The clock ran out on the federal budget process at midnight Sept. 30, shutting down the government for the first time since a 2018-19 funding lapse that lasted more than a month.

While MOAA presses lawmakers to restore funding and to protect servicemember pay during the closure, you’ll find details on how the shutdown affects all who serve and have served, and their families, below. This page will be updated with new information as available.

Jump to:

• Currently Serving and Families (Updated Nov. 5)
• Retirees/Survivors (Updated Oct. 27)
• Veterans/VA (Updated Oct. 6)
• Financial and Other Support (Updated Nov. 6)
• Links and Resources (Updated Oct. 8)

Currently Serving and Families

Servicemembers will report to duty during the shutdown. The Pentagon identified unobligated funding to process mid-October paychecks for its servicemembers, and used similar practices to fund end-of-month checks. Coast Guard members also received mid-month and month-end checks.

Administration officials have said funds will not be available for mid-November checks for the military services. 

Members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Officer Corps and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps have not received checks as shutdown conditions continue; USPHS officers are paid monthly, while NOAA Corps members are paid biweekly. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Commerce have not released any details regarding the pay of these active duty officers.

The Pentagon’s shutdown contingency plan outlines the full scope of ongoing operations, to include furloughs for hundreds of thousands of civilians. Some key details from the plan and other sources:

• Health Care: Elective and routine medical procedures at military facilities may be canceled or postponed; contact your provider to confirm your appointment. The shutdown will not affect military families using TRICARE or TRICARE For Life benefits in the private sector. The TRICARE Prime Travel Benefit is not available. Appeals, grievances, and other administrative services may be delayed by staffing reductions. Open enrollment periods for TRICARE and the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) remain on schedule for November.
  
  
• Military pharmacies will remain open, but hours may change.
  
  
• Enlisted soldiers with separation dates scheduled during the shutdown will see their time in uniform extended by 45 days "to ensure proper transition," an Army spokesman said in a statement reported by multiple media outlets. The Department of the Air Force recently announced a 60-day extension for separating Air Force and Space Force members. The other services have not issued similar directives.
  
  
• Commissaries and exchanges will remain open, as will mess halls, gyms, and child care facilities “required for readiness.” Commissaries have funds to function into early December, Military Times reported Oct. 27. Military personnel may replace furloughed civilians to allow for continuation of other services deemed “necessary or appropriate.” Facility and program closures vary by installation. Stars and Stripes is maintaining a list of services on European installations affected by the shutdown, and has reported some of the impacts on Pacific bases.
  
  
• “Community and public outreach programs” such as concerts, military airshow appearances, and similar events that are not fully funded with nonappropriated funds (NAF) will be canceled or postponed.
  
  
• Death gratuity payments will continue. This is a change from the prior shutdown resulting from language in 2021 appropriations legislation.
  
  
• Schools: Department-run schools will remain in session, but extracurricular activities will be canceled unless paid for by nonappropriated funds. High school sports and other after-school activities at such schools in Europe and the Pacific region had been canceled under this policy at the start of the shutdown but were deemed "excepted activities" on Oct. 7, allowing them to resume. Students at Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA)-run schools may be eligible for free or reduced-price student meals during the shutdown if their caregiver is a federal employees (proof of income not required in these cases).
  
  
• Military families using the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Overseas program will continue to receive the benefit during the shutdown, Military Times reported. About 10,000 families are part of the program. Stateside WIC benefits, as well as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (SNAP, better known as food stamps), may be disrupted or reduced by the funding lapse.
  
  
• Some training for servicemembers may be canceled or delayed if the instructor is a civilian. Contractor-led training may continue if the instructor is being paid from funds earmarked from the prior fiscal year.
  
  
• PCS moves and temporary duty travel will be delayed unless they involve supporting “exempted activity” or are deemed “essential to mission.” Army PCS moves with orders dated before Oct. 1 were allowed to continue, then reportedly were paused under new guidance, which was later reversed to allow those moves to continue.
  
  
• Traditional National Guard drills may be canceled, though mobilized Guard and Reserve members, like their active duty counterparts, would report for duty.
  
  
• Active duty family members under the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) will remain covered. Premiums will be deducted from retroactive pay when posted. A FEDVIP open enrollment period is still scheduled for November.
  
  
• MilitaryOne Source support services will be available online and by calling (800) 342-9674. More details are available at the Military OneSource website. Funding is expected to last until early March 2026.
  
  
• New requests by military spouses for tuition assistance under the My Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) will not be processed. Spouses approved prior to Sept. 30 are not affected.
  
  
• The Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO) program will operate through February 2026.
  
  
• Casualty and mortuary affairs benefits will continue, to include military funeral honors.

[RELATED: Pentagon Takes Another Step Toward Commissary Privatization]

Retirees and Survivors

• Armed services retirees, to include Coast Guard retirees, will continue to receive retiree pay during the funding lapse. Officers who retired from the U.S. Public Health Service or NOAA would not receive their next paycheck if the shutdown continues and no alternate funding plans are put in place (Oct. 1 checks, covering pay from September, were processed).
  
  
• COLA: The announcement of figures that will determine the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for military retirees, Social Security and VA disability recipients, and other federal beneficiaries was released Oct. 24 after a delay caused by the shutdown. Get the latest update at MOAA.org/COLAWatch.
  
  
• Commissaries and exchanges will remain open. Commissaries have funds to function into early December, Military Times reported Oct. 27.
  
  
• Health Care: Elective and routine medical procedures at military facilities may be canceled or postponed; contact your provider to confirm your appointment. The shutdown will not affect retirees using TRICARE or TRICARE For Life benefits in the private sector. Open enrollment periods for TRICARE and the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) remain on schedule for November.
  
  
• Military pharmacies will remain open, but hours may change.
  
  
• Survivor Benefit Plan payments will continue.
  
  
• Retirees and survivors covered under the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) won't be affected. Federal employees whose FEDVIP premiums are deducted from their federal pay will retain coverage; their premiums will be deducted from retroactive pay when posted. A FEDVIP open enrollment period is still scheduled for November.

[RELATED: Medicare Trustees Report Estimates Next 9 Years of Part B Premiums]

Veterans/VA

The VA’s contingency planning website contains full updates on the department’s status during the funding lapse. Some key points:

• Health care facilities will remain open.
  
  
• Education, housing, disability, and other VA benefits will continue.
  
  
• Burials will continue at VA cemeteries, as will applications and related processing (except for pre-need burial applications). Grounds maintenance and headstone placement will be delayed. Casualty and mortuary affairs benefits will continue, to include military funeral honors.
  
  
• Transition and career counseling services will stop, and regional benefits offices will close.
  
  
• The primary call center (1-800-MyVA411), crisis line (988, press 1), and VA benefit hotline (1-800-827-1000) will remain open. GI bill and cemetery-applicant assistance lines will close.

[FROM VA.GOV: Veterans Field Guide to Government Shutdown (PDF)]

Financial and Other Support

• The MOAA Foundation’s Crisis Relief Program is accepting applications from those impacted by the government shutdown. Learn who is eligible, and find out how to apply.

   
• Servicemembers, retirees, veterans, and families should check with their financial institution to see whether relief programs are available. Many banks serving the military community, such as USAA, will offer zero-interest loans during the shutdown.
  
  
• Service relief agencies offer a range of options (primarily interest-free loans) for currently serving members and retirees. Visit Army Emergency Relief, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, the Air Force Aid Society, or Coast Guard Mutual Assistance to learn more.
  
  
• The American Red Cross Hero Care program can connect members of the military community with financial help from the above aid societies. Connect via the Hero Care app (Apple | Android).
  
  
• New and existing Military Star cardholders pay zero interest on purchases at commissaries through Nov. 30, with no payments on the purchases due for three months. Learn more about the card, including eligibility rules, at MYECP.com.
  
  
• Emergency grocery support, a program created by the Military Family Advisory Network, will deliver a week's worth of food for a family of four and a commissary gift card to eligible military families. Registration is through SheerID. 

More Links and Resources

• DoW shutdown guidance
• TRICARE shutdown guidance
• VA contingency planning
• VA shutdown FAQ
• Office of Management and Budget (OMB) shutdown FAQ
• DoDEA shutdown information