DOD Change Supporting Nursing Mothers
One of my biggest gripes with the PCS system is how much out-of-pocket costs families face. In theory, the military pays for everything, and they do cover a decent chunk of it. However, there are so many minor start-up and change costs associated with a move that are not covered.
The average military family pays $5,000 out of pocket for every PCS. Total that up over a career and add in the fact that many families may be moving to a place they have zero interest in going to, and we've got a very expensive program. And that's before we even discuss spousal job loss with every move. Most people live paycheck to paycheck, which means they cannot afford to lose a job in their household.
There is more of an effort going to make military life sustainable for families, though. That means that we are starting to see real policy changes that actually support the families that serve. We saw one of those changes late last week.
The DOD approved a new policy covering the cost of transporting or shipping breast milk for service members during a PCS. The language is a little tricky about whether or not this would apply to spouses as well, but from what I can tell, if your name is on the orders for a PCS, then you can be reimbursed (and if you are a Coast Guard family, you can definitely be reimbursed). And as a Coast Guard spouse, you can be reimbursed for these costs if you go on a business trip, which is pretty awesome.
So, what does this actually look like? It's very similar to the change made in 2022, which covered these expenses for nursing service members when they were on TDY for more than three days. This change was massive when it happened, but it did not apply to PCS orders. The newest revision to the Joint Travel Regulations fixes that issue.
During a PCS (as with a TDY), nursing service members can be reimbursed for up to $1,000 in qualified expenses. This means that we are paying out of pocket upfront on these expenses, but the money will be returned, so it is still a cost that needs to be budgeted initially. Accepted expenses include shipping fees, extra baggage, storage bags or containers, cooling packs, refrigeration, and transport.
Shipping breast milk through UPS or a bougie shipping company will be covered. The cost of flying with an extra bag will be covered. Buying a cooler and dry ice to pack it for the road trip will be covered. Basically however someone feels most comfortable getting their breast milk from point A to point B, it can be covered.
There are a couple of caveats to this. It does only apply to women breastfeeding children twelve months or younger. I don't know how strictly they check in when your child hits a year, but it is a good number to be informed about. The authorization has to be on the PCS orders before anything is spent, and every receipt has to be submitted. Often, with a PCS, authorized expenses don't need a receipt if they are less than $75, but that rule does not apply here.
Service members can thank the Air Force's Women's Initiative Team for this change. Through their advocacy of women's experiences, we see this effect take place. The reality is that breastfeeding has massive implications for a woman's life. Breastfeeding waivers can prevent deployment for up to a year after having a baby. Those waivers can be extended in five-month intervals, ensuring that they either have access to the breaks, electricity, and refrigeration that breastfeeding requires or they cannot deploy,
This is a big deal, and it's an even bigger deal because it only affects a small percentage of our military population. Anyone who has ever had a freezer full of breast milk knows how essential it is to preserve that. And anyone who has ever done breastfeeding knows how exhausting and time-consuming that process is. It takes blood, sweat, and tears to create that freezer full, and we do not need to let a PCS destroy our hard work. Before this change, though, many families may have decided that the cost and logistics of moving were too much to justify. And I know how painful it was to dump that milk down the drain.
I hope this applies to spouses on military orders, and if it doesn't, we see that change in the future. But for today, I don't care. This is a win, and I will celebrate the fact that the military is putting family first in a way that reflects its people's values. I genuinely believe that "fed is best" when it comes to babies, and we should be supporting families in whatever method they choose.
I love that this change happened. It won't affect the majority of people, which is often a reason that changes like this don't happen. So it is all the more empowering that the AFWIT (I have no idea if they abbreviate that, but it's the military, so I imagine they do) was able to make this change. Because to the people it does affect, it will mean the world.
Even if this includes or extends to include spouses, it is unlikely that I would ever benefit from it. Our assignment to Georgia still has another 2.5 years on it, and we hope to extend it, which seems to be a likely option at this point. We plan to have our second (and last) child here, and I will only breastfeed for a maximum of six months if it is anything like the first time around. I was not a crazy producer, and we went through my freezer stash within a week of stopping. It is unlikely that I will have any need to transport breast milk to our next assignment.
But not every change needs to affect me. It is more than enough to celebrate the women entering PCS season with the support that they need. This change goes into effect June 1, 2024, so it probably won't help if the orders have already been cut, but for those that will be moving in the next PCS season, we have one more tool of support in our belts. And every tool counts when it comes to thriving in military life, which gives us the freedom and opportunity to chase our dreams.