The impacts of the government shutdown vary for military service members and their families.
Active duty troops are still being paid. However, if the government shutdown stretches until Oct. 15, the paychecks those service members are expecting would be held up.
For military families, that’s causing anxiety, according to Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO and board president of Blue Star Families, an organization that works to connect military families with civilian communities.
Roth-Douquet told WTOP her organization is conducting a survey of military families due to release next week. She said one military spouse reported her family already lives paycheck to paycheck.
“We know from research that fewer than one in three military families have $3,000 in savings. So that means, you miss a paycheck and already, you don’t have the money to cover your family’s needs: the mortgage, the rent, the food bill, the day care,” Roth-Douquet said.
Financial stresses for military families isn’t just an economic issue, Roth-Douquet said.
“From our perspective, that’s not just one family’s hardship, it’s a national security liability. Because we need our military to be able to focus on their mission and not whether they’re going into default on their bills,” she said.
Blue Star Families has a hub, Roth-Douquet said, that includes a variety of resources.
“You can get emergency help, food and child care information, service branch-specific resources, also help for mental health and well-being,” she said.
Jim Marszalek, assistant executive director at Disabled American Veterans in D.C., said the Veterans Affairs receives advance appropriations, “which essentially guarantees health care and benefits” are funded a year in advance.
“So that means benefit checks will continue, that means that health care appointments will continue as well,” Marszalek said.
There are a number of services for disabled veterans that are suspended during the shutdown, including transition assistance programs for veterans leaving military service.
“So any service member who’s being discharged at this time may miss out on that while on active duty,” Marszalek said.
He added Disabled American Veterans’ transition service offices can still be contacted for assistance.
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