The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2022 has come into law, and there are some exciting changes to active duty military spouse benefits. If you are on active duty or the spouse of an active duty service member, this video is for you! This video explains the top 5 changes and updates to military spouse benefits for 2022.

The benefits in the video describe updates that have been made in 2022 for active duty military spouses. This includes all branches including the Air Force, Army, Marine, Navy, and Coast Guard. If you are an active duty military spouse, you need to know these valuable updates.

Here are the main topics of this video on active duty military and military spouse benefits, click to see that section of the video:

• 1. Parental leave
• 2. New Basic Needs Allowance
• 3. Pilot Program for Federal Hiring of OCONUS Spouses
• 4. Preconception and Prenatal Genetic Carrier Screenings
• 5. Bereavement Leave

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is the Department of Defense budget for the 2022 fiscal year. As of December 27th, 2021 the NDAA for 2022 was brought into law when it was signed by President Joe Biden.

When you watch the video you will see the top 5 changes to military spouse benefits. Though you may know I focus on education benefits with Military Spouse Education, these 2022 NDAA benefits changes are more specific to family leave, spouse employment, bereavement leave, basic needs allowance, and Tricare health insurance updates.

So for the servicemembers there have been two guaranteed leaves that have been written into law with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2022. This includes a parental leave and bereavement leave. The parental leave is great because it promises 12 weeks of paid parental leave. This includes paternity leave. It also applies not just to biological children but also adopted children and foster care placement!

For bereavement leave military servicemembers have now been guaranteed two weeks of bereavement leave in the case of the death of a spouse or child. This seems like something that should have been guaranteed all along but the reality is that this has not been a promise. It’s crazy it took Congress to make this a guarantee!

Now Tricare covers those cost. I think this is a great improvement for military families and will help military couples as they do their family planning. Military spouses can now find out if they are predisposed to genetic issues that can be passed on to their children. It is not clear if this service will also be provided to the military personnel, but as the law is written in the NDAA 2022 military spouses now qualify for this benefit under Tricare, which should be the same for both Tricare Prime and Select.

What other questions do you have about military spouse and family benefits? These changes are having a wide impact on our troops. 

Have you personally used any of these benefits? I would love to hear how you have benefitted from these changes. 

Contact me here.