When you’re new to the military, every little step can feel incredibly confusing. From navigating using your housing allowance to helping your spouse find a job in a new city or state to set up your health insurance, you’re faced with an endless to-do list of things during the transition.
Then, when your time with the military comes to an end, you’re faced with another round of tough decisions and processes to navigate ahead of retirement.
Luckily, there are tons of resources available every step of the way that can help make each transition go more smoothly. Here are just a few that you and your family should be taking advantage of.
The military resources available while you’re serving aren’t the only help that you and your family will receive. As you approach your retirement from the military, you’ll gain access to a variety of tools and resources to help make your transition easier.
One resource you’ll want to take advantage of right away is job assistance. The National Resource Directory, available to veterans and their families, will connect you with a variety of contacts and departments that can help you or your spouse find a job in your area. Other available resources can help you assess your skills to find a new career or help you find a career with the federal government.
After you finish your time with the military, you may also choose to take advantage of another benefit you received for your service: the GI Bill. You can use your educational allotment to go to a two-year or four-year university, or for some job training programs. Start a new career or use your training and education to further the one you started in the military or prior to your service.
To help make life a little easier while you’re serving, as well as to offer support to service members, the U.S. Military provides a variety of financial and legal support.
For instance, active duty service members, as well as those in the National Guard, receive free credit monitoring for the three largest credit reporting agencies, as well as free tax preparation and filing software.
When it comes time to find the right insurance, choosing a provider that understands and supports the military is a wonderful way to gain access to other useful benefits that will help make life a little easier, and provide your military family with some extra protections during challenging times.
USAA serves military service members and their families. Not only do they offer discounts for your military service, but they’re also here to help with vehicle storage during deployment, flexible payment schedules to match your paydays, and more.
Utilizing these and other available resources is a great way to make the transition from military life to civilian life go a lot more smoothly for you and your family.
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