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1036 articles to help with your military transition
Expert guides covering VA disability claims, C&P exam preparation, military-to-civilian career transitions, retirement planning, state veteran benefits, and more. Written for active duty service members, reservists, and retirees navigating life after the military. Browse by category or search for topics specific to your transition.
Air Force 2A3X3 fighter maintainers already meet the FAA's experience rule for an A&P. See the two paths to the license, what the work actually pays, and who hires.
Air Force 1N1X1 GEOINT analysts run imagery and geospatial analysis. See verified BLS pay for the closest civilian occupation and where the cleared work is.
Air Force 1D7X1 cyber defenders map straight onto information security analyst roles, an occupation BLS projects to grow much faster than average. Verified pay and paths.
Air Force 3D0X2 sysadmin work maps to an occupation BLS projects will decline 4%. Here is the verified pay, and why the pivot to cloud or security matters.
Air Force 1A8X1 linguists hold a language plus a clearance. See what the civilian market pays, what BLS does and doesn't track, and where the cleared work is.
Air Force 1N0X1 all-source analysts brief decision-makers. BLS does not track \
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Air Force 4N0X1 medics do not automatically convert to an LPN or paramedic license. Here is what each civilian credential actually requires, with verified BLS pay.
A plain reading of the September 8, 2026 executive order on veterans' benefits and employment: the four things it directs, the deadlines it sets, and the two clauses in its own text that limit what it can deliver.
A contingent offer is not a job. Here is why defense contractors put your resume in a bid, what an exclusivity clause actually locks up, and the questions to ask before you sign one during your transition.
Never heard of VR&E? Veterans Readiness and Employment (VA Chapter 31) can pay full tuition, a monthly living allowance, tools, and career help for service-connected veterans, and it doesn't touch your GI Bill. Here's what it is and how to know if you qualify.
Military 'sanctuary' isn't one rule — it's two different U.S. Code sections (10 U.S.C. § 12686 and § 1176) that get constantly confused, and neither is the 'once I hit 18 years they can't touch me' force-field people think. Here's who each one covers and what it doesn't do, straight from the statute.
The VA's 2026–2027 Post-9/11 GI Bill rates (Aug 1, 2026 – July 31, 2027): private-school tuition cap of $30,908.34, the monthly housing allowance, and the $1,000 books stipend — verified against VA.gov, with the numbers that actually matter for your school choice.
Seven states changed how they tax military retirement pay or veteran property for 2026: Georgia, California, Vermont, Delaware, Indiana, New York, and New Mexico. Every other state is unchanged from 2025. Verified against each state's tax authority.
Before you pay a VA claim company a multiple of your back pay, know this: charging for help on an initial claim is against federal law. Here's how the model works, what's legal, and the free accredited help that does the same thing.
How temporary LIMDU works in the Navy: the two 6-month periods, the 12-month cap, who places you on it, and the fit-for-duty decision that sends you back to work or into the MEB/PEB.
If you're stationed where your family doesn't live, your BAH is based on your duty station, not their location. The rule, the money reality, the OCONUS exception, and where BAH-Diff and FSA apply.
Permissive TDY lets you job hunt and house hunt before separation without spending a single leave day. How transition PTDY works, how many days you can get, and how it stacks with terminal leave.
You can start a civilian job while on terminal leave and draw both paychecks. The law that allows it, how federal jobs differ from private, and the ethics rules that still apply.
Taking terminal leave and selling leave back are taxed very differently. How each is treated, why sell-back is base pay only, and the combat-zone rule that lets you cash out leave tax-free.
The benefits most veterans miss after a 100% P&T rating: the annual clothing allowance (August 1 deadline), CHAMPVA for dependents, commissary and exchange access, SMC, CRDP/CRSC, and the ID cards that unlock them.