of the holidays, taking a month off from alcohol generally can be a great way to reset your health and mindset in the new year. Plus, those who have accepted the challenge claim that they also see financial benefits that last the whole year!

Dryuary can a concept created in 2013 and officially branded in 2014 by Moderation Management, a non-profit dedicated to supporting individuals in cutting back or cutting out alcohol entirely. The concept of Dryuary is to help people rethink their relationship with alcohol generally and create a pattern of more moderate/minimal drinking going forward.

Make the Commitment to Go Booze-Free

It all starts by setting your intention. The Dryuary website offers a place to make a virtual pledge to live alcohol-free in January. Once you’re registered (it’s free!), you’ll receive emails and virtual support regularly as you skip booze this month.

Before you start, it’s important to be honest about your current alcohol consumption. Think about the amount of alcohol you have regularly consumed over the last year and the last month. Dryuary advises that those who typically consume more than 5 beers, or the equivalent amount in other forms of alcohol, consult a doctor prior to starting. Going cold turkey at that level of regular imbibing can have serious health consequences.

After you’ve decided and made your pledge, tell your support system about what you’re doing. Ask them to support you on your journey, even if they’re not going dry.

Friends and family can help by:

• Not judging your decision
• Offering non-alcoholic options at get-togethers or parties
• Joining the challenge

Remove Temptations

It won’t be easy to stick to your challenge if you’ve got bottles of beer, wine and hard liquor staring you in the face daily! Time to clean out your fridge and liquor cabinet.

Bonus: you’re going to be decluttering your house at the same time.

If you don’t want to just dump all your booze, hide it. Find a hard-to-get-to place in your house, like the very back of a very high kitchen cabinet or the farthest corner of a storage closet. Out of sight, out of mind. Plus, if you do get a craving it’ll be hard to a) remember where you stored everything and b) hard to access.

Consider party and event invites in January.

Create a plan to skip the bar at events you can’t or don’t want to skip. Bring a bottle of seltzer or your favorite non-alcoholic beverage with you to the party, if possible. For potlucks, you can offer to stock the booze-free section with yummy drinks that everyone can enjoy.

For events that might present too much temptation or that you’re not super excited about, consider declining the invite entirely. Send your kind regrets to the host. If it’s a close friend, you might consider suggesting an alternative like coffee instead of cocktails.

Benefits & Possible Risks of Dryuary

As mentioned above, individuals who habitually drink more than 5 beers or the equivalent daily need to consult a physician prior to starting Dryuary. There could be possible negative health risks to going cold turkey without medical supervision.

While you should definitely talk to a medical professional before making any major lifestyle changes, there are definite benefits to giving up alcohol for January.

1. Weight Loss: You’re consuming fewer calories since you’re cutting out the alcohol. Many drinks are calorie-laden, which isn’t always obvious. Plus, you’ll skip the extra snacks that often sneak up on you when you’re drinking, especially socially. Fewer calories equals weight loss!
2. Reduction in Liver Fat: Your overall liver fat can drop by as much as 15% when you give up alcohol for just a month, according to Dr. James Ferguson, a liver specialist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in England, in an article posted to NPR.
3. Blood Glucose Levels: Dr. Ferguson also noted that blood glucose drops by about 16% by skipping alcohol for a month. This lowers your risk for diabetes.
4. Better Sleep: US News reported that just one drink can disrupt the quality of your sleep. By not drinking for a month, your sleep patterns could be healthier, resulting in better mental awareness and general health.

There are anecdotal studies that show continued decreased alcohol consumption in February and March. However, there are also studies that show going dry for a month can also lead to binge drinking or increased general consumption in February and March.

Enjoy a Yummy Mocktail at Cocktail Hour

You’re skipping alcohol, but you can still treat yourself with a tasty beverage sans booze. Try these recipes!

• Sparkling Kiwi Mocktail from Physical Kitchness (a military spouse owned business!)
• Mocktail Mule – and 5 other mocktails – from Morsel by Plated
• Raspberry Sorbet Party Punch from Delish
• Sparkling Pom Collins from DrinkAware, a UK-based alcohol awareness non-profit

Do you go dry for January? Share your favorite tip, trick or mocktail recipe!

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!