Military Spouses Exempted From Return-to-Work Mandate > U.S. Department of Defense > Defense Department News

While the president has ordered federal employees who have been working remotely and teleworking back to their offices, an exception is now in place for those federal employees who are spouses of military service members.

The Office of Personnel Management released a memorandum titled “Guidance on Exempting Military Spouses and Foreign Service Spouses from Agency Return to Office Plans” on Feb. 12, 2025. The memo explains how federal civilian employees who are also military spouses are exempt from the return-to-work mandate.

“Agencies should … ensure that their return-to-office plans categorically exempt all military spouses authorized to engage in remote work,” the memorandum explains. “This includes both military spouses appointed under the Military Spouse Employment Act authorities and those appointed under other hiring authorities.”

The memo also said agencies may continue hiring military spouses in remote work positions.

According to the memorandum, the policy covers spouses of members of the armed forces on active duty, spouses of service members who retired with 100% disability, and spouses of service members who died while on active duty. Spouses of National Guard members on full-time guard duty are also included. The memo also covers spouses of U.S. foreign service members.

“Agencies should ensure that all such military and foreign service spouses are permitted to continue with any applicable remote work arrangements,” the memo says.

Across the active-duty military, more than 48% of service members are married. Their spouses face challenges finding employment because the military lifestyle includes frequent moves, making it difficult to commit to a single employer or develop a career. That inability to find meaningful work makes life even more difficult for families who may depend on having a dual-income household. 

According to DOD’s “2023 Demographics Profile of the Military Community,” approximately 64% of military spouses want to be employed. Of the spouses who want to be employed, about 79% have found work, while about 21% are unable to find work. The new policy memo from OPM will help keep many military spouses employed and serve as a critical recruitment and retention tool.

“Rebuilding our military starts with recruiting and retaining the right people. Spouse employment is a key factor in that task, helping the department retain service members with hard-earned skills by easing the financial strain on their families,” said Tim Dill, who is currently performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs.

Dill is an Army veteran and Green Beret who served as an infantry and Special Forces officer in the 82nd Airborne Division and 3rd Special Forces Group. He said his military service gave him a deep understanding of how military service affects family life.

“I witnessed firsthand the challenges that military families face, including frequent moves, long hours and deployments,” he said. “Helping military spouses find and keep jobs helps our military families thrive in challenging circumstances, making us a more focused and lethal force.”