Programs and Benefits for Active Military

Military OneSource

You can find free, confidential help with any aspect of military life at Military OneSource. This Department of Defense-funded program offers counseling and information for servicemembers and their families in areas such as:

• Deployment
• Health and Wellness—from preventing training injuries to dealing with family violence, stress and suicidal thoughts.
• Financial and Legal Assistance
• Moving
• Parenting and Child Care
• Spouse employment and education

Call Military OneSource 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 800-342-9647. Visit the Contact Us page for international dialing instructions or for help calling from your computer.

Consumer Protection for Servicemembers and Veterans

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau helps military families and veterans with financial issues that affect them. Visit its site to:

• Submit complaints.
• Learn about scams that target military and veterans.
• Find state financial protection resources.

National Resource Directory

Search the National Resource Directory to find help with employment, health, homelessness, housing, caregiver support and other issues. The directory connects wounded warriors, servicemembers, veterans, families and caregivers with local support resources.

Other Organizations

There are many military-affiliated and private charitable, support, and advocacy organizations that help servicemembers and their families, including:

• Air Force Aid Society
• Armed Forces Foundation
• Army Emergency Relief
• Coast Guard Mutual Assistance
• Marine for Life
• Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
• USO
• Vets4Warriors
• Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline

Find more organizations that help military families and veterans at Serve.gov.

Back to Top

If you are a military member, military retiree or family member of either, you can shop for less at the commissaries and exchanges on posts and bases.

Commissaries are grocery stores. They sell food and household items at cost plus 5 percent—about 30 percent less than most supermarkets.

• Find a commissary in the U.S. or abroad.
• Contact the Defense Commissary Agency.

Exchanges are like department stores. They sell clothing, electronics, home furnishings, etc.

• They don’t charge sales tax.
• Most have dry cleaners, barbershops, food courts and more nearby.

Find an exchange in the U.S. or abroad:

• Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES)
• Navy Exchange (NEX)
• Marine Corps Exchange (MCX)
• Coast Guard Exchange (CGX)

Back to Top

Military Tuition Assistance

Current servicemembers can attend college in their off-duty time and have their military branch pay the tuition.

• Learn about the Military Tuition Assistance Program.
• Use the Tuition Assistance (TA) DECIDE tool to help you make the best use of your tuition assistance dollars. 

GI Bill and Other VA Educational Programs

If you were or are in the military, you may be eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational benefits. If you are a spouse or dependent, you may be eligible too.

Visit Vets.gov to:

• Learn about the GI Bill and other education benefits programs.
• Explore options for classroom and virtual training.
• Get career counseling.
• Find the right school or training program for you.

And, you can apply for educational benefits online, in person or by phone.

Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC)

Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) can help you get your degree despite frequent military transfers. These civilian colleges and universities:

• Simplify credit transfers and reduce residency requirements (the credits required to earn a degree at a given school)
• Give classes on or near military installations in the U.S., overseas, and on military ships
• Offer distance learning programs
• Offer degrees that match your military job
• Are open to servicemembers and their families

For more information, talk to your unit's education officer or contact SOC.

Back to Top

Life Insurance

If you are in the military, you are automatically signed up for servicemembers life insurance. You can purchase veterans life insurance for a limited time after you are discharged.

Survivor Benefits Plan for Military Retirees

As a military retiree, your pension ends when you die unless you sign up for the Survivor Benefit Plan when you retire.

• Active-duty retirees can enroll in the Uniformed Services Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP).
• Reserves and National Guard retirees can enroll in the Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RC-SBP).

If you are the survivor of a Department of Defense military retiree, promptly report the military retiree’s death to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). If you are the survivor of a Coast Guard retiree, contact the Coast Guard Pay & Personnel Center.

Benefits for Survivors of Veterans

If you are the dependent or survivor of a servicemember or veteran whose death or total disability is service-related, you may be eligible for a variety of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) survivor benefits and services.

You may also be eligible for CHAMPVA, a health care program in which the VA shares the costs of services and supplies with eligible beneficiaries.

If you are a Survivor Benefit Plan beneficiary, you may also be eligible for VA benefits.

For more information, contact the VA.

Back to Top