- Health Care Benefits. Spouses and other family members of enlisted personnel, whether active-duty, retired, deceased or part of the National Guard or reserves, may qualify for TRICARE health care coverage.
- Scholarship Benefits. Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) is a program that provides up to $4,000 in financial assistance.
- Career Opportunities. Military spouses will find it easier to obtain jobs within the federal government with the Military Spouse Preference (MSP) program.
- Other Benefits. Active-duty service members, along with their spouses and children, get free housing within the military base they’re stationed at.
Why does his new wife have military benefits?
She was not his wife while he was active duty. Current spouses of retirees receive the same benefits the retiree does -- including health care coverage. Military members and retirees are given health care for life for themselves and their qualifying family members. That's the benefit, plain and simple.
What are the benefits of marrying a veteran?
- VA Form 21-534 for dependency and indemnity compensation, death pension, and/or accrued benefits
- A copy of the veteran’s death certificate
- A copy of the veteran’s DD214 discharge certificate
- A copy of the marriage certificate (or proof of marriage)
What are the benefits of being married in the military?
Top Military Spouse Benefits
- Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) One of the most advantageous programs offered to military spouses is the MyCAA Scholarship. ...
- Family Service Members’ Group Life Insurance (FSGLI): Military spouses are eligible to receive up to $100,000 in life insurance coverage. ...
- Patriot Express. ...
- Transferred GI Bill® Benefits. ...
What does a spouse deserve at military retirement?
The law does not automatically give a former spouse any of the member's retired pay. Rather, the law permits a state to treat military disposable retired pay as marital property and therefore divide it in a divorce action. Disposable military retired pay is a service member's monthly retired pay minus qualified deductions.
What benefits does my wife get if im in the military?
Most also receive a variety of allowances, special pays and bonuses depending on things like deployment, paygrade and military job. For most married service members, those allowances include Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) and Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH). Guard and Reserve pay work a little differently.
How long do you have to be married to get military spouse benefits?
A spouse is entitled to one year of transitional medical benefits under the 20/20/15 rule, which requires at least twenty years of marriage, at least twenty years of military service, and at least fifteen years of overlap of the marriage and the military service.
How much is spousal pay in the military?
To answer your question, there is no stipend, no monetary benefits for military spouses. Service members can choose to give a monthly allotment to a spouse or whoever, but the money is deducted from their own pay. It does not come from the Department of the Army or Department of Defense.
Does my wife get half my military retirement?
The maximum amount of pension income an ex-spouse can receive is 50% of the military retirement pay. Once the order is filed with DFAS, it will take three months (90 days) for the direct payments to begin if the ex-spouse is already receiving their pension.
Do military spouses get free college?
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Education Assistance Program: The NMCRS Education Assistance Program offers interest-free loans and grants ranging from $500 to $3,000 per academic year to spouses of active-duty and retired service members for undergraduate programs at an accredited two- or four-year institution.
How do military wives make money?
You can do freelance work or consulting for companies all over the globe. As independent workers, military spouses can earn extra income, set their own hours, and work from anywhere in a variety of virtual positions. If you're not sure about self-employment, you may still be able to secure a position as an employee.
Do military spouses get health insurance?
If you're the spouse, surviving spouse, dependent child, or family caregiver of a Veteran or service member, you may qualify for health care benefits. In certain cases, you may also qualify for health care benefits due to a disability related to your Veteran's service. Find out if you qualify and how to apply.
What is Social Security for military spouses?
Social Security benefits are also available to surviving families in the form of lump-sum and monthly payments. Educational assistance is provided surviving military spouses, as well as their children ages 18 to 26 under the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance program or the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship.
How to strengthen a military relationship?
What to consider when a relationship needs strengthening or is in trouble 1 Military OneSource provides non-medical counseling services and specialty consultations and a host of other resources for strengthening your relationship with your spouse or other family members. 2 The Military and Family Life Counseling Program offers services for everyday military life situations, such as coping with deployments. 3 If your relationship is in trouble and you are considering divorce, there may be unique legal issues to navigate during a divorce due to military service. You can learn more about the divorce process by contacting your legal assistance center. 4 Each service branch has policies that require service members to support family members upon separation if there’s no agreement or court order:#N#Army – Army Regulation 608-99, “Family Support, Child Custody and Paternity”#N#Marine Corps – Chapter 15 of Marine Corps Order P5800.16A, “Marine Corps Manual for Legal Administration”#N#Navy – Chapter 15 of Naval Military Personnel Manual 1754-030, “Support of Family Members”#N#Air Force – Air Force Instruction 36-2906, “Personal Financial Responsibility”
Can a spouse be a survivor of the military?
Surviving military spouses will always have a place in the military community. As a survivor, you’ll always be a part of the military community, just as your spouse’s service to our country will never be forgotten. You can always reach out to the community for assistance with survivor benefits, financial counseling, ...
What benefits do spouses of military retirees get?
(Photo: Stock image.) Did you know that, as the spouse of a retiree, you may be eligible for a number of benefits? There are many things for which you may be eligible, including medical insurance, free legal assistance, property tax discounts and more. While no list can cover all ...
What happens to a military ID after retirement?
Military ID Card: After military retirement, your military ID card will move from an active-duty dependent card to a retiree dependent card. Like the active-duty card, your retiree military ID card will give you base access, allow you to use the commissary and other on-base services, and serve as your health ID card at the doctor's office.
What is the Department of Veterans Affairs?
Educational and Career Counseling: The Department of Veterans Affairs can offer personalized counseling to military members, veterans and their dependents to help guide their career paths, ensure the most effective use of their VA benefits, and achieve their goals. Understand your entitlements.
What are the benefits of being a military spouse?
3. Insurance . Military spouses get to enjoy many insurance benefits. They can obtain life insurance starting at 10,000$ and going as far as 100,000$ in coverage. To this, they also enjoy healthcare benefits that cover for their surgeries, scans, medicine that is received on base, and even births.
How to take advantage of military spouse benefits?
To take advantage of the military spouse benefits, first of all, you will have to register yourself with the DEERS – Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System – the personnel system of the military. Registration can be done by most of the service member’s family.
What is the military spouse counseling program?
6. Counseling and support. Being a military spouse can be difficult. Because of that, the MFLC (Military and Family Life Counseling Program) has made it their priority to offer military and military spouses on and off base counseling, without having any of it go on your record.
How much does a military spouse get from the MyCAA scholarship?
If you are looking to advance in your career and you want to get yourself a license, a certification, or an Associate’s degree, then this military spouse benefit is perfect for you. Military spouses can receive up to 4,000$ from the MyCAA Scholarship to pursue their education.
What is the marriage.com course?
If you feel disconnected or frustrated about the state of your marriage but want to avoid separation and/or divorce, the marriage.com course meant for married couples is an excellent resource to help you overcome the most challenging aspects of being married.
Can GI Bill benefits be transferred to spouse?
The transfer of the GI bill benefits. If your spouse has reached the needed time in his or her service, the GI Bill benefits obtained, can be transferred partially or totally to the spouse or the children. Children can use these benefits until they reach the age of 26.
Is it easy to get married to a spouse who works in the military?
Being married to a spouse who works in the military is by no means easy . On the contrary, this lifestyle comes with many challenges that one has to learn to overcome.
What are the benefits of being in the military?
The military can be a difficult lifestyle for a family, but it does come with some excellent benefits. Some of those are in the form of cash, and some are in the form of discounts. In addition to the bi-monthly paycheck, military service members receive benefits like money for housing, subsidized groceries and healthcare.
How to get military benefits?
To receive any military benefits, military family members must be registered in the military's personnel system, the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS), and receive a military ID card. To do that you need to be the service member's spouse or child.
What is BAH in military?
Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is given to every active-duty service member as part of their bi-weekly pay. How much you receive is usually based on where your service member is stationed. Even if you choose to live somewhere other than his duty station while he is home or deployed, you will still receive BAH based on duty station, not your residence.
Why is MWR more affordable than off base?
The programs MWR funds and manages on base are often much more affordable than their off-base counterparts because the government subsidizes their costs. MWR manages most recreation on every base, including gyms, pools, bowling alleys, horse stables, event centers, golf courses, discounted equipment rentals and more.
What do military members get?
Every military service member receives at least a base pay. Most also receive a variety of allowances, special pays and bonuses de pending on things like deployment, paygrade and military job. For most married service members, those allowances include Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) and Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH).
What is military shopping?
Military Shopping Benefits. Known as "non-monetary compensation," military shopping benefits help military families save money on the things they want or need. Most bases worldwide are home to a military commissary operated by a government organization called the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA).
Do military bases have daycares?
Most military bases have a variety of full-time or hourly daycare center s. The costs of these are based on a family's total income, not just the service member's paygrade. Waiting lists at these centers can be long, so the military also allows families to use subsidized in-home daycares that have been officially approved. If you don't live near a base or there are no on-base daycare center spots available, the military will also subsidize the cost of care at certain off-base, civilian daycares that have become a part of their network.
What is military retirement?
Military retirement often marks the end of a long road. As a military spouse, you've put in months of waiting on your service member to come home from long trainings or deployment, all while holding down your home and taking care of your family. You've battled career challenges for yourself, planning disasters, ...
Can you stay in a military lodge overseas?
As a military retiree, you still have access to the military lodging and recreation systems. Although there are some rules restricting who can stay in military lodges overseas, most allow military retirees.
Can you still use Tricare after retirement?
Health and dental care. After military retirement, you are eligible to continue using Tricare, the military's health care system. If you are near a base, you may even still be able to be seen in the military treatment facility or hospital if that is your wish.
Do military spouses have access to commissary?
But as the spouse of a military retiree, you still have access to the military commissary and exchange systems.
The Uniformed Services Former Spouse Protection Act
The Uniformed Services Former Spouse Protection Act is a federal law that provides certain benefits to former spouses of military members.
What Are The Effects Of Divorce On Military Benefits?
Installation housing — The former spouse will typically lose installation family housing within 30 days of the service member or other family members moving out due to a divorce.
Main Military Benefits For Former Spouses
The US military offers the Thrift Savings Plan as a defined contribution savings plan like 401 (k). The TSP enjoys matching contributions from the military, replacing some traditional military pension plans partially.
