When the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act earlier this year, it marked a big step forward for same-sex couples in the military. Previously, even if they were legally married, the law prevented the Pentagon from providing them with the same benefits as heterosexual couples. However, the Department of Defense recently announced it will extend benefits to gay and lesbian couples while also giving them leave to travel to states where gay marriage is legal, Military.com reports.

This new policy, known as "marriage leave," is effective immediately but can only be used once during a servicemembers career. Additionally, it won't count toward the 30 days each year already afforded to them. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said that the move was necessary because there are still 37 states that do not perform same-sex marriage, and it's important for the Pentagon to recognize every member of the Armed Forces equally.

"This will provide accelerated access to the full range of benefits offered to military married couples throughout the department, and help level the playing field between opposite sex and same-sex couples seeking to be married," he wrote in a memo to service secretaries.

Among the benefits that will open up to same-sex couples are housing allowances and health care coverage. According to the Los Angeles Times, it gives them the chance to qualify for extra compensation if their spouse is deployed. 

Many servicemembers face a long road to transitioning to civilian life upon returning from combat. Although it can often be a struggle to go from the harsh environment of the battlefield to the civilian life, veterans turn to a wide variety of methods to help them cope. For former Marine Dan Hottle, that outlet turned out to be hiking in Yellowstone National Park, and he has since turned that love of nature into a fulfilling post-service job as a spokesman for the park, CNN Travel reports.

Yellowstone and the military
Hottle continues a long tradition of former service members making their way to Yellowstone. In fact, for the first 32 years of the park's existence, it was administered by the U.S. Army and many of its rangers were veterans. As Hottile indicates, that trend continues more than a century later. The job requires Hottle to live at Yellowstone, and for many months of the year, the unforgiving weather can be a challenge. However, the rural landscape is exactly what he likes and what he needed after returning home from Afghanistan more than a decade ago.

"Where I had just come from was so austere," he told CNN. "So the national parks were the perfect place to be by myself. It's the best thing I could do."

More than just Yellowstone
Although Yellowstone has a long history of employing servicemembers – it is the oldest national park, after all – but it is not the only park that is reaching out to military families. In fact, in 2012 the National Park Service gives military families the chance to see every park for free, according to The Associated Press. The pass, which usually costs $80, provides access to 2,000 locations across the U.S., and the move has been applauded by many advocates, including Dr. Jill Biden, who runs the Joining Forces initiative with first lady Michelle Obama. 

"Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to our servicemen and women who make great sacrifices to protect our country and preserve our freedom," Biden announced at the launch of the program, according to the AP. "In recognition of their service, we are so pleased to be putting out a welcome mat for our military families at America's most beautiful and storied sites."

Many veterans decide to pursue educational opportunities upon separating from service, and President Barack Obama has made a concerted effort to ensure that colleges and universities across the country are making it as easy as possible for troops to earn their degrees. Among the most significant of these programs has been Obama's so-called "8 Keys To Success," a plan he unveiled recently during a speech at the Disabled American Veterans National Convention last weekend.

What's in the plan? 
Many of the facets of the plan are not difficult for colleges to implement. First, and perhaps most importantly, Obama said schools should work to create a culture of trust and connectedness across the campus. The second piece of the plan is ensure student veterans have support from campus leadership. Obama's keys also include offering services such as academic, career and financial assistance before significant problems crop up. Other steps in the plan include centralizing campus wide efforts, using a uniform set of data, collaborating with local communities and preparing staff to meet the unique needs of student vets.

Hundreds of institutions following suit
More than 250 schools have been leading the way when it comes to helping veterans return to the classroom, and Obama says other institutions should follow suit. Doing so can help veterans earn degrees, certifications and other licensure that can make it easier for them to find jobs in the civilian realm. Obama's new plan has been applauded by many in both the education and military communities. 

"This is a major step forward in the Administration's work to encourage institutions of higher education to support Veterans with access to the courses and resources they need to ensure that they graduate and get good jobs," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

A growing need
Making sure schools are prepared to cater to veteran students is of the utmost importance, especially as many of them return from Afghanistan. In fact, there has already been a considerable increase in the number of servicemembers using the Post-9/11 GI Bill. In 2012, nearly 500,000 used the popular education benefits, which was up considerably from the previous year, according to data from the Department of Defense. 

The lengthy disability claims backlog is one of the biggest issues facing the veteran population. However, in a recent speech at the Disabled American Veterans' conference, President Barack Obama assured those in attendance that his administration is making considerable progress. Specifically, he says the backlog has been reduced by about one-fifth since reaching a high water mark of 600,000 earlier this year, The Associated Press reported.

One of the biggest reasons for the increased size of the backlog is the fact that Obama made it easier for Vietnam vets exposed to agent orange to apply for benefits. He also expanded coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions that weren't covered before. Since then, there have been a number of steps put in place to bring the number down, including requiring VA employees to put in overtime hours, but Obama says more work needs to be done.

"Today I can report that we are not where we need to be, but we are making progress," Obama told Orlando, Fla., crowd. "So after years when the backlog kept growing, finally the backlog is shrinking."

Obama seemed confident that the wide-ranging efforts, including new technology, training and processing rules can help bring the backlog back down to zero by 2015, Stars and Stripes notes.

When the Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010, it ushered in a number of big changes for millions of Americans, and many veterans wondered where they fit into the mix. Nearly all the major provisions will come into affect in 2014, and as that date draws closer, the Department of Veterans Affairs recently launched a website to answer any questions that former servicemembers are likely to have.

Among the concerns veterans are likely to have is whether they will fall under the insurance mandate if they have coverage from the VA. The good news is they won't see a change to their benefits. However, there are an estimated 1.3 million veterans and 950,000 military spouses and children who do not have health insurance. VA officials hope the new website will encourage veterans to enroll in the system.

"VA wants all Veterans to receive health care that improves their health and well-being," said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki.  "If you are enrolled in VA health care, you do not need to take any additional steps to meet the health care law coverage standards.  If you are not enrolled in VA health care, you can apply at any time."

The VA offers some impressive benefits for its members. Specifically its health care system has no enrollment fee and no monthly premiums or deductibles. 

It's no secret the Department of Defense has some difficult financial decisions to make. In addition to determining whether to reduce pay raises, slash benefits and drop troop sizes, Pentagon officials are also grappling with whether they should make cutbacks to Basic Allowance for Housing. Known as BAH, the allowance helps military families cover off-base expenses, but any changes could dramatically change how they address financial planning, Military Times reports.

Reducing BAH would help the Pentagon address across-the-board budget cuts from sequestration. It would also be a considerable change to a policy implemented in the middle of the 2000s that provided nearly 100 percent of the costs for things like off-base rentals. The cuts may not have to be that substantial to make a significant difference. Analysts estimate that even if troops covered between 5 and 10 percent of such expenses it could result in as much as $20 billion in savings over the next 10 years.

"There can be reductions in rates," Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter told the publication.. "We can look at the rates of growth and try to find ways of slowing growth. We can look at inequalities in the system depending on where you live."

The potential for BAH cuts is just one of the latest concerns military officials have voiced surrounding sequestration. Late last month, Secretary of Defense said it will have an impact on readiness, The Huffington Post notes. 

Given the spike in suicides among servicemembers over the past decade, there has been ample speculation that deployment played a role. However, a new study from the Naval Health Research Center questions the link. Researchers say that, much like in the civilian population, common conditions such as depression, substance abuse and mental illness are the biggest factors contributing to suicides in the military.

Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the findings are based on extensive analysis of more than 145,000 participants from every branch of the military. Study authors found that of the 78 participants who took their own lives during the seven-year study, the rate was double among subjects with depression and about four times higher in those who had bi-polar disorder. 

"The findings from this study are not consistent with the assumption that specific deployment-related characteristics, such as length of deployment, number of deployments, or combat experiences, are directly associated with increased suicide risk," the authors wrote.

The Department of Defense has made significant efforts to combat mental health issues among troops in recent years. Specifically, there has been an increasing number of mental health professionals at military clinics, The Associated Press reported.

As the Department of Defense looks to save money, reducing health care costs is near the top of the list. Conditions caused by obesity and tobacco use are responsible for about $3 billion in annual Pentagon health care costs, and the DOD recently teamed up with the NBA in an effort to help improve health and well-being at bases around the country, according to The Associated Press.

The program, NBA Cares Hoops for Troops Healthy Military Base Tour, launched last week at Fort Sill and is a joint venture between the league's new Hoops for Troops campaign and the Pentagon's Healthy Base Initiative. Each event will feature visits from players and clinics with an emphasis on well-being. DOD officials say that not only will the program cut health care costs but also improve the force's capabilities.

"Staying healthy is a readiness issue," Rosemary Williams, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for military community and family policy, told the AP. "Our service members must be physically prepared to deploy in a moment's notice anywhere around the world to often austere and demanding conditions."

The NBA isn't the only professional sports league to team up with the Armed Forces. Earlier this summer, Major League Baseball joined forces with United Service Organizations to give military families access to the T-Mobile All-Star FanFest at Citi Field in New York. 

While there has been a heavy emphasis placed on bringing down the unemployment rate among post-9/11 veterans, less attention has been paid to the employment of military spouses, who often have trouble finding jobs due to frequent moves. However, over the last several months, private companies have made substantial progress in hiring military spouses, hitting the goal of 50,000 hires well ahead of the 2015 deadline.

The announcement was made at a recent meeting of the Department of Defense Military Family Readiness Council and marks a success for a program that launched in 2011. Jessica Wright, acting under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, told those in attendance that the 180 employers who are part of a partnership with the Pentagon have hired 28,000 spouses since November to reach the 50,000 mark. In addition to help from the private sector, Wright praised first lady Michelle Obama and second lady Dr. Jill Biden for their efforts with the Joining Forces initiative.

"This is very important," Wright told the audience. "Without their advocacy role, we would not have been as successful."

While the program met its goals two years early, the employment climate for military spouses could improve even further. According to Army Times, there are more than 124,500 jobs listed on the Military Spouse Employment Partnership website. 

As the war in Afghanistan winds down, a greater focus will surely be placed on the issues facing wounded veterans over the next several years. The substantial backlog vets face when applying for benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs is one of the most significant of these challenges. In an effort to address these concerns, President Barack Obama is set to speak to the Disabled American Veterans on Saturday, according to an announcement from the organization.

What will he say?
While no transcript has been released, Obama will likely touch on what efforts are being made to address the significant backlog. Specifically, the VA has about 797,000 pending claims to address, but it's not just the number that's raising the largest amount of concerns. About two-thirds of those claims have had to wait longer than 125 days to have their claims processed, while some have to wait a year. 

"A central discussion will be what actions the VA and Congress are implementing to eliminate the backlog for delivering benefits to veterans," the DAV said.

What has been done?
The White House has already taken some steps to help bring down the backlog. Most recently, officials proposed a 13.6 percent increase to funding for veterans benefits in the hopes that it would make the process go a bit more quickly. However, the White House, as well as the VA and the Department of Defense, has been focused more intently on developing a paperless claim system to not only help curtail the backlog, but also to improve record keeping. The hope is that it will be in place by 2015, according to The Hill.

Addressing the backlog and helping wounded veterans is going to be especially important in the coming months and years as thousands of troops return from Afghanistan. By 2012, more than 50,000 servicemembers had been wounded over the last decade-plus of war, according to the DOD.

Just one stop?
While Obama will speak at the DAV meeting, it's not the only time he plans to open discussions with servicemembers. On Thursday, he is expected to visit Camp Pendleton in California to visit the active duty troops stationed there, according to his press secretary.