Loading...
1014 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.
OTH, BCD, and even some Dishonorable veterans still have access to specific VA programs. The exact map of what's available, what isn't, and what the family advocacy plays look like for each category.
Family can be a powerful presence at Compensation and Pension exams — or a quiet drag on the rating. What to do before, during, and after the exam if you're going as the veteran's family member.
Family presence at routine VA medical and mental health appointments can be useful, neutral, or actively harmful. The patterns that consistently help, the ones that consistently hurt, and how to know which you're doing.
When to share LinkedIn posts vs. when to shut up. The patterns that genuinely help a transitioning veteran's job search and the ones that backfire. A guide for spouses, parents, and friends.
Acronyms, jargon, weapon systems, NCOIC roles. The civilian recruiter doesn't speak this language. Family members who can spot the translation problem make a real difference in a veteran's job search.
Terminal leave, last LES, first VA payment, first civilian paycheck. The cash flow gap that hits most transitioning families and how to plan for it before separation, not after.
Free for every veteran
18 transition tools. Zero cost.
VA claims tracker, MOS translator, resume builder, career planner, budget tool — all in one place, all free. Join 140+ members already using MTT.
It's a common scenario and a real decision. The financial math, the relational consequences, and the middle paths that work better than 'free indefinitely' or 'pay full market rent.'
Family members get asked to co-sign during the transition financial gap. The legal weight of a co-signature, when it makes sense, and the alternatives that don't bind family to the veteran's debts.
SBA's VetCert program verifies veteran and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses for federal contracting preferences. Here's how to apply and what certification gets you.
USAA and Navy Federal are the two dominant military financial institutions, but they serve members differently. Here's a direct comparison to help you choose.
Teacher certification doesn't automatically transfer between states. Here's how military spouse teachers navigate reciprocity, expedited licensing, and teaching while awaiting full certification.
VA loan scams cost veterans tens of thousands of dollars. Here's how common VA mortgage scams work, the warning signs, and how to protect yourself.
A TSP loan before military separation creates complications — an outstanding loan becomes a taxable distribution if not repaid. Here's how TSP loans work at separation.
Your BAH rate changes with every PCS — and the timing matters. Here's how BAH adjusts during a move, when rate protection applies, and how to plan for the transition.
The MEB process takes months, involves multiple agencies, and has specific milestones and deadlines. Here's a realistic timeline of what happens and when.
What's happening to your service member at each stage of their final year, what's happening to you, and what the parent-specific support looks like at every stage.
Vietnam, Korea, and Gulf War veterans are aging into VA benefits decades after service. Late-life claims, presumptive conditions, Aid & Attendance, and how adult children navigate a system their parent never engaged with.
Brothers and sisters of transitioning service members occupy a strange role: not the parent, not the spouse, not the kid. Real care, real distance, real opportunity to help in ways no one else can.
Sometimes grandparents end up as the day-to-day caregivers for grandkids while a service member deploys, separates, or stabilizes. The legal, financial, and emotional realities — and the support that's available.
Long-term partners of veterans don't have most spousal benefit access. The real legal limits, the partial workarounds, and how to think about the marriage-or-not decision when transition is forcing the question.