The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) oversees the operation of a worldwide chain of military commissaries. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to commercial prices when shopping regularly at a commissary. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. Commissary use has long been available to Regular Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve Soldiers, to Retirees, to 100% disabled Veterans, Medal of Honor recipients and to qualified Family members. Authorized shoppers are required to possess and show a Uniformed Services' Identification Card (ID).
Since January 1, 2020 the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security has expanded in-store commissary and military exchange shopping privileges as well as MWR retail facility use to Veterans who are Purple Heart recipients, Veterans who are former Prisoners of War (POW), all Veterans with service-connected disabilities and caregivers or Family caregivers (who are enrolled as the primary caregiver for Veteran's in the Department of Veteran Affairs Program of Compressive Assistance for Family Caregivers).
- Regular Army: Active Duty
- Regular Army: Retired
- Army National Guard: Active Duty Under Title 10 USC or Title 32 USC (Full-Time National Guard Duty)
- Army National Guard: State Active Duty
- Army National Guard: Drilling
- Army National Guard: Retired
- Army Reserve: Active Duty
- Army Reserve: Drilling
- Army Reserve: Retired

The return home from combat can often leave servicemembers feeling out of place with the most important people in their lives - their families.
"In deployment, Soldiers grow accustomed to a new lifestyle and a new 'family' - those buddies that bond together to defend each other," said Maj. Ken Williams, 14th Military Police Brigade chaplain. "This lifestyle change is prolonged and becomes familiar, i.e., the new normal."
The families also change while the Soldier is deployed.
"The family is a system," Williams said. "When one family member is absent, the whole system changes. All members of the family adapt to a new 'normal' way of life."
When the servicemember returns, the family may feel uncomfortable with each other, and the servicemember may withdraw from the family.