Military TransitionPlanner

Separating or retiring is one of the most complex financial and logistical events of your life. This planner covers your VA benefits, family resources, housing, healthcare, and next-career steps in one place.

File Your Disability Claim Now

Submit your VA disability claim up to 180 days before separation through the Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) program. Filing early locks your effective date, which directly determines back pay if your claim is approved after ETS.

Enroll in VA Healthcare

Submit your VA healthcare enrollment application (VA Form 10-10EZ) within one year of separation to receive five years of free healthcare for any condition, service-connected or not. This window closes, and missing it costs you.

GI Bill and Education Benefits

Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) covers tuition, housing allowance, and books at approved schools. You can transfer unused benefits to a spouse or dependent child, but the transfer request must be approved while still on active duty.

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR&E)

Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment helps veterans with service-connected disabilities prepare for, find, and maintain civilian careers. Benefits include education, training, job placement, and independent living support, often in addition to GI Bill.

VA Home Loan Entitlement

Your VA loan benefit activates at separation and never expires. Zero down payment, no PMI, and competitive rates. If you used a VA loan before, you may have remaining entitlement or can restore it after payoff.

TSP and Retirement Pay

Do not cash out your Thrift Savings Plan at separation. Roll it into an IRA or your new employer plan to avoid taxes and penalties. If retiring with 20+ years, understand how CRSC and CRDP interact with your VA disability rating.

MyCAA Scholarship for Spouses

My Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) provides up to $4,000 in education and training funding for eligible military spouses of servicemembers in pay grades E-1 through E-5, W-1 through W-2, and O-1 through O-2. Apply before ETS.

Spouse License Reciprocity

Most states offer expedited professional license reciprocity for military spouses. If your spouse is a nurse, teacher, attorney, counselor, or licensed in any regulated field, their license may transfer to your new state without re-examination.

TRICARE After Separation

TRICARE ends 180 days after separation for active duty families (retirees keep it). The Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP) offers up to 18 months of coverage at group rates. Enroll within 60 days of separation or lose access.

Transfer GI Bill to Dependents

You can transfer your Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to a spouse or child, but the transfer must be requested while still on active duty with a service commitment attached. Once you separate, the transfer option is permanently closed.

Child Care and School Enrollment

The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children (MIC3) protects enrollment rights during transitions. State laws vary on timing. Plan school enrollment at your gaining location before terminal leave begins.

Housing During Transition

BAH continues through your terminal leave period. Plan your housing search and VA loan pre-approval to close before that window ends. On-post housing may be available for up to 90 days after separation in some cases.

TRICARE covers dental and vision while on active duty. The moment you separate, you need separate civilian plans. Book every appointment you have been putting off, orthodontics, glasses, contacts, implants. This window closes on your ETS date.

Sleep apnea is one of the most commonly awarded VA disability conditions and often rates at 50%. If you snore, wake up tired, or have ever been told to get a sleep study, do it on active duty. A positive diagnosis before ETS is much easier to connect to service.

Take photos of every scar, rash, skin condition, limited range of motion, and injury before you separate. These photos become evidence for your VA disability claim. Conditions that are invisible at your separation exam often show up years later, and photos establish that they existed in service.

A buddy statement is a written statement from a fellow servicemember supporting your VA disability claim. These are powerful evidence. Get them from people who witnessed your injuries or conditions while you still have easy access to them. Once you separate, people scatter.

PTSD, MST, TBI, anxiety, and depression are ratable VA conditions. Many veterans do not claim them because of stigma or because they are "managing." The VA rating is not a judgment, it is compensation for real damage done in service. Your family needs you to claim everything.

DoD SkillBridge lets you work full-time for a civilian employer for up to 180 days before separation while still receiving full military pay and benefits. The employer pays nothing. This is one of the best transition tools available and most servicemembers never hear about it.

Your SGLI (Servicemembers Group Life Insurance) does not automatically continue. You must convert it to VGLI within 240 days of separation with no medical exam required. After that window, you have to qualify medically. If you develop a health condition after separation, you could lose access entirely.

If you are retiring, the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) decision is made once and is irrevocable. Declining SBP means your spouse and dependents receive nothing if you die. It costs roughly 6.5% of your retirement pay. This is not a financial planning decision to make alone — it is a family decision.

Honorably discharged veterans qualify for state unemployment insurance in most states. Many veterans do not apply because they think it is only for people who were laid off. It is not. Apply the week you separate. Benefits typically run 26 weeks and give you financial breathing room to find the right job rather than the first one.

Your choice of landing location can save you $5,000 to $15,000 per year in state taxes. States like Texas, Florida, Nevada, Tennessee, and South Carolina have no state income tax or exempt military retirement pay entirely. Run the numbers before you decide where to plant roots.

Veterans with a VA service-connected disability rating of 10% or higher now have lifetime commissary, exchange, and MWR access. If you receive a rating after separation, go register at your nearest installation. Most veterans never get told this.

Most veterans arrive at the civilian job market with no professional network and no online presence. Your future employer will search for you before the interview. Start your LinkedIn profile while still in uniform, connect with veterans in your target industry, and ask colleagues for recommendations before you lose touch.

Veterans with a service-connected disability of 30% or more are eligible for Schedule A non-competitive appointment to federal positions. This means you can be hired without competing against the general public. Many federal hiring managers specifically look for Schedule A candidates but the program is almost completely unknown.

Errors on your DD-214 can cost you benefits for years. Check your character of discharge, dates of service, decorations, primary specialty, and narrative reason for separation before you sign. Correcting errors after the fact requires a formal discharge review board petition — a process that takes months or years.

Cashing out your Thrift Savings Plan at separation triggers income taxes plus a 10% early withdrawal penalty. A $40,000 TSP balance can cost you $15,000 or more in taxes and penalties. Roll it directly into an IRA or your new employer plan. This is one of the most common and most expensive transition mistakes veterans make.