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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.
DoD SkillBridge eligibility for Reserve and Guard members on Title 10 / Title 32 active orders. The 180-day continuous-AD requirement, REFRAD timing, ANG TAG approval requirement, AGR rules, and what happens when your mob orders end mid-internship. Branch-by-branch with regulation cites.
What top SkillBridge employers, Microsoft MSSA, Amazon AWS, Northrop Grumman, Booz Allen, Hiring Our Heroes, actually look for in a resume. Format, length, MOS translation, ATS keyword strategy for cleared talent, plus branch-specific submission requirements (AFVEC, Navy, Army).
Convert your SkillBridge internship into a federal civilian GS job. Hiring authorities, VRA, 30% Disabled, Schedule A, Direct Hire, explained with statutory cites. Why the typical timeline is offer-during-internship, EOD day-after-separation. OPM data on time-to-hire, dual-compensation rules, and which agencies run their own SkillBridge.
Three different DoD programs that veterans confuse constantly. SkillBridge gets you a civilian job tryout. Branch CSP is the regulatory framework that authorizes it. DoD COOL pays for civilian certifications. Side-by-side comparison + branch-specific URLs.
The financing veteran founders actually qualify for: SBA loans, lender programs, and startup options. What each funds, who qualifies, and how to apply.
VR&E eligibility splits at 20%, vets at 20%+ need standard Employment Handicap; vets at 10% need Serious Employment Handicap. The two-10s-round-to-20 trick, the pre-discharge memorandum rating path for severely injured service members, and what evidence flips a 10% denial.
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VR&E pays full tuition + tools + subsistence for trade schools, no Post-9/11 cap, no $1,000/yr book limit, no MHA step-down on apprenticeships. FY2026 rates, which trades approve fastest, the union apprenticeship paths via Helmets to Hardhats, and the journeyman-wage cap that beats GI Bill math.
VR&E can fund your startup, equipment, training, and capital, if you qualify. Who's eligible, what VA pays for, and the TDIU trap to avoid.
The full VR&E Chapter 31 pay chart for 2026: $812.84/mo full-time single up to $1,188.15 with two dependents, plus how the BAH-equivalent election pays 2-4x more.
VR&E and SkillBridge solve different problems and aren't mutually exclusive. The optimal path for service-connected vets: SkillBridge during final 180 days, then VR&E post-separation. Why doing them in the wrong order costs you BAH, entitlement, or career velocity.
Honest guide to the major defense contractors hiring transitioning cleared veterans. What each pays, what each looks for, how clearance levels translate to salary premium, and where vets actually land.
There are predictable hard days in a veteran's year. Knowing the calendar in advance lets family show up the right way before the wave hits, instead of reacting after.
The exact format civilian recruiters and ATS systems look for. Active vs current vs eligible. SCI, polygraph status, and what counts as classified that you absolutely cannot disclose.
For parents, adult children, siblings, and family members of separating service members. What to do at each stage of the transition timeline, how to bring up VA claims without nagging, and the emotional realities to expect.
Veterans preference adds 5 or 10 points to your USAJOBS final score and can put you on top of the certificate list. Step-by-step on which category you qualify for, the SF-15, and what to attach.
Translate your Navy IDC experience into civilian PA, advanced EMT, occupational health, and healthcare leadership roles. The IDC scope of practice is closer to PA than RN, here's how to position the transition.
Translate your Coast Guard MSRT (Maritime Security Response Team) experience into civilian roles, federal law enforcement, FBI HRT, maritime tactical security, and private contractor jobs. Salary data + certifications.
Three different things that look similar from the outside and need very different responses. What family should know about each, why the wrong framing makes it worse, and what to say instead.
When patterns matter more than incidents. The three baselines families should watch in a transitioning veteran, why they cluster, and what each one means in isolation vs. together.
Specifically for STG2 Sonar Technicians: civilian career options, defense contractor jobs, salary data, and the ASW-to-civilian translation. Different from senior STGs, written for the petty officer 2nd class transitioning out at 6 years.