Military family members are often juggling work, school, and caregiving. Military families face unique challenges, whether they’re dealing with multiple deployments or the challenges of a new duty station. Many benefits are available to military families. For example, all active duty uniformed service members and their family members are eligible for TRICARE health insurance, which is often substantially lower than the cost of comparable civilian plans. Additionally, spouses of service members may be able to receive a monthly subsidy for housing expenses. Families with children can also take advantage of educational opportunities such as the GI Bill, and children of military service members who attend college can qualify for tuition assistance benefits.
In addition, a variety of other programs are designed to support the financial well-being of military families. For example, the Department of Defense has launched a new program to help military families afford child care. Families that wish to use this benefit can enroll during the annual Federal Open Season, which runs from mid-November through mid-December. Finally, family members of military service members can get life insurance coverage at relatively low costs. These policies are offered as part of all military personnel’s standard pay and allowances. In addition, some states exempt service members and their families from paying state income taxes while they are stationed out of state. This is true of nine states, including Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington.
What Benefits Do Children of Military Parents Get?
Children of military parents can qualify for a variety of benefits, including health care coverage through Tricare. This program is available to those who are related to a service member by marriage or by blood, and it covers their medical needs at little cost to the family.
Some families may choose to supplement their Tricare plan with additional insurance through the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), which provides up to 55% of a retired military member’s final pay to a spouse or children. However, those who select SBP must usually pay about 6.5% of their monthly retirement pay to use this option.
Additionally, some states offer programs that can help military families afford child care or educational services. For example, the Texas Tuition Fee Waiver Program waives tuition and registration fees at state colleges for dependent children of MIA or POW service members.
Dependents of disabled veterans also can receive assistance with the costs of burial and funeral expenses. Some surviving children of wartime veterans may even be eligible for a monthly allowance for costs such as transportation to the burial site.
What Kind of Benefits Do Military Spouses Get?
Most military spouses wouldn’t marry a service member for the benefits alone, but there are still some pretty cool perks to be had. Spouses can take advantage of allowances, educational benefits, and even specialized programs. The most obvious benefit is TRICARE, which provides health care for all active duty and some retired service members, their spouses, and children. There’s also a program called Basic Allowance for Housing, or BAH, which floats all or most of your housing costs while your service member is deployed or away on training.
Another major benefit is the Post 9/11 or Forever GI Bill, which offers military spouses financial assistance for college or other education. Other scholarship programs, such as the My Career Advancement Account Scholarship or MyCAA, are designed specifically for military spouses, which helps spouses pursue careers requiring licenses, certifications, or an associate degree.
In addition, there are many programs that help military spouses find employment, including the Military Spouse Employment Partnership and Army Community Service (ACS) Centers. And, of course, there are a variety of recreational opportunities on base and throughout the country, including gyms and bowling alleys that offer lower prices than civilian counterparts. Also, it’s helpful to know your service member’s rank and pay grade, as this can determine eligibility for services like subsidized childcare.