Alaska military families already get higher housing and cost-of-living allowances, but Sen. Murkowski says service members told her that doesn't cover all the extra expenses they're hit with — likes snow tires, warm coats and travel to see relatives.
The special duty pay for service in cold weather is one of several incentives Congress approved to boost morale for Alaska troops. And, with more than 20,000 active duty service members in the state, the economic impact won’t be limited to military installations.
“One of the things that we know happens when it comes to mental health is when people are stressed financially, it compounds other problems that are going on,” she said. Military families already get higher housing and cost-of-living allowances to live in Alaska, but Murkowski said she learned in meetings with service members that those payments don’t cover all the extra expenses service members incur when they transfer to Alaska — things likes snow tires, warm coats and travel to see relatives out of state. The defense bill, she noted, includes a travel reimbursement for Alaska-based service members to take a personal trip home.
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