Still in uniform
Plan Your Transition
Six steps for service members getting out, in the order the clock runs. Every step opens a page that explains it in plain language and links to the official source.
Read this first
Know your clock
Several of the best benefits start or stop on a date. Look at these first.
- SkillBridge: ten free programs and the questions to ask — the last 180 days
- Benefits Delivery at Discharge — file your VA claim 180 to 90 days out
- Terminal leave and selling back leave
Get your paperwork and file your VA claim early
Your records and your claim are what everything else depends on.
- Get your DD-214 and military records
- The free VA Welcome Kit
- Prepare Your VA Claim: the printable checklist
- Plan Your VA Claim: the full claim path
Line up health coverage
Your coverage changes the day you separate. Know what comes next and when it ends.
Line up income and training
Start before you leave. Some of this is free, and some can be paid for while you serve.
Know your money and retirement
The choices you make here are hard to undo.
Plan your first year out
The first year has its own calls, deadlines and benefits.
Sources
- Each step above links to a page on this site that cites DoD, VA, TRICARE or the regulation it relies on.