Military Assistance Programs for Service Members and Their Families
National Resource Directory for Service Members and Veterans
The National Resource Directory connects the military and veterans with local support. Find military assistance resources for:
Financial Assistance for Service Members and Veterans
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) helps military families and veterans with financial issues including:
- Filing complaints
- Avoiding scams targeting military and veterans
- Improving money management skills
Military OneSource
Military OneSource offers help with all aspects of military life. Counseling for service members and families is free and confidential.
Find information and resources in areas such as:
- Military financial and legal assistance
- Job and education help for military spouses
- Parenting and military child care assistance
- Deployment help for military families
- Moving assistance for military families
- Military health and wellness, including:
- Preventing training injuries
- Dealing with family violence
- Managing stress and suicidal thoughts
You can also call Military OneSource at 1-800-342-9647 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Visit their contact page to learn how to call from outside the U.S. or from your computer.
Life Insurance and Survivor Benefits for Servicemembers and Veterans
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
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 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
You may qualify for (VA) survivor benefits if:
- You are the survivor of a servicemember or veteran whose death is service-related.
- You are the dependent of a servicemember or veteran whose total disability is service-related.
You may also qualify for CHAMPVA. It is 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.
Educational Benefits for Servicemembers, Veterans, and Their Families
GI Bill and Other Veterans Education Programs
If you were or are in the military, you may be eligible for veterans education benefits. If you're a spouse or dependent, you may be eligible too.
- Learn about the GI Bill and other education programs.
- Get career counseling.
- Compare schools with the GI Bill Comparison Tool.
- Apply for the GI Bill and other education benefits.
Forever GI Bill
The Forever GI Bill of 2017 makes big changes to many veterans education benefits. Most changes expand or improve upon existing benefits. Highlights include:
- Restoring education benefits to people who lost them because their school closed
- Eliminating the 15-year time limit for those who left active duty on or after January 1, 2013
Many other changes are in effect or coming. See a detailed list of Forever GI Bill changes.
Military Tuition Assistance
If you're in the military now, your unit may pay for your tuition if you attend college in your off-duty time.
- Learn about the Military Tuition Assistance Program.
- Use the TA Decide tool to compare schools and help you make the best use of your tuition assistance dollars.
Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC)
Frequent military transfers can be a roadblock to getting your degree. But Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) can help. These civilian colleges and universities:
- Simplify credit transfers
- Reduce the number of credits you must earn at their school to get a degree
- 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.
Military Spouse Tuition Assistance
If you're a military spouse, you can find help paying for college or vocational training too. There are a variety of scholarships, grants, and interest-free loans. Find sources of military spouse tuition assistance.