By MOAA Staff
Note from MOAA: We will continue to update our shutdown-related resources throughout the federal funding lapse. Click here for a full list of impacts, ask your lawmakers to support the Pay Our Troops Act, and see below for pay-related specifics. Last update: Nov. 4
Jump to Retired Pay
Q. BLUF: Will I get my next paycheck?
A. November paychecks were provided for the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force, but funds will not be available for mid-November checks, according to administration officials.
The Department of Homeland Security, which pays the Coast Guard, did not issued an official announcement regarding month-end pay status, but the service reported through official social media channels that its members would be paid.
The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Commerce have not announced plans for payments to members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps or the NOAA Commissioned Corps, respectively. UPSHS members are paid monthly and will miss their November checks; NOAA Corps are paid biweekly and are in line to continue working without pay.
Q. Troops were paid during the last shutdown, right?
A. Yes, but with some significant caveats. The 2018-2019 shutdown was a partial funding lapse – money for the military had been secured through an appropriations bill signed into law Sept. 28, 2018. Members of the Coast Guard and the NOAA Corps did not receive their mid-January 2019 paychecks, as they fall under the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Commerce, respectively.
Some members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps were paid depending on whether their assigned agency was part of the partial shutdown, and some HHS departments moved funds to cover salaries.
Q. Will I get back pay?
A. Yes. Federal law mandates all government employees required to work during a shutdown be “compensated on the earliest date possible after the lapse ends.” The Coast Guard expects its uniformed members to receive a delayed paycheck “about two days after the shutdown ends,” per its website.
Q. Has this ever happened before?
A. The Coast Guard’s missed 2019 paycheck was seen as a historic first for a U.S. armed service, though soldiers weren’t paid for much of 1877 until a November bill authorized funds for a 25,000-man Army.
Q. Can’t my bank/credit union front me the money?
A. Some financial institutions serving the uniformed services community – USAA, for example – will offer zero-interest loans and other support for those facing missed checks. Note: These programs are not automatic – you must apply for the assistance. Reach out to your bank or credit union to determine eligibility.
A. Even though the country is both politically and socially divided, it should be clear that under our nonpartisan approach at MOAA we will, have always, and should always support our uniformed servicemembers, veterans, family members and survivors regardless of what party controls each branch of government. We’ve been consistent in demonstrating that over the years. Irrespective of personal feelings or political affiliation, we hope all MOAA members can unite in support of that idea and the need to ensure our servicemembers get paid on Oct. 15 and every pay period after that.
Our current call to action reflects MOAA’s nonpartisan mission and long-standing commitment to the well-being of the uniformed services community. It does not represent a position for or against any current federal officeholder or political party, but rather a reaffirmation of our core purpose: to ensure that earned benefits are honored and protected.
Q. Has MOAA supported similar legislation connected to previous federal funding lapses?
A. Yes.
- With a shutdown looming in 2023, during the Biden administration, MOAA backed legislation to ensure all servicemembers continued to be paid.
- The military services were funded during the 2018-19 shutdown, under the first Trump administration, but MOAA supported legislation to pay others in uniform.
- MOAA supported the Pay Our Military Act of 2013, a bill which ensured continued pay for the military services when the government shut down in early October 2013, during the Obama administration.
- MOAA (then The Retired Officers Association, or TROA) supported similar initiatives during the 1995-96 shutdown under the Clinton administration.
[SHUTDOWN UPDATE: MOAA Works to Protect ALL Servicemembers – and Retirees – From Shutdown Fallout]
Retired Pay
Q. I’m a military retiree. Will I get my next check?
A. Yes. Military retirement is paid from the Military Retirement Fund, not from yearly appropriations.
Q. I’m a Coast Guard retiree. Will I get my next check?
A. Yes. Coast Guard retiree pay has been covered by the Military Retirement Fund since the passage of the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.
Q. I’m a U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps retiree. Will I get my next check?
A. At present, no. While members of the USPHS Commissioned Corps are paid via the same personnel system as Coast Guard retirees, their pay does not fall under the Military Retirement Fund.
Q. I’m a NOAA Corps retiree. Will I get my next check?
A. At present, no. While members of the NOAA Corps are paid via the same personnel system as Coast Guard retirees, their pay does not fall under the Military Retirement Fund.
The More Members We Have, the More Influence We Have Over Our Benefits
MOAA is committed to protecting the rights of servicemembers and their families. Lend your voice and support these efforts today. Because the larger our voice is, the greater our impact will be.