{"id":49104,"date":"2018-06-22T19:28:48","date_gmt":"2018-06-22T19:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:36:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:36:31","slug":"heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s why DoD wants to make millions more eligible to shop commissaries, exchanges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All veterans may be able to shop in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/mil-money\/2018\/06\/06\/heres-how-your-commissary-plans-to-get-back-lost-customers\/\" title=\"\" target=\"_blank\" data-original-title=\"\" aria-describedby=\"popover859719\">commissaries <\/a>and exchanges in the future, if Defense Department officials are successful in pushing their proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officials have asked Congress to allow <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/military-honor\/salute-veterans\/2017\/10\/31\/exchanges-offer-new-online-benefit-for-vets-starting-nov-11\/\" title=\"\" target=\"_blank\" data-original-title=\"\" aria-describedby=\"popover542648\">veterans<\/a> who haven\u2019t already earned the shopping benefit as retirees, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/2018\/05\/17\/commissary-employees-to-get-commissary-shopping-benefits\/https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/2018\/05\/17\/commissary-employees-to-get-commissary-shopping-benefits\/https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/2018\/05\/17\/commissary-employees-to-get-commissary-shopping-benefits\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\" data-original-title=\"\">civilian employees<\/a>, to be able to shop in the stores, said Stephanie Barna, special assistant to the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The proposal would include an additional user fee of between 1 percent and 5 percent for those <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/military-benefits\/2017\/04\/19\/dod-is-considering-a-plan-to-allow-civilian-employees-to-shop-in-exchanges\/\" title=\"\" target=\"_blank\" data-original-title=\"\" class=\"selected-link\" aria-describedby=\"popover619398\">non-core groups<\/a> to be able to shop in the commissary, she said. \u201cBut we think they\u2019d still be getting an incredible deal. It also helps, even if only slightly, to distinguish them from our core group,\u201d she said, speaking Thursday at a forum on Capitol Hill of the American Logistics Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"apester-media\" data-media-id=\"5b2d4dcf1d4cea0345da0644\" height=\"395\"><\/div><script async src=\"\/\/static.apester.com\/js\/sdk\/v2.0\/apester-javascript-sdk.min.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s unlikely the change will happen this year, she said, as members of Congress wait to see how things settle out with commissaries during the reform efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But officials will continue to push the idea. \u201cIt\u2019s something that\u2019s very important to us,\u201d she said, \u201cand it\u2019s something I think ultimately we will achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An estimated 18 million veterans potentially could claim such a benefits, but not all of those live near military bases. <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/mil-money\/2018\/06\/06\/heres-how-your-commissary-plans-to-get-back-lost-customers\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/25265401217_7cd75a182b_k.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Here\u2019s how your commissary plans to get back lost customers<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Lower prices. Expanded hours. And &#039;YES,&#039; a new marketing program. Also, beer.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Currently, shopping privileges at brick-and-mortar commissaries and exchanges are limited to active duty, Guard and Reserve members; military retirees; Medal of Honor recipients and 100 percent disabled veterans, and their authorized family members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In May, DoD extended commissary shopping privileges to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/2018\/05\/17\/commissary-employees-to-get-commissary-shopping-benefits\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\"> commissary employees<\/a> for the first time. In 2017, online exchange shopping privileges were extended to all honorably discharged veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There have been efforts to expand shopping privileges to more disabled veterans for a number of years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This year, a provision to allow Purple Heart recipients, veterans with service-connected disabilities, former prisoners of war, and caregivers of these veterans to shop at commissaries and exchanges, and to use morale, welfare and recreation facilities, has been included in the House version of the defense authorization bill. It is not included in the Senate version of the bill; lawmakers will decide whether to include it in the final bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAll of these people who fall into these categories are heroes, have given so much for our country above and beyond even what other service members have given. It\u2019s important to recognize that,\u201d said Rep. Daniel Lipinski, D-Ill., who spoke at the forum. He and Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., introduced the proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/military-benefits\/2018\/05\/01\/benefits-basics-commissaries-and-exchanges\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"165\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/General-commissary-pic.-Moody.-Credit-DeCA.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Benefits basics: Commissaries and exchanges<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">How veterans, troops and military families can shop smart<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe can never do enough to repay them, but there\u2019s always more that we can do,\u201d Lipinski said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some new shoppers would pay a fee to earn the privilege.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":86641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":15,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["pay-benefits","veterans","pentagon-congress","news","your-military","good-news-report","newsletters","retirement-e-report","education-transition"],"primary_category":"pay-benefits"},"4":{"categories":["pay-benefits","veterans","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","pentagon-congress","news","your-air-force","left-column","home","middle-column"],"primary_category":"pay-benefits"},"6":{"categories":["pay-benefits","veterans","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","news","pentagon-congress","your-marine-corps","left-column","home","middle-column"],"primary_category":"pay-benefits"},"7":{"categories":["pay-benefits","veterans","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","pentagon-congress","news","your-navy","middle-column","home"],"primary_category":"pay-benefits"}}},"categories":[100,23,92,93,12,25,15,68,19,70],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3343],"class_list":["post-49104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pay-benefits","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans","category-your-army"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"XYGAIZZGFVEA5M7SNWFPH6UAYM","arc_canonical_url":"\/pay-benefits\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Here\u2019s why DoD wants to make millions more eligible to shop commissaries, exchanges - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Some new shoppers would pay a fee to earn the privilege.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Here\u2019s why DoD wants to make millions more eligible to shop commissaries, exchanges\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Some new shoppers would pay a fee to earn the privilege.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Army Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-06-22T19:28:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T03:36:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Karen Jowers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Karen Jowers\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/22\\\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/22\\\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Here\u2019s why DoD wants to make millions more eligible to shop commissaries, exchanges\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-06-22T19:28:48+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T03:36:31+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/22\\\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 443,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/22\\\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/DRMRDCDIMREE7JU26BTPSAQOOM.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Left Column\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pay &amp; Benefits\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\",\n\t                \"Veterans\",\n\t                \"Your Army\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/22\\\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/22\\\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/22\\\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Here\u2019s why DoD wants to make millions more eligible to shop commissaries, exchanges - Army Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/22\\\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/22\\\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/DRMRDCDIMREE7JU26BTPSAQOOM.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-06-22T19:28:48+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T03:36:31+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Some new shoppers would pay a fee to earn the privilege.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/22\\\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/22\\\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/22\\\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/DRMRDCDIMREE7JU26BTPSAQOOM.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/DRMRDCDIMREE7JU26BTPSAQOOM.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/22\\\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Inside the Agencies\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/management\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"management\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Pay &amp; Benefits\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"pay-benefits\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Here\u2019s why DoD wants to make millions more eligible to shop commissaries, exchanges\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Army Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Soldiers | Army Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Army Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/army-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/army-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Army Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Here\u2019s why DoD wants to make millions more eligible to shop commissaries, exchanges - Army Times","description":"Some new shoppers would pay a fee to earn the privilege.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Here\u2019s why DoD wants to make millions more eligible to shop commissaries, exchanges","og_description":"Some new shoppers would pay a fee to earn the privilege.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/","og_site_name":"Army Times","article_published_time":"2018-06-22T19:28:48+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T03:36:31+00:00","author":"Karen Jowers","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Karen Jowers","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Here\u2019s why DoD wants to make millions more eligible to shop commissaries, exchanges","datePublished":"2018-06-22T19:28:48+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T03:36:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/"},"wordCount":443,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DRMRDCDIMREE7JU26BTPSAQOOM.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Home","Left Column","Middle Column","News","Newsletters","Pay &amp; Benefits","Pentagon &amp; Congress","Veterans","Your Army"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/","name":"Here\u2019s why DoD wants to make millions more eligible to shop commissaries, exchanges - Army Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DRMRDCDIMREE7JU26BTPSAQOOM.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2018-06-22T19:28:48+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T03:36:31+00:00","description":"Some new shoppers would pay a fee to earn the privilege.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DRMRDCDIMREE7JU26BTPSAQOOM.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DRMRDCDIMREE7JU26BTPSAQOOM.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2018\/06\/22\/heres-why-dod-wants-to-make-millions-more-eligible-to-shop-commissaries-exchanges\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Inside the Agencies","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/","ad_zone":"management"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Pay &amp; Benefits","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/","ad_zone":"pay-benefits"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Here\u2019s why DoD wants to make millions more eligible to shop commissaries, exchanges"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","name":"Army Times","description":"Independent News For Soldiers | Army Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization","name":"Army Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/army-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/army-logo-white.png","caption":"Army Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Army Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DRMRDCDIMREE7JU26BTPSAQOOM.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49104"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49104\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49120,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49104\/revisions\/49120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49104"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=49104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}