2026-20925: Request for Information for 2028 Department of Defense (DoD) State Priorities Impacting Service Members and Their Families

Summary

On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, the Department of Defense (referred to herein as "the Department", "Department of War" or DoW") published a request for information in the Federal Register (FR) that provided an opportunity for the public to submit issues that have an impact on service members and their families, where state governments are the primary agents for making positive change. Each year, DoW selects state policy priorities for states to consider that represent barriers resulting from the transience and uncertainty of military life. For example, DoW has asked states to consider remedies that trade residency-based and time-in-state requirements for portability and continuity, including interstate compacts, license reciprocity, credit for military training, spouse unemployment compensation; cross- reporting agreements with child welfare agencies; educational opportunities including advance enrollment, homeschool solutions, in- state tuition, records transfer, and waiver waitlist retention for families with special needs; support for severely injured personnel; custody and juvenile justice protections for deployed parents and military-connected youth; information sharing on military protective orders; employment and legal protections for military families; and predatory lending safeguards. DoW will consider public submissions in setting those priorities.

The agency’s own summary, as published.