Frequently Asked Questions

This website is part of the Defense Department's initiative to identify and address the most pressing needs of service members and military families affected by state policies. The site and its resources are aimed at state policymakers and their staffs.

Through engagement with state policymakers, nonprofit associations and other state leaders, the DSLO works with states to remove unnecessary barriers and significantly improve the quality of life for military families.

The Defense-State Liaison Office works with state leaders across the country who are concerned for the welfare of service members and military families living in their state.

The DSLO seeks to work with state leaders on quality of life state policy priorities. The office employs eight regional liaisons who are knowledgeable about military priorities and the policymaking process. They can assist by:

• Providing "best practice" legislation from other states
• Providing background information and available state-specific data from DOD resources
• Assisting legislators upon their request with drafting proposals and locating testimony
• Offering in-depth, personal understanding and a global perspective on military life

This public website contains information about state policy priorities that affect service members and military families, and efforts being made to address those priorities on a state level. You can learn about state policy priorities, use the site's Status Tracker for information about specific efforts in each state, contact us and search for information.

To contact the DSLO, go to Contact DSLO on the menu to send a message or complete this form for assistance. Our regional liaisons have additional information about state policy priorities and efforts being made to address those issues in your state. Select your state from the status tracker map, which will take you to the applicable regional liaison. If you wish to connect with your regional liaison, direct the message to a specific regional liaison and the message will be forwarded for response.

The DSLO has helped state policymakers enact more than 800 bills in the past 10 years, covering licensure and employment protection, consumer protection, family law, child care and child protection, voting, education, health care, state judicial systems and other priorities that matter to military families.

Connect with support through the State Policymakers Inquiry form. Send us your comments about content or to report any technical difficulties you experience on our website or applications. We monitor all feedback carefully and make every effort to respond promptly to address your issue.

If you can’t find what you need on the State Policy Priorities page or Status Tracker, contact the DSLO through the State Policymakers Inquiry form for support.

If you can't find the information you need about a particular state on its state page through the Status Tracker, contact the DSLO through the State Policymaker Inquiry form.

State laws significantly impact military families in a variety of areas. To help address state-level challenges affecting the quality of life of military families, the DSLO engages and educates state policymakers and other state leaders about the needs of military members and their families.

Each year, the DSLO staff meets with key parties, including partnering agencies, issue owners and DOD leadership, to determine potential priorities for the following year based on a comprehensive study of potential state policy priorities.

DSLO assesses potential priorities based upon mission/family support priority and potential for acceptance by states. Priorities are selected for further extensive research. Once researched, DSLO revises the list of 10 state policy priorities by substituting one to three of these researched priorities for current priorities on the list, which are of a lesser priority or do not need to be on the list to obtain further state approval. DSLO submits a strawman of the revised 10 state policy priorities to the military departments, Joint Chiefs of Staff, National Guard Bureau staff, and Office of the Secretary of Defense staff for their concurrence prior to submitting the new list to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs for approval.

Send them a message by completing the State Policymaker Inquiry form. Include in your response who this priority impacts and what you see as the desired outcome of a state legislative or policy change.

This website is primarily intended to provide state policymakers with up-to-date information that can assist them in their efforts to support the military. As initiatives included on this website gain state acceptance, MilitaryOneSource.mil maintains relevant information about what states have done and how their changes may impact military members and their families. The Military State Policy Source website focuses on law and regulation change and cannot provide the kind of consumer information military members and families may need to access and apply for the changes made. Additionally, priorities are changing every year on the Military State Policy Source website. MilitaryOneSource.mil carries these changes to consumer information.

The MilitaryOneSource.mil website provides comprehensive information on every aspect of military life at no cost to service members and their families. Currently on Military OneSource, there is information on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, and the Spouse Education and Carrier Opportunities website can provide individual consultation on transferring a professional license to a new state. Military OneSource consultants can also assist with information other important changes in state policy addressed on the current and previous 10 state policy priorities lists, concerning K–12 education, child custody, consumer protection and other important topics.

If you have other initiatives you want to know more about, feel free to contact DSLO through the State Policymakers Inquiry form.