Congress Passes National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026: What’s in it for Military Families?
On December 17, the Senate voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026. The bill was approved by the House of Representatives on December 10, so it will now go to the President for his signature. The NDAA is one of the few pieces of legislation that Congress passes every year. It sets policies and authorizes spending levels for the Department of Defense (DoD) and military services. This legislation impacts everything from pay rates to housing, health care, childcare, and more. At NMFA, we work closely with Congress every year to ensure that policies to improve military families’ quality of life are included in the NDAA.
Wondering what all of this actually means for your military family?
This year’s NDAA includes several provisions designed to make a real difference for families like yours. Here’s a quick, plain-language breakdown of what made it into the final bill:
Pay and Compensation: The bill calls for an across-the-board pay increase of 3.8%.
Child care: The bill extends the in-home child care pilot through 2029. This program provides families at select locations with fee assistance to help offset the cost of in-home child care services.
The bill also establishes a pilot program to increase payments for child care services in high-cost locations.
Children’s education: DoDEA will be allowed to establish a dual enrollment program with an institution of higher learning, allowing students at DoDEA schools to enroll in college-level classes and earn credit at no cost.
Local school districts serving large numbers of military-connected children will continue to receive Impact Aid through DoD. The bill authorizes $50 million in DoD Impact Aid and another $20 million for school districts serving military children with severe disabilities.
PCS Moves: Families will receive more information about education, employment, and community resources as they prepare for a PCS move.
Transition Assistance Program (TAP): The bill allows DoD to establish a pilot program at up to five locations to offer TAP counseling to military spouses.
While these provisions will make a difference for many military families, the news wasn’t all good. NMFA is especially disappointed that Congress chose not to expand TRICARE coverage of IVF and other forms of reproductive technology for military families. While IVF coverage was included in both the House and Senate versions of the bill, it was stripped from the final package, even as federal civilian employees, including members of Congress and their staff, receive this benefit.
NMFA will continue to push Congress in 2026 and beyond to address the issues that directly impact military family quality of life. Guided by the lived experiences of families across the force, we remaincommitted to turning your stories into action and ensuring no military family is left behind.
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