NOTEWORTHY: Advancing Economic Security for Military and Veteran Spouses, Military Caregivers, and Survivors

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Policy. Military-connected families are American working families. Military and veteran families, military caregivers, and survivors face many of the same challenges as their neighbors, but they can carry the additional strains of multiple deployments; frequent moves with little control over their geographic location; caring for wounded, ill, and injured service members or veterans; time apart for training and other demands of military life; and more. The unique demands of military life continue to affect veteran families, military caregivers, and survivors for years after a service member’s time in uniform.

Military spouse employment not only provides economic security for military families while their service member is on active duty, but further ensures economic security through the vulnerable period of transition from active duty. The administration’s focus on military spouse employment and long-term financial stability serves as a proactive measure to prevent an increase in the demand for future crisis interventions.

— Katherine Kuzminski | Senior Fellow and Director, MVS Program

Military families, like their civilian counterparts, increasingly look to rely upon dual incomes; however, the 21 percent unemployment rate experienced by active-duty military spouses in the workforce makes that a difficult goal to achieve and maintain. Nearly one in five military families cite challenges with spousal employment as a reason when considering leaving active-duty service.

Consistent military spouse employment is a military retention issue. Not only do American families rely on dual incomes to make ends meet, but there has also been a rise in dual professional couples who must balance the career opportunities, priorities, and potential for advancement for both spouses.(1)

— Katherine Kuzminski | Senior Fellow and Director, MVS Program

The challenges associated with the military lifestyle, including permanent change-of-station moves every 2 to 3 years on average for active-duty families, mean that military spouses often struggle to find options for work that are portable or allow them to build a sustainable long-term career. Employment challenges are not limited to active-duty spouses, as Reserve and National Guard spouses must balance their careers against the unpredictable nature of the service member’s schedule, activations, and deployments. Employment challenges can continue to affect the employability and career trajectory of veteran spouses well after a service member leaves the service.

Recognizing the importance of military family economic well-being to the all-volunteer force, the Federal Government employs more than 16,000 military, veteran, and surviving spouses.

A specific, unique challenge within federal employment are military spouses who work in the national security sector. While this EO creates a necessary next step for federal employment, the government should consider updating systems and processes to further enable spouses with security clearances the ability to access secure facilities at military installations to which their service member is assigned. Such updates would further enable hybrid or remote employment for those spouses with an active security clearance.

— Katherine Kuzminski | Senior Fellow and Director, MVS Program

As the Nation’s largest employer, we must be a model for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, and, in doing so, we recognize that military spouses are an underserved community. Whether they choose public service, employment in the private sector, or entrepreneurship through building a small business, it is the policy of my Administration to advance economic opportunity for military spouses.

Frequent moves across state—and sometimes national—borders complicates employment opportunities for individuals in a number of career fields that require location-specific certifications such as the educational, medical, and legal professions. The high costs in both money and time to replicate licensures can often be a barrier to continued employment for many military spouses.

— Taren Sylvester | Research Assistant, MVS Program

About 91 percent (2) of military spouses are women, and this population is key for not only recruitment but also retention. Military spouses are far less likely than their active-duty partners to recommend military service to prospective members in part due to dissatisfaction with the lifestyle. As the military’s main recruitment pool are those who have a family member serve, having spouses recommend service is essential to maintain recruitment goals.

— Ayla McBreen | Intern, MVS Program

In addition, my Administration understands that access to high-quality, affordable child care is a necessity for working families, and a military readiness issue. While the Department of Defense offers the largest employer-sponsored child care network in the country, military families still face challenges related to capacity and non-traditional work schedules.

The Department of Defense has approximately 76,700 children enrolled in DoD child care services and another 25,800 who receive fee assistance. Despite this, many families (especially among junior service members) struggle to acquire adequate child care due to limited numbers of child care centers, long waitlists, and high fees both on and off installation. While the DoD is approved to open a number of new child development centers (CDCs) in the coming years, there is also a shortage of qualified childcare workers in many locations.(3) Childcare solutions for dual military families can also be complicated by limited business hours for even on-base care that does not conform to variable military schedules. This can limit the promotion potential and/or become a retention issue for one or both parents.

— Taren Sylvester | Research Assistant, MVS Program

Many military families seeking care outside of the gates of our military bases struggle to find care they can afford. Because access to child care should not be an impediment to service, I have directed the Secretary of Defense to ensure the Fourteenth Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation, undertaken in January 2023, includes an assessment of child care access and cost in its review of military benefits and pay, along with consideration of factors such as the challenge of military spouse unemployment, frequent military moves, and periods of geographic separation between service members and their spouses, including dual military couples.

Military spouses can also be service members themselves, wearing the Nation’s uniform in our Active Components, National Guard, or Reserve forces, with a higher percentage of women service members in a dual military marriage than their male counterparts. As we recognize the 75th anniversary of women’s integration into the Armed Forces, my Administration is committed to removing barriers to women’s ability to serve, including difficulty in accessing child care, which poses a challenge for both spouses, but disproportionately affects retention for women, especially women in dual military couples, and can play a factor in women’s early separation from the Armed Forces.

Around 20 percent (4) of female service members are in dual military marriages as compared to around 4 percent of males. These military wives are more likely than their husbands to leave the military due to family concerns, career prioritization, or issues related to being assigned different duty stations. While this EO tackles some of the concerns with raising or starting a family while in uniform, there is still significant ground to cover to make dual military families a more sustainable lifestyle.

— Ayla McBreen | Intern, MVS Program

As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the all-volunteer force, we must appreciate now more than ever that the commitment and resilience of military-connected families are essential to the recruitment, retention, and readiness of our Armed Forces and the enduring strength of our Nation. Meeting the economic, social, and emotional needs of our military and veteran families, military caregivers, and survivors is a national security imperative. In times of peace and of war, military and veteran families, military caregivers, and survivors have sacrificed much for our country, answering the call to duty time and again. We owe them nothing less than the dignity of a meaningful career and the opportunity to build economic security for their families.

Military families, especially junior enlisted families, are both less economically secure and less food secure than their civilian peers and consistently rank military pay and spousal employment as top family issues. The difficulties military spouses face gaining employment exacerbate these concerns and negatively impact retention levels as one of the reasons families choose to leave service is to improve their economic situation.(5)

— Ayla McBreen | Intern, MVS Program

Sec. 2. Government-wide Military and Veteran Spouse, Military Caregiver, and Survivor Hiring and Retention Strategic Plan and Training. Given the considerable Federal footprint around many military installations, military spouses are often interested in pursuing careers in the Federal civil service. To ensure that the Federal Government is an employer of choice for military and veteran spouses, military caregivers, and survivors, executive departments and agencies (agencies) must strengthen their ability to recruit, hire, develop, promote, and retain this skilled and diverse pool of talent. To that end:

The proposed schedule for reviewing and updating the Military-Connected Plan ensures that the efforts made in this administration will continue regardless of electoral outcomes in the future.

— Katherine Kuzminski | Senior Fellow and Director, MVS Program

(i) define measures of success for the recruitment, hiring, and retention of military and veteran spouses, military caregivers, and survivors based on leading policies and practices in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors;

(ii) include plans for OPM to consult with the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security in developing enhanced support for the retention of military spouses in Federal careers, consistent with merit system principles as defined in 5 U.S.C. 2301;

(iii) consistent with merit system principles, identify strategies — including pursuing development of a legislative proposal, as appropriate — to eliminate, where applicable, barriers to the employment of military and veteran spouses, military caregivers, and survivors in the Federal workforce, including with respect to recruitment; hiring, including an assessment of whether to pursue expanded eligibility for derivative preference; promotion; retention; performance evaluations and awards; professional development programs; mentoring programs or sponsorship initiatives; internship, fellowship, and registered apprenticeship programs; employee resource group and affinity group programs; and training, learning, and onboarding programs;

Federal hiring processes are notoriously slow for all civilians. However, slow hiring processes have an outsized impact on military spouses, who historically only reside at a military installation for two to three years at a time; a hiring process that can take three to six months results in résumé gaps and inconsistent incomes.

— Katherine Kuzminski | Senior Fellow and Director, MVS Progra

(iv) identify strategies for marketing the talent, experience, and diversity of military and veteran spouses, military caregivers, and survivors to agencies; and

(v) develop a data-driven approach to increasing transparency and accountability in hiring and retention — including by encouraging agencies to set goals for hiring under the Military Spouse Noncompetitive Appointment Authority established by 5 U.S.C. 3330d and hiring individuals eligible for derivative preference, to use data internally to improve performance, and to use data to publicly report on progress — which would build upon, as appropriate, the reporting requirements of Executive Order 13832 of May 9, 2018 (Enhancing Noncompetitive Civil Service Appointments of Military Spouses).

(b) Beginning with Fiscal Year 2025, the Director of OPM shall revise the title of the “Employment of Veterans in the Federal Executive Branch” annual report to “Employment of Veterans and Military-Connected Spouses and Survivors in the Federal Executive Branch,” and shall include in the report the existing data previously reported in the “Employment of Veterans in the Federal Executive Branch” report, including statistics on the hiring of military and veteran spouses and survivors in a manner that allows for comparison and analysis of the distinct populations and hiring mechanisms.

The EO’s provision for data collection will provide both the federal government and private sector employers with valuable information to drive strategic planning for military spouse employment.

— Katherine Kuzminski | Senior Fellow and Director, MVS Program

(c) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Director of OPM shall collaborate on opportunities to better share Federal employee survey data to enable analysis and reporting relevant to the employment of military and veteran spouses and survivors.

(d) In collaboration with the Director of OPM and consistent with 5 U.S.C. 4103, agencies shall provide annual training for agency human resources personnel and hiring managers concerning the employment of military and veteran spouses, military caregivers, and survivors, including training on special authorities for the hiring of military spouses and survivors, and the provision of tools to build the agencies’ capacity to make use of applicable hiring authorities, including distribution of the Joining Forces military spouse hiring toolkit, which OPM shall publish on the FedsHireVets website.

The provision to train both human resources personnel and hiring managers is a key requirement for operationalizing the plan laid out in the EO. While those in leadership positions, such as agency directors, and those in cabinet-level positions may lay out a strategic vision to employ military and veteran spouses, military caregivers, and survivors, it is those in the position of hiring and retaining agency employers who will drive actual changes throughout the department or agency.

— Katherine Kuzminski | Senior Fellow and Director, MVS Program

(e) The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Equitable Data, as designated by Executive Order 14091 of February 16, 2023 (Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government), shall develop recommendations on ways in which agencies can expand Federal datasets to track outcomes for military and veteran spouses, military caregivers, and survivors. Such recommendations shall be included in the Director of OSTP’s reports to the White House Steering Committee on Equity under section 9 of Executive Order 14091.

(f) The Secretaries of Defense, Labor, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security shall work together through existing interagency collaborations, including the Transition Assistance Program, to increase training and employment opportunities for military spouses in the workforce through the transition to veteran spouse status.

Sec. 3. Updates to Federal Training and Hiring Authorities. To strengthen the ability of the Federal Government to train, develop, and hire military and veteran spouses and survivors:

(a) Beginning with Fiscal Year 2025, agencies shall list the Military Spouse Noncompetitive Appointment Authority established by 5 U.S.C. 3330d when soliciting applications from outside of their workforce for positions announced on USAJOBS or other job posting sites. This requirement applies when using merit promotion procedures to fill competitive service positions.

(b) The Secretary of Labor shall examine the eligibility of military and veteran spouses for programs that provide education, job training, employment services, employer engagement, and other relevant programs, and, as appropriate, shall work to reduce barriers that military and veteran spouses may face in accessing those programs.

(c) The Director of OPM shall examine the eligibility criteria for the Recent Graduates Program established by section 2 of Executive Order 13562 of December 27, 2010 (Recruiting and Hiring Students and Recent Graduates), and, as appropriate, including by recommending Presidential action as necessary, shall work to reduce barriers that military spouses may face in accessing the Program.

Sec. 4. Retention of Military and Veteran Spouses and Military Caregivers, Including Those Employed by the Federal Government. In order to support military and veteran spouses and military caregivers, including those who are employed by the Federal Government:

(a) The Director of OPM shall issue guidance to agencies:

(i) reinforcing existing telework and remote work flexibility options pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 6502 for Federal employees, including military spouses and military caregivers, and encouraging agency leaders to consider these as options for retaining Federal employee military spouses and military caregivers;

Telework and remote work flexibilities expand employment and retention options for military spouses. The shift to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic proved that the federal government was able to invest in the systems, software, and cultural changes necessary to ensure that employer requirements can be met without full-time, in-person workplaces. However, as employers continue to expand back-to-office protocols, military spouses may be acutely affected.

— Katherine Kuzminski | Senior Fellow and Director, MVS Program

(ii) encouraging agencies to support the policies set forth in section 1 of this order by granting up to 5 days of administrative leave to military spouses during a geographic relocation occurring as directed by a service member’s orders; and

(iii) encouraging agencies to collaborate so that a military spouse or military caregiver Federal employee may be placed in another Federal agency position when arrangements to retain a military spouse or military caregiver — including following changes to support continuity of care or relocation due to permanent change-of-station orders for the active-duty service member — are unavailable to allow them to continue in their existing position.

(b) The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, when reevaluating or entering agreements with host nations, shall consider work options for military spouses who are performing remote work for non-Department of Defense entities, so as to reduce barriers for military spouses seeking to continue their private sector- or self-employment.

Military spouses stationed overseas face specific employment challenges based on host nation agreements. For example, limitations on the use of military housing for business purposes may hinder spouses’ ability to work from home; work visas issued by the host nation may be necessary (such as in Italy and Korea); and military spouses may be subject to additional tax burdens if they work on the economy in host nations.

— Katherine Kuzminski | Senior Fellow and Director, MVS Program

(c) The Secretary of Defense shall coordinate with the heads of the Military Departments, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall coordinate with the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, to amend their respective legal assistance instructions to allow for consultation, advice, and assistance to military families on Status of Forces Agreements and other agreements with host nations affecting family employment, so as to provide support for military spouses navigating complex employment requirements related to working remotely while their active-duty service member spouse is stationed overseas. Those amendments shall specify that legal assistance is limited to the personal civil legal affairs of military dependents affected by employment restrictions related to a Status of Forces Agreement or other host nation agreement, and does not extend to their employers or the establishment, management, or taxation of small business organizations.

Sec. 5. Domestic Employees Teleworking Overseas Policy. In order to ensure that military spouses are able to equitably and reasonably access opportunities for remote work in their Federal jobs when their service-member spouse receives orders overseas, promote togetherness for military families, and enable agencies that employ military spouses — resilient and talented civil servants — to retain them, the following improvements shall be made to the Domestic Employees Teleworking Overseas (DETO) program implemented by agencies pursuant to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117-81):

(a) The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense shall enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to address residential security and safety requirements for military spouses employed by the Federal Government and working overseas through the DETO program. The MOU shall be communicated to sponsoring agencies, and the Secretaries of State and Defense shall develop appropriate guidance to communicate the provisions of the MOU to military spouses who are civilian employees of the Federal Government.

(b) To promote consistency and effective coordination in the implementation of the DETO program across the executive branch, agencies shall:

(i) develop common standards for DETO policies, including identification of points of contact and creation of guidelines to ensure that such policies are communicated and advertised in a manner accessible to military spouse employees;

(ii) establish a DETO application system and develop a method to track DETO applications received and processed, as well as application processing timelines; and

(iii) establish time frames for DETO application processing and approvals, considering the time-sensitive nature of decisions for applications by military spouses due to permanent change-of-station moves and other factors unique to military families.

Sec. 6. Expanding Support for Military and Veteran Spouse Entrepreneurs. Many military spouses start their own businesses because of a need for flexibility or inability to find or maintain other employment. When military spouses must discontinue their businesses, however, they often cite military moves, rather than lack of profitability, as the reason. To support military spouse entrepreneurs in starting and sustaining their businesses, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration shall:

(a) expand access to resources tailored to military and veteran spouses who are interested in starting or growing a small business, including guidance to help military spouses with relocating a business following a military move; and

(b) evaluate access to capital gaps for military spouse entrepreneurs.

Sec. 7. Child Care for Military Families. The Department of Defense operates the largest employer-sponsored child care program in the United States in order to provide military families with support that is essential to overall mission readiness, retention, and recruitment. To build on the existing support and ensure that military families have access to affordable, high-quality child care allowing both the service member and the spouse to pursue professional opportunities, the Secretary of Defense shall:

(a) in coordination with the Director of OPM, establish flexible spending accounts for the care of military dependents, available to military personnel no later than January 1, 2024; and

(b) expand pathways for military spouses to provide certified, home-based child care on military installations, including by providing them with support in seeking licensure and achieving government-mandated quality benchmarks.