Recent Articles

One does not decide to join the military in a vacuum. Many Servicemembers must juggle their commitment to the military and the mission while also considering their spouses and families. Military families often face frequent uprooting as new orders send their family member to a new post or separation for months at a time as their Servicemember goes on deployment. Above all, it is the spouse of the Servicemember who plays a major role in keeping the family and household together while their family member is protecting the country. The Department of Defense recognizes the importance of providing care for the spouses and families of Servicemembers, as they play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy work-life balance for military personnel. In appreciation of their support, the military provides spouses with many benefits, such as healthcare, various forms of insurance, travel benefits, education, and many other Veteran spouse benefits. Read on to learn more about VA spouse benefits and your eligibility requirements. Understanding Veteran Spouse Benefits VA benefits for spouses vary depending on your Servicemember’s branch and type of service, but in general include free access to such things as education, healthcare, and insurance that would otherwise

The Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program, or Chapter 35 VA Benefits, is a component of the overall GI Bill or VA Education Program that provides education and training opportunities to dependents of permanently and totally disabled Veterans with a VA rating of 100% due to a service-related condition, or who died while on active duty or as a result of a service-related condition. Dependents can utilize up to 45 months of educational services from the VA Chapter 35 program for degree and diploma programs, apprenticeships, and on-the-job training. Specific situations may grant access to remedial, deficient, and refresher courses. You can apply these advantages to degree and diploma programs, apprenticeships, and on-the-job training. Depending on eligibility and service requirements, Veterans’ spouses, children, and previous spouses occasionally receive free courses through Chapter 35 VA Benefits. Eligibility for Dependents’ Benefits Chapter 35 Benefits for Dependents is only one segment of the overall GI Bill, an umbrella term for the various educational programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The program aims to finance the educational costs for dependents and survivors of Veterans and Servicemembers who suffered disabilities or lost their lives while serving. To qualify for

When you ask a service member or Veteran why they volunteered for the United States military, many admit to joining the military for the educational benefits, specifically the G.I. Bill. Established in 1944, the VA GI Bill provides qualifying Servicemembers, Veterans, and their family members with financial aid to partially or fully cover the cost of education or trade training. Here, we’ll discuss the GI Bill’s language, coverage and benefits. Different Types of GI Bill Programs As mentioned above, the VA GI Bill is not just one bill. Each program has its own subset of qualifications and services. The most common one is the Montgomery G.I. Bill (AD), also referred to as the “Active Duty Montgomery GI Bill” and the “Reserve and Guard Montgomery GI Bill”. Both have their own series of qualifications. Later, they added the Post-9/11 GI Bill to honor those who served in response to the terrorist attacks. The Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) The Post-9/11 GI Bill provides comprehensive education benefits to Veterans who served on active duty after September 10, 2001, covering full tuition, housing allowances and additional support, with the option to transfer benefits to eligible dependents in certain circumstances. You

An important piece of legislation, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), provides financial protection, legal aid, and other similar services to qualifying military personnel and others. The Act aims to safeguard military personnel from legal or financial issues back home, ensuring their service during a military engagement remains unhindered. The protections outlined in this law help Servicemembers to defer certain legal and financial obligations while in uniformed service, allowing them to devote their entire energy to the mission and the defense of the country. The Act suspends these concerns, postponing any penalties for late payments or similar consequences. This is incredibly important to the military’s stability, as the Department of Defense has known for quite some time that Servicemembers are only at their best when they have a positive work-life balance and are not mentally encumbered by worries facing their families or other civilian issues back home. Eligibility for SCRA Benefits SCRA Military benefits are indeed quite important to helping the Servicemember stay focused while deployed, but in order to qualify for the provisions of the law, the Servicemember must meet several eligibility requirements. The following personnel qualify for protections under the Act: Any active duty commissioned

If you are the spouse of a Servicemember, your role is just as important as your spouse’s service to the country. The family, spouses, and loved ones of Servicemembers are critical in helping the Servicemember maintain a healthy work-life balance, give support in times of hardship, and overall well-being. Military spouses are a community unto themselves of people who support those who have committed to serve the country in the most profound way possible. Military spouses are considered a vital part of the military itself and play an important role in keeping Servicemembers ready to serve, healthy, and happy. For this reason, the country recognizes the role of military spouses and families by including them in many military benefits and resources. You have entitlement to education assistance, career support, some medical services, financial benefits, and much more as a military spouse. Depending on your spouse’s role in the military, you may have to pay a stipend or copayment for some of these services and specific military spouse benefits, or you may not. Read on to learn more. Understanding Military Spouse Benefits Your spouse’s career in the military will not be like other traditional jobs. There are many times

The Veterans Administration Healthcare system provides comprehensive health care to qualifying Servicemembers in over 300 facilities around the country. Most of these clinics and hospitals are capable of carrying out any medical service or procedure a Veteran requires. However, it happens on occasion that a patient requires medical services that are not available in his local VA facility, or perhaps the Veteran lives too far away to reasonably access these needed services. The VA Community Care program provides care to Veterans through community services when the VA cannot. What is VA Community Care? The purpose of VA Care in the Community is to guarantee that service members receive the necessary care from the VA under all circumstances. The local VA system shouldn’t force VA recipients to forgo necessary care because it’s not available at a VA facility. Should the necessary care be accessible in civilian facilities, the Servicemember can avail of these services, with the VA shouldering the financial cost of the care. This also extends to the Veteran’s family members and dependents through the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veteran Affairs, depending on specific Community Care Veterans Affairs eligibility requirements, which can

President Herbert Hoover signed Executive Order 5398 on July 21, 1930, creating the Veterans Administration (VA). The purpose of its formation was to provide benefits, healthcare, and funerary services to military Veterans. In the years that followed, as a component of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the VA evolved into a fully fledged nationalized healthcare service, operating health care centers, clinics, and hospitals for military personnel. Its current incarnation is the Veterans Health Administration, which serves as a government-run insurance system in which beneficiaries do not make copayments, pay premiums, or deductibles. However, not everyone who served in the military qualifies for VHA insurance; it depends on the type of service and length of time served. What is VA Health Care? The Veterans Affairs Health Care System is the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States, with over 1300 health care facilities, 172 VA medical centers, and over 1,100 outpatient centers. The VA Health Care system currently enrolls an estimated 9 million Veterans. These centers provide a wide range of medical services, ranging from outpatient therapies to hospital-based critical care services. The center primarily caters to active duty and retired Veterans, utilizing a regional service model.

The United States Armed Forces is entirely voluntary, and to entice young people to consider the military as a career option, the United States Department of Defense offers many enticing benefits to those who choose to serve in defense of the country. There are many benefits available to a service member for their willingness to join in whatever capacity they choose to serve, whether it be active duty or reserve. Most people know about the educational benefits of the G.I. Bill and the military benefits of restaurants and hotels, but it is the healthcare that entices many to consider the military. The establishment of the Veterans Administration aimed to provide affordable and often free healthcare to all military Veterans, particularly for illnesses and injuries sustained during their service. VA healthcare is available to most who serve in the military, but in recent years, there have been further expansions of Veterans healthcare into more detailed programs, such as the TRICARE program. TRICARE Insurance is available to all uniformed service members, but not all military personnel qualify. It is part of the military healthcare system and shares some benefits with VA healthcare, but it also differs in many other

The Promoting Accountability for Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 is legislation that seeks to address the problem of exposure to toxic chemicals faced by those serving in the military. During their service, many US military Servicemembers were exposed to dangerous substances and chemicals, resulting in chronic, and occasionally fatal, conditions requiring ongoing medical care. The Pact Act 2022, a comprehensive piece of legislation, aimed to guarantee the VA healthcare system’s coverage for these conditions. What is the PACT Act? The “Promoting Accountability for Comprehensive Toxics” Act, or PACT Act 2022, is a sweeping piece of legislation that ensures that the Veterans health system can provide certain disability coverage for Veterans specifically exposed to toxins from their service. Some of these toxins include burn pits, which destroyed military equipment, herbicides, and other toxic chemicals during their service. Estimates suggest that the PACT Act, the largest expansion of benefits to Veterans and survivors in decades, could potentially qualify around 6.2 million Veterans. The Act covers over 20 different illnesses, including brain cancer and lung disease, resulting from exposure to toxic chemicals. The Act mandates the VA to presumptively attribute these conditions to their service, thereby eliminating a

In an effort to reduce bureaucracy in the military, the United States Army in 2006 instituted the US Army Installation Management Command, whose mission was to apply a uniform business structure to manage AU Army installations, the environment in those installations, and promote the well-being of the military community. This included overseeing family programs and services, increasing healthcare accessibility, improving military and family housing, providing schools and childcare to the dependents of military personnel, and offering employment for military family members. This program oversees the United States Army’s Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) Programs. These programs provide many opportunities for US Servicemembers and their families. What is MWR? The United States’s Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Programs got its start in 2011 following the deactivation of the Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Command. Its purpose, as stated on its website, is to deliver “quality family and morale, welfare, and recreation programs and services supporting the readiness and resilience of the All-Volunteer Army.” This program concerns itself with the quality of life for US soldiers and provides community support for military personnel and their families. The military recreational program includes social, fitness, recreational, educational,