Military Times is publishing its annual Benefits Guide, a one-stop resource on the dizzying array of pay and benefits programs offered to active-duty and reserve component service members, retirees, veterans and their families. It has everything they need to know to get the most out of their government benefits.

The guide is a living document, updated each year with changes made by the Pentagon, the Veterans Affairs Department and Congress.

A 20-page special pullout detailing highlights of this year's Benefits Guide is included in all Aug. 17 print editions of Air Force Times, Army Times, Marine Corps Times and Navy Times.

Subscribers can access the full 76-page Benefits Guide online by logging in here, then choosing "Benefits Guide" in the menu on the right side of the screen.

Not a subscriber? Sign up now.

Active-duty service members are eligible for a free annual digital subscription, including access to the full Benefits Guide. Click here to start yours.

Some highlights of what's new in this year's guide:

The PAY & BENEFITS chapter updates the most important compensation issues that affect troops' wallets, none more so than the annual basic pay raise. In 2015, all members received a pay raise of 1 percent effective Jan. 1, duplicating the basic pay raise for 2014. These are the only two years since 1998 that the annual basic pay raise failed to keep pace with average private-sector wage growth, which was 1.8 percent in both 2013 and 2014.

The 2014 and 2015 military raises also were the smallest annual bumps in the 42-year history of the all-volunteer force — a reflection of an increasingly vocal Pentagon campaign to scale back on personnel spending, which top officials claim is growing at an unsustainable pace and putting a squeeze on funding for readiness, modernization and other defense budget accounts.

And the raise for 2016, still not finalized, may not be all that robust, either; the White House and Pentagon want only a 1.3 percent pay bump, which the House has endorsed. The Senate has signaled support for a slightly higher 2.3 percent hike, but that support appears tentative.

In addition to updating all the major pay and allowance rates, this chapter also details potential major changes to the Thrift Savings Plan that are tied to a major military retirement reform initiative still under consideration in Congress.

The SUPPORT SERVICES chapter has details of a new Defense Department service called Militarychildcare.com, which launched in January and is gradually rolling out worldwide. It allows military families to search for child care availability and sign up for waiting lists online.

The central portal aims to streamline the process for parents to get information about, and arrange for, military child care at their current duty station or their next one. Parents can get on the waiting list and monitor their request for child care while they wait for notification of an available space. And rather than contacting each child care program office at each installation, parents can visit one location for their child care needs, view information on every child development center and family child care home and see the current anticipated placement time estimates. Parents also may view maps to see how far a child care provider is from their work or home.

Other changes: The section of this chapter on Military and Family Support Centers has been reorganized and updated, and the section on Military OneSource, the Defense Department's main portal for personal and family support services, also has been expanded.

The EDUCATION chapter has new details on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, which has now been adopted by all 50 states. The compact is designed to address administrative issues that arise for military children when they move with their families from state to state and encounter varying policies in schools operated by local education agencies.

There is also information for military parents who have questions about how the compact works in a particular state or would like to talk to state officials involved in implementing the compact.

This chapter also has new information on scholarship and other education funding opportunities for military children and spouses, including the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program; and has expanded information on the military services' specific professional education programs for active-duty members.

The HEALTH CARE chapter details the discussion that swirled in early 2015 about possibly privatizing the military's Tricare health program, a proposal put forth earlier this year by the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission.

The proposal, dubbed Tricare Choice, would have required beneficiaries to select a health plan from a range of programs compiled by the federal Office of Personnel Management, similar to those offered to federal employees. The committee envisioned offering a range of plans that would include traditional fee-for-service insurance as well as health maintenance organizations and preferred provider network options. Congress has rejected that idea for now, but some lawmakers have expressed interest in continuing to study that possibility.

This section also has new information on the Vet4Warriors program, which offers service members peer-to-peer counseling with other veterans, 24 hours a day. The Defense CDepartment recently decided to cease funding for this program, but the state of New Jersey is funding it for another year. It's open to callers from any branch of service and their families.

The HOUSING chapter has the latest updates on the services' ongoing, long-term efforts to overhaul barracks and dorms for single service members, as well as a status report on where the Defense Department and the services stand with their privatized housing initiatives.

A totally new section introduced this year goes into detail on a new Defense Department initiative called Homes.mil, an online housing referral network that connects military renters with a wide range of rental properties in areas near U.S. military installations both at home and in foreign countries.

Launched in December 2014, the free tool can help service members find housing in advance of a permanent change-of-station move, making "door to door" moves go much smoother. Customizable searches allow users to search for rentals based on price, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, appliances, utilities, pet policies and more.

The RECREATION chapter updates a number of new developments in various military morale, welfare and recreation programs, including a new reservation policy for the Armed Forces Recreation facility in Europe, the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch, Germany. A review of the Status of Forces agreement with that country has led to a tightened policy under which guests living outside Europe cannot directly book rooms. Also updated are the sections on military community/recreation centers, Internet access in military MWR facilities, the YMCA Outreach program, and on-base libraries and movie theaters.

Also added is a small but significant change to Space-available travel rules for family members of deployed troops, which spun out of a recommendation from the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission.

The MOVING chapter includes expanded details and suggestions for service members dealing with commercial movers during permanent change-of-station moves, including new reimbursement rules on personal vehicle shipments that are not delivered by the dates requested by the member; and additional details on filing claims for damage on personal property during moves. The section on shipping pets also has been expanded.

The RETIREMENT chapter details historic potential changes that are swirling around an entirely new military retirement model. The proposed changes, which have drawn support from most lawmakers and appear likely to become law in late 2015, would transform the military retirement system from traditional pension into a "hybrid" system.

The proposal would shrink the size of the current pension by 20 percent and replace that portion of the benefit with government contributions to individual investment accounts owned by the service member. These individual investment accounts would be provided in the form of a Thrift Savings Plan.

Congress has not resolved all details regarding the contributions to the TSP, but it looks likely that a new system will include automatic government contributions equal to 1 percent of basic pay, and further government matching contributions of up to 5 percent, pegged to what the service member contributes.

Current troops would be grandfathered and could choose to stay under the old system or opt into the new one.

Finally, the full online guide includes three chapters aimed specifically at National Guard and reserve members, with details about joining a reserve component unit, various duty statuses, policies and procedures on activation and deployment, and the rights and responsibilities that come with service in a reserve component.

Our goal is to make the annual Military Times Benefits Guide as useful and informative as possible. If there are issues or programs not covered that you would like to see addressed, send suggestions to Military Times News Service Managing Editor Chuck Vinch at cvinch@militarytimes.com.

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