Military families often face greater financial challenges than their civilian counterparts, and those issues may be compounded when they encounter unscrupulous lenders looking to take advantage of their situations. In an effort to make sure servicemembers and their loved ones were protected, Congress passed the Military Lending Act six years ago, and this year communities around the country are recognizing the issue on July 17 as they mark Military Consumer Protection Day. 

An on-going effort
While July 17 is designated as the specific day, organizers say it's part of a year-long campaign to raise awareness of the prevalence of con-artists and identity thieves. Young servicemembers are often prime targets for scammers because they may be unfamiliar with the ins and out of financial protection. Last year, the Federal Trade Commission says it received approximately 62,000 complaints from servicemembers ranging from identity theft and imposter scams to lottery and sweepstakes frauds. 

"Military Consumer Protection Day gives us an opportunity to focus on the servicemembers, veterans, and families who sacrifice so much for our country," said Jessica Rich, FTC's bureau of consumer protection director. "They are targets for fraud because they relocate frequently, and many are living on their own and earning a steady paycheck for the first time."

Efforts paying off
Previous programs put in place have managed to crack down considerably on the number of servicemembers who are victims of fraud. According to the Consumer Federation of America, the Military Lending Act helped reduce the number of payday loan outlets near Camp Pendleton by as much as 70 percent five years after the law was implemented. While there has certainly been progress in recent years, there is still work to be done.

Recession effects linger
The recession impacted almost everyone, including military families, and they're still feeling the impact. According to the National Military Family Association, there are several areas in particular that servicemembers and their loved ones are still dealing with. Specifically, finding a job when a spouse has to change stations is a big issue, as is selling the house they previously lived in. Underwater mortgages – a house with a purchase loan with a higher balance than its free-market value – are also weighing heavily on the financial health of military families. 

Upon separating from service, troops take a wide variety of paths, but many plan on making use of their education benefits and heading back to the classroom. While earning a degree is a popular activity for veterans, it is not without its fair share of challenges. Servicemembers often encounter problems assimilating into college life because their experiences separate them from younger, civilian students. However, many schools go to great lengths to make sure their unique needs are met, The Buffalo News reports.

Different priorities
One of the biggest issues veteran students encounter is the fact they have considerably different priorities than other students. Many veterans are at least several years older than others on campus, and some have families. Additionally, they want to get their degree as quickly as possible, which can make it hard to relate to others in the classroom. Additionally, veterans may also miss the strictly regimented routine offered by the military.

"The thing I struggled with for the longest time was, you no longer have your senior NCOs and stuff like that giving you orders," Matt Ziemendorf, a student at Niagara University, told the newspaper. "You're kind of figuring this out on your own."

Schools take action
With the influx of veterans separating from service as the U.S. winds down operations in the Middle East, many schools have been proactive in helping veteran students feel at ease. At Canisius College, where there are nearly 100 student veterans, there are services specifically designed to help former troops navigate many of the common challenges they face including registration issues and obtaining benefits from the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Of course, western New York isn't the only region where veteran students are heading back to the classroom. In Vermont, for instance, schools have hired counselors who are veterans themselves in an effort to provide students who have been servicemembers with an outlet that understands where they are coming from, The Associated Press reports.

Increase expected
The number of veterans making use of their GI Bill benefits has increased in recent years. Statistics from the Veterans Affairs Department show an estimated 500,000 people used the benefits in 2012, which was up about 13 percent from 2011, according to Military Times. 

Being deployed overseas is a challenge for all servicemember​s, but this is especially true for troops who are stationed in particularly dangerous locations. As a result, the military offers some of its members with imminent danger pay, which can sometimes be as high as an extra $225 a month. However, top Department of Defense officials are considering ending the payments for troops serving in certain areas that may no longer pose such a threat, Stars and Stripes reports.

Cost-cutting move
The DOD has been tasked with trimming billions of dollars from its budget over the next several years, and limiting danger pay is seen as good start. Currently, there are nearly 50 countries that qualify for the additional compensation, but officials say some of them are not as dangerous as they once were. Although troops stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and Syria, among others, will still see the extra pay, the practice may end for servicemembers in Jordan, Haiti and some former Soviet republics, The Associated Press notes. Although the cuts might save some money, troops say it may not be worth the cost to morale. 

"When you take away any combat pay," a captain from Fort Bragg told The Fayetteville Observer. "You take away financial incentive for the veteran who sacrifices his life and limbs. It's understandable that the Pentagon wants to save money, but there are smarter ways to be fiscally responsible. It impacts everyone forward deployed."

One of many changes
Although there is no final decision yet on who will see an end to danger pay, the discussion is indicative of the growing importance of changing the financial structure of the military. One of the most controversial issues has been the amount of the annual pay raise troops receive. In June, President Barack Obama suggested that active duty troops see a 1 percent pay raise, which would be a bit lower than the 1.8 percent recommended from the House Appropriations Committee's Defense spending bill. Even though it was a small decrease, the lower raise was expected to save considerable amount of money. However, Congress did not take Obama's suggestion and passed a bill shortly after that included the 1.8 percent raise, according to GovernmentExecutive.com

Among the most ambitious initiatives launched by the Department of Veterans affairs in recent years is the commitment to end homelessness among veterans by 2015. The VA has made considerable progress as of late, but the most recent figures put about 62,000 vets still living on the streets. In an effort to reach its goal, the VA recently awarded $300 million in grants to hundreds of community agencies around the country – triple last year's spending, Stars and Stripes reports.

Success so far
The grants are provided as part of the Supportive Services for Veteran Families, and have largely been successful since the initiative began. After the first year of grants were awarded, officials found that about 86 percent of beneficiaries remained in some form of permanent housing. Experts anticipate that approximately 120,000 veterans and their families stand to gain from this most recent batch of grants. One of the biggest focuses of the SSVF is to help equip servicemembers with the tools to avoid becoming homeless in the first place.

"If you want to end homelessness, you have to rescue those on the streets," Vincent Kane, acting executive director of the VA's homeless initiative, told Stars and Stripes. "But you also need to have a strategy to help those who could end up in trouble, before they end up homeless."

Combined effort
The VA is not the only government body playing a role in ending veteran homelessness. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is also involved in the process, and together the two departments operate a program known as Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing. Specifically, the initiative draws from the rental assistance offered by HUD and pairs it with the case services offered by the VA. VASH can pay up to 70 percent of a veteran's rent while also helping vets get their lives back on track. Such was the case for Illinois resident James Usher, a former Marine who teamed up with the program several years ago.

"When I got into HUD-VASH in March 2008, it changed my life," Usher, 60, told the Lake Country News-Sun. "I got clean and sober. I adjusted to a clean environment and clean people who were sober."

Veterans often have a wide variety of benefits available to them upon separating from service, but all too often they may not realize exactly what they're entitled to. This can be a significant source of frustration, so one servicemember took it upon himself to help make the process a bit easier. Wolfgang Ward created a website and corresponding app, the Benefits Report Corporation, which offers vets a personalized look at their benefits, according to The Monterey Country Herald.

The app requires very little work on the part of users. When veterans first download it, they have to fill out a short survey about their military history, and then the app provides them with a list of the benefits and services they're entitled to. These benefits can include well-known programs such as the Post-9/11 GI Bill as well as discounts at local business and corporations. Ward says it's important for vets to be familiar with their benefits before they disappear. 

"There are tons of services out there," Ward told the newspaper. "If you don't utilize these services, they'll eventually go away because the government will quit funding them. The government is starting to check their pocketbook."

Ward's new app isn't the only piece of technology designed to help veterans. For instance, in 2011 the Department of Veterans Affairs released the PTSD Coach app, which is designed to help servicemembers managing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Creating electronic medical records has been a focus of officials at both the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs for much of the last several years. A new system would ensure that troops transitioning from active duty to veteran life will have their medical records seamlessly follow them. However, progress has been painstakingly slow, and lawmakers recently asked for an update, Stars and Stripes reports.

Officials from both the VA and DOD spoke before a joint session of the House Armed Services and House Veteran Affairs committees, where they told top congressmen that they are on track to have electronic medical records in place soon and able to be shared between departments by the end of the year. Legislators say the delays have made them skeptical while also making it more difficult for vets to receive much needed benefits.

"We have spent hundreds of millions of dollars," Rep. Mike Michaud said at the hearing, according to Stars and Stripes. "Delaying the delivery of an integrated – that is integrated, not interoperable – information-sharing system runs directly against Congressional intent, and ultimately hurts our veterans."

Having a streamlined system could help reduce the backlog facing the VA. According to the department, there was a backlog of more than 833,000 in late June.

Thanks to initiatives led by both the public and private sectors, the job market for veterans has steadily improved in recent months. Yet, while the unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans has fallen below the national average, experts say there is still some work to be done. As thousands of troops prepare to return home from Afghanistan over the next 18 months, it's important that lawmakers do not get complacent, veterans advocates say, according to Military Times.

According to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the June unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans was at 7.2 percent. An encouraging figure to be sure, but it does not tell the whole story. Specifically, for servicemembers under the age of 24, the rate was nearly triple that – 20.5 percent. The unemployment rate among National Guard and Reserve members was also considerably higher than the rest of the military population.

"This indicates persistent gaps for members of the Guard and reserve in military skill transferability and civilian skill attainment," Ryan Gallucci of Veterans of Foreign Wars told the news source.

While it may be difficult for servicemembers to translate their skills to the civilian realm, some changes have been made to close this gap. One such program was launched by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Known as the Personal Branding Resume Engine, the website helps veterans sell their military skills to potential employers. 

Many wounded warriors find it difficult to return to their previous levels of activity, and this can be especially challenging for servicemember​s who were used to spending time outdoors before their injury. One base in particular has taken steps to help them out. Alabama's Fort Rucker recently added a new boat to its ranks dubbed The Warrior, which is specially designed to help bring wounded troops out on the water, reports the Army Flier.

Officials at the installation made the decision to purchase the boat after hearing how wounded troops wanted more opportunities for outdoor recreation. The boat includes a number of features that make it easy for injured soldiers to get on and off, such as a wheelchair ramp and locking system. It also features specialized controls and a remote controlled anchor. Wounded warriors can use the boat for everything from a day on the water with the family to water sports such as tubing. Organizers hope the purchase will encourage others to follow suit.

"I just hope these recreational enhancements will bring the local communities closer together to support the wounded warriors and their families," John Clancy, the manager of Fort Rucker's Outdoor Recreation program, told the news source.

Clancy raises an important point given the number of injured servicemembers. According to Department of Defense statistics, more than 50,000 troops have been wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

The Pentagon and White House has proposed a number of changes that could impact the financial future of military families, but one of the most controversial was an increase to retail pharmacy co-pays and fees for TRICARE beneficiaries, mostly retirees. The suggestion had been met with significant resistance, and Congress took a significant step forward in making sure the fee increase are not implemented, according to Military Times. 

Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee rejected all of the proposals included in the 2014 defense authorization bill that would have made changes such as increased enrollment fees and steeper pharmacy co-pays. The vote comes after the House took the same action and, as a result, the Pentagon will be limited to increasing fees only at the level of current cost of living adjustments. So servicemembers will see no increases higher than 1.7 percent starting Oct. 1. Still, lawmakers admit some changes need to be made.

"TRICARE is, quite frankly, unsustainable without reform," Sen. Lindsey Graham said last month. "We haven't increased premiums since 1995 but once, and it's really pitting the military between health care benefits for retirees and funding the force."

Increasing fees on working-age retirees could help the Pentagon save a considerable amount of money. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the Department of Defense could save billions, according to Navy Times.

Transitioning from active duty service to civilian life can be a challenge for a number of different reasons. Problems finding a job, family stress or difficulty adjusting to a new lifestyle can often play a significant role. Additionally, managing the effects of physical and emotional wounds can make it especially hard. Veterans may sometimes feel like nobody can relate to their struggles, but a new smartphone app may change that. Known as POS REP – short for position report – the app lets veterans locate servicemembers in their area that can help them out, according to Stars and Stripes.

Personal beginnings
The app was developed by Jacob Wood, who got the idea after his friend and fellow Marine veteran took his own life after returning home from the combat zone. The two had been close while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, but when they returned home they lost touch. After his friend's death, Wood learned that Marines lived nearby but he was not aware of it, so he could have had someone to reach out to. Now, vets in trouble can send an alert to fellow troops in the area when they need someone to talk to. The app's creators believe it has considerable potential at changing how post-traumatic stress disorder is treated.

"This tool is really going to be a game-changer," Army veteran Anthony Allman, who helped get POS REP off the ground, told the publication "I hope [the app] has an impact [on the issue of suicides], at least by showing veterans they're not alone. There is a community around them."

Apps could be a game changer
POS REP is just one of a growing number of smartphone and tablet apps that could significant help veterans transition to civilian life. Recently, the Department of Veterans Affairs launched an app of its own – PTSD Coach – that helps troops track their symptoms, locate sources of support and offers suggestions for how to mitigate the symptoms. Such services are especially important now as an estimated one in five veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan show signs of PTSD.

There are also apps not aimed at helping treat mental wounds of war. Apps such as College Guide can help veterans put their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to good use by locating the schools that are best suited for them.