Employee Benefits from a Military Spouse Perspective

Some careers are as portable as your laptop case and some aren't. If you're considering new employment, the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program can help you navigate the world of employee benefits and how to use them to your favor. Choosing a job or benefit package might be easier if you divide benefits into three categories: necessary, nice and who cares?

What benefits are available?

Here are some benefits most companies offer and how they apply to you as a military spouse. If there's overlap between your military spouse benefits and what your employer offers, there may be room for negotiating.

• Paid time off. A military spouse can sometimes be the only one around to care for the family. The ability to take time off to care for yourself or a sick child may be a significant benefit to consider.
• Telecommuting. If your employer is willing to consider a telecommuting arrangement, they may also consider keeping you on the payroll when you make a permanent change of station move. It can take a huge weight off your shoulders if you don't have to go through the job hunting process every time you PCS.
• Health and dental benefits and wellness programs. You receive all three through TRICARE, so you could try to negotiate a salary increase or other benefits, like reimbursed child care, in exchange for the overlapping benefits.
• Short- and long-term disability and life insurance. No one expects to break a leg on a ski trip or lose their life from a bungee jumping accident, but sometimes it happens. Some companies offer short- and long-term disability and basic life insurance plans at no cost or low cost to employees to help offset the expense of unfortunate accidents. Consider these insurances carefully because TRICARE doesn't offer these benefits to military spouses. Payments from these insurances can pay bills, help replace lost income, pay off debt or cover final expenses.
• Retirement plans. Your spouse may or may not plan to serve the full 20(+) years needed to receive a pension from the Department of Defense - and even if he or she does, the pension might not transfer to you. Ask about retirement plans to make sure you can live your dream of beach sunsets or that log cabin in the woods. Your human resources officer or plan administrator will have more information, and you can visit the Department of Labor website for details on types of retirement plans.
• Tuition reimbursement and tuition assistance programs. If you want to go back to college to learn something new or update your already excellent skills, a tuition assistance or reimbursement program can help with the cost. Using these programs could lead to more employment opportunities, especially when searching for a job after a PCS.
• Military Spouse Employment Partnership benefits. Many of these corporate partners offer benefits that stand out from the pack. For example, Lowe's offers no-cost approved heart surgery procedures to full-time employees and their dependents. Convergys, Alpine Access and Teletech offer home-based offices to many employees. And ADP offers a pension plan, 401K, ADP stock purchase and stock options plans, a company credit union, auto and home insurance plans, and on-site child care at some of their locations. Sign into the Military Spouse Employment Partnership website for a full list of partners, including information and links to their websites.

The benefits offered by your employer may be more or less attractive to you than they would be to a civilian family. Remember this when reviewing a job offer and considering salary and benefits. Research the companies you'd like to work for to see if their benefits meet your needs.