(The Center Square) – Military spouses will be exempt from federal return-to-work mandates, according to a memorandum from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
The exemption follows bipartisan legislation introduced last week by U.S. Reps. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., and Rob. Wittman, R-Va., to exempt military spouses from the mandate, which they argued were adversely impacting the community.
The congressmen praised the decision by OPM to grant the exemption, crediting bipartisan advocacy and saying it is simply “common sense.”
“After more than a week of bipartisan advocacy, I’m pleased that the administration has expanded exemptions to the federal return-to-work mandate to include military spouses,” said Wittman.“I’m proud that our bipartisan Support Military Families Act helped spotlight this critical issue. These individuals make tremendous sacrifices in support of our active-duty service members, often facing frequent relocations that make maintaining an in-person job challenging.”
Vindman, a 25-year Army veteran, underscored the importance of supporting military readiness by supporting military families.
“Today, I am celebrating a win for military families after the Administration heeded our bipartisan call to exempt military spouses from the return to in-person work order,” said Vindman. “Our bipartisan Support Military Families Act directly led to this action that treats the spouses who sacrifice so much for our nation with dignity and respect and supports the readiness of our military.”
The Center Square previously reported on the legislation’s introduction, citing military spouses’ high unemployment rate and major challenges they face in securing long-term employment.
The unemployment rate for military families is about 21%, which hasn’t significantly changed since 2015, according to Blue Star Families. Frequent moves or permanent change of station, or PCS, creates employment stability hurdles for spouses, who also may often face child care obstacles.
In an effort to promote military spouse employment, the federal government provides military spouses preference with certain federal jobs, including general schedule and nonappropriated funds positions.
