03/02/2026
1 March 2026 – AFSA Division 6 Legislative Update
1. Pentagon Issues Barracks Standard for All Military Services. Task & Purpose reports, “The Pentagon has published criteria for barracks and other housing that require all military services to meet the same standards for the first time, according to the Defense Department.
“The policy makes clear “zero visible mold” is the standard for all unaccompanied housing, and it establishes minimum living space requirements for all junior service members. The new rules also require parking for 70% of all troops lodged in each barracks, mandates that barracks have one washer and two dryers for every 15 service members, and directs that doors entering from a corridor have functional peep holes.”
For more on this, go to, Pentagon orders all military barracks to meet same standards
To review the Unified Facilities Criteria now in use, go to: UFC 4-721-01
2. DoW to Spend All $152 Billion from Reconciliation Bill in FY 2026. The Federal News Network tells us, in part, “The Defense Department plans to spend all of the money available through last year’s reconciliation bill in fiscal 2026, despite the funding being available for several years. Burning through the entire $152 billion in a single fiscal year — even though Congress allocated the funding to be spent over the next five years — is a departure from the Trump administration’s own earlier plans.
“The largest portion of the funding — nearly $2.9 billion — will go toward supplementing the basic allowance for housing. The spending plan says the department “will use $2.6 billion to provide a one-time basic allowance for housing supplement,” while the remaining $258 million will be used to “address future requirements associated with enhancing the BAH rate calculation.” In December, President Donald Trump announced a “Warrior Dividend” bonus for service members, suggesting it would be funded through tariff revenue. The Defense Department ultimately used reconciliation money intended to supplement the basic allowance for housing to issue those $1,776 bonus payments.
“The plan also allocates $1 billion to modernize unaccompanied military housing across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Space Force; $230.5 million for the Marine Corps’ Barracks 2030 initiative and $119 million for base operations support; $100 million for childcare fee assistance and $62 million to modernize staffing at military childcare centers.
“The plan also includes funding for 120 additional Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) scholarships, as well as $100 million for tuition assistance and $10 million for military spouse professional licensure programs.”
For the entire article, go to: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/defense-main/2026/02/dod-plans-to-spend-entire-152-billion-from-reconciliation-bill-in-one-year/
3. VA Formally Rescinds Rule Changing Disability Determinations. ABC News reports, “Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins rescinded his agency's short-lived rule that likely would have reduced disability benefits for potentially millions of veterans on medication and possibly other treatment plans, he announced Friday.
“On Feb. 17, the VA implemented a new rule that would have tied compensation determinations to how well a veteran responds to treatment, rather than the severity of the underlying condition, a move advocacy groups and Democrats on Capitol Hill in both chambers condemned as a fundamental betrayal of the benefits system.
“"Our intention was to put out a rule that we believed would clarify our processes," VA Deputy Secretary Paul Lawrence said Sunday at a conference hosted by Disabled American Veterans. "But obviously, it did not. So, we withdrew the rule. And candidly, we have no intention of ever doing anything or talking about it ever again."
You can read more about this at: https://abcnews.com/Politics/va-scraps-rule-reduced-disability-benefits-millions-veterans/story?id=130534772
4. VA Says Disability Claims Backlog 63% Lower in One Year; Now Less Than 100K. Newsweek reports, “The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced a major milestone affecting benefits for Veterans. In a press release issued on February 23, 2026, it reported that the backlog of disability compensation and pension benefit claims has been reduced by 63 percent since last year and is now below 100,000. In the press release, the VA said that it had managed to reduce the backlog of disability compensation and pension benefit claims by 63 percent since January 20, 2025, when it stood at 264,717. It also reported that the number of claims older than 125 days had fallen to 17 percent from a peak of 70 percent in 2013.
“The VA defines backlogged compensation and pension claims as those pending more than 125 days and said the sustained reduction reflects more efficient processing, which will help deliver benefits to veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors more quickly.”
To read the entire article, go to: VA Announces Major Milestone for Veterans’ Benefits - Newsweek
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AFSA's Four Pillars that underlie our association's strengths and our successes are Membership, Legislative Action, Communication, and Fraternity. All are essential and complement each other.
One thing to keep in mind when building our membership, through recruiting and retention efforts, is that the strongest call to join our AFSA family is by pointing out our notable legislative success. These accomplishments lead directly to protecting and improving the quality of the lives of current and past members of the Armed Forces, and their family members and survivors.
To review a few of our many successes, go to the AFSA Website and click on "Legislation," then on "Key Accomplishments" in the dropdown menu. Use these as a major tool in your efforts to recruit and retain and, thereby, to strengthen our Membership.
Thanks for all you do, and please let me know if I can be of further service.
V/R
Jim
CMSgt James E. Lokovic, USAF (Ret)
AFSA Division 6 Legislative Trustee
Cell: 435-590-6106
jlokovic@gmail.com
