ARMY FAMILY BENEFITS
As a family member of an Army Soldier, you will have access to a wide range of military family benefits, including free legal services through the Office of Staff Judge Advocate, assistance in finding a job, and even discounted travel services.
ARMY FAMILY HEALTH CARE
TRICARE
Tricare is the medical entitlement program of the Department of Defense (DoD) and utilizes military medical facilities for examinations or treatment. It also uses civilian health-care providers who are a part of the Tricare health network for referrals, consultations and other examinations.
Whether or not there is any out-of-pocket expense for the family will depend on a soldier’s rank and the specific Tricare program option in which the family member is enrolled. Family members are allowed to go to civilian health-care providers if they desire, but must have either an understanding in advance with Tricare or separate health insurance.
Dental Care
The availability of dental care will vary from Post to Post but is usually available for Soldiers. However, family member care is generally not available at military dental facilities. Family members may get dental insurance through the Tricare Dental Program, which is managed by a civilian firm, United Concordia. It is a voluntary, cost-effective, comprehensive program offered worldwide by the DoD to family members of all active duty branches of the military, and to selected Reserve and Individual Ready Reserve members and their family members.
Life Insurance
No one ever likes to think about or even consider the possibility that they’d need life insurance, but the Army believes you and your family must be prepared nonetheless. One of the many benefits afforded soldiers is the opportunity to purchase very low-cost life insurance. The soldier can even purchase life insurance for members of his or her family.
For Family Members with Special Needs
The Army's Exceptional Family Member Program is a program created to assist families that include a person with special needs. This could be a physical, emotional, developmental or other condition that requires special treatment, therapy, education or other support.
Want to experience life on an actual Army base? Take the goarmy.com virtual tour, which will give you a first-person view of the locations you will visit every day as a Soldier on post.
VACATION AND LEAVE
Vacation
Every soldier, from brand-new recruits in their first days of training to the most senior general, earns the same vacation time, which the Army calls “leave.” Compared with many civilian jobs, the military benefit of earning 30 days of Army leave a year is terrific. In general, a soldier serving on active duty earns two and one-half days of leave each month, or 30 days a year. A soldier may also take leave for personal reasons and emergency situations.
Training Holidays
Also, from time to time, a soldier’s unit may declare what is called a “training holiday.” This is a free day off that recognizes extra work done, perhaps by training through a weekend. These days are not counted as leave.
While leave is considered a right, that doesn’t mean that you can take it whenever you wish. As with any civilian job, your leave time will have to be approved for it to be valid.
Army training holidays are subject to change. The information above reflects the Army’s 2018 policy on training holidays.
Space-Available Travel
Space Available Travel, better known as Space A, is a unique travel privilege provided to soldiers and their families. Under the program, eligible passengers can pay discount rates to fill unused seats on DoD aircraft once all the space-required passengers and cargo have been accommodated.
While not as quick and easy to book as calling your travel agent, if you have the time and flexibility, Space A travel is an incredibly cost-efficient and valuable military family travel benefit for those looking for affordable vacation options.
JOB ASSISTANCE
Employment Readiness
Just because you change locations, doesn’t mean you’ve decided to stop working. For that reason, the Army has set up the Employment Readiness Program to provide information and referral services in the areas of employment, education, training and transition opportunities to give family members the competitive edge needed to gain employment. Services include career and employment counseling, an employer resource file (for positions on and off Post), assistance with résumé/job application preparation and computer-related skills. The Army also has established a partnership with several large corporations that have agreed to provide employment opportunities to Army families.
Education Centers
While your soldier is going through all of his or her various schools and training programs, you can do the same. The Education Center provides counseling services, testing services, the Army Learning Center and education programs. There you can obtain counseling and advice about finishing high school or earning an associate, bachelor’s, or master’s degree from accredited colleges and universities. Many colleges offer their courses right on Post and are very favorably priced compared with what you might pay out in the civilian community. You can also get information concerning vocational and technical education programs.
