Veteran’s Field Guide to Government Shutdown
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates 97 percent of VA employees continue to work during a shutdown,
according to the VA Human Capital Contingency Plan. VA is committed to provide quality, consistent care and services
to Veterans, families, Caregivers, and Survivors. VA’s mission allows no exception to this standard even when operations
are limited by the absence of appropriations (commonly known as a “Government shutdown”).
Click here to view the complete guide in Adobe PDF format
MOAA Article What the Shutdown Means for Troops, Retirees, Veterans, and Families
By: Kevin Lilley
OCTOBER 01, 2025
The clock ran out on the federal budget process at midnight Tuesday, shutting down the government for the first time since a 2018-19 funding lapse that lasted more than a month.
While MOAA presses lawmakers to restore funding and to protect servicemember pay during the closure, you’ll find details on how the shutdown affects all who serve and have served, and their families, below. This page will be updated with new information as available.
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Currently Serving and Families
Service members will report to duty during the shutdown but won’t be paid until funding is restored. Oct. 1 paychecks, drawn from funds budgeted for last fiscal year, were processed, but Oct. 15 checks won’t be processed without funding or other legislation.
The Pentagon’s shutdown contingency plan outlines the full scope of ongoing operations, to include furloughs for hundreds of thousands of civilians. Some key details from the plan and other sources:
- Elective and routine medical procedures at military facilities may be canceled or postponed; contact your provider to confirm your appointment. The shutdown will not affect military families using TRICARE or TRICARE For Life benefits in the private sector.
- Military pharmacies will remain open; however, hours may be subject to change.
- Commissaries and exchanges will remain open, as will mess halls, gyms, and child care facilities “required for readiness.” Military personnel may replace furloughed civilians to allow for continuation of other services deemed “necessary or appropriate.” Facility and program closures, at least in the early hours of the shutdown, varied by installation.
- “Community and public outreach programs” such as concerts, military airshow appearances, and similar events that are not fully funded with non-appropriated funds (NAF) will be canceled or postponed.
- Death gratuity payments will continue. This is a change from the prior shutdown resulting from language in the 2021 appropriations legislation.
- Department-run schools will remain in session, but extracurricular activities will be canceled unless paid for by non-appropriated funds. This could include sports practices and games, concerts, and similar events.
- Some training for service members may be canceled or delayed if the instructor is a civilian. Contractor-led training may continue if the instructor is being paid from funds earmarked from the prior fiscal year.
- PCS moves and temporary duty travel will be delayed unless they involve supporting “exempted activity” or are deemed “essential to mission.”
- Traditional National Guard drills may be canceled, though mobilized Guard and Reserve members, like their active duty counterparts, would report for duty.
- Active duty family members under the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) will remain covered. Premiums will be deducted from retroactive pay when posted.
Retirees and Survivors
- Armed services retirees, to include Coast Guard retirees, will continue to receive retiree pay during the funding lapse. Officers who retired from the U.S. Public Health Service or NOAA would not receive their next paycheck (Oct. 1 checks, covering pay from September, were processed).
- Commissaries and exchanges will remain open.
- Elective and routine medical procedures at military facilities may be canceled or postponed; contact your provider to confirm your appointment. The shutdown will not affect retirees using TRICARE or TRICARE For Life benefits in the private sector.
- Military pharmacies will remain open, but hours may change.
- Survivor Benefit Plan payments will continue.
- Retirees and survivors covered under the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) won’t be affected. Federal employees whose FEDVIP premiums are deducted from their federal pay will retain coverage; their premiums will be deducted from retroactive pay when posted.
Veterans/VA
The VA’s contingency planning website contains full updates on the department’s status during the funding lapse. Some key points:
- Health care facilities will remain open.
- Education, housing, disability, and other VA benefits will continue.
- Burials will continue at VA cemeteries, as will applications and related processing (except for pre-need burial applications). Grounds maintenance and headstone placement will be delayed.
- Transition and career counseling services will stop, and regional benefits offices will close.
- The primary call center (1-800-MyVA411), crisis line (988, press 1), and VA benefit hotline (1-800-827-1000) will remain open. GI bill and cemetery-applicant assistance lines will close.
Financial Support
- Service members, retirees, veterans, and their families should check with their financial institution to see if relief programs are available. Many banks serving the military community, such as USAA, will offer zero-interest loans during the shutdown.
- Service relief agencies offer a range of options (primarily interest-free loans) for currently serving members and retirees. Visit Army Emergency Relief, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, the Air Force Aid Society, or Coast Guard Mutual Assistance to learn more.
- The American Red Cross Hero Care program can connect members of the military community with financial help from the above aid societies. Connect via the Hero Care app (Apple | Android).
More Links and Resources
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