Ignorance is not a valid excuse for suffering. The power of knowledge can completely change the course of one’s life and make things easier. Several benefits accrue to being a military spouse. What to know about them? Let us know more about “Military Spouse Benefits”.
Military Spouses
Spouses of military personnel face several difficulties, but there are many benefits, ranging from educational to professional chances and even recreational benefits. Some of these programs will be provided to you as a result of your spouse’s military service or marriage, while others will be gotten as you seek them out. The benefits that accrue to you will be discussed under different categories. Let’s jump right into details.
Educational
MyCAA – My Career Advancement Account Scholarship
MyCAA is one of the most beneficial services available to you. This program provides up to $4,000 in financial aid to pursue a license, or certification at any MyCAA Program-approved school. You qualify for this based on the rank of your spouse ( active-duty, National Guard, and Reserve personnel with the ranks of E-1 to E-5, W-1-to-W-2, and O-1 to O-2). However, you must apply while your spouse is on Title 10 military orders.
MilSpouse Money Mission
By using the MilSpouse Money Mission, which is sponsored by the Department of Defense (DOD), you can get free financial education and resources from accredited professionals, certified financial planners and counselors.
GI Bill Benefit
Service personnel can transfer their education benefits to their spouses and close relatives, children in particular, as soon as they have completed the necessary amount of service time. After a service person leaves the military, their spouse is eligible to access their GI Bill benefits for up to 15 years. Children can also be eligible for more benefits like housing allowances paid monthly. Additional information can be obtained at the Veterans Affairs office.
Employment
The Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP): :
MSEP is an arm of the larger Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO) initiative at the Department of Defense. It is a focused recruitment and employment solution that gives employment linkages between companies or enterprises that are actively recruiting and MilSpouse looking for employment.
MSP – Military Spouse Preference:
DOD is understands some of the difficulty faced by Milspouses due to periodic relocations, hence, qualified spouses of active-duty service personnel can receive priority employment allocation in vacant DOD civilian posts under the MSP program. Available job vacancies can be found on the DOD Civilian Career Portal.
Financial Benefits
Tax Benefits:
The Military Spouses Residency Relief Act enables Milspouses to deduct their original states of residency from their taxes, which can be beneficial if those areas have lower tax rates than the state where they originally resided.
On-Base Stores Discount:
The commissaries and exchanges are On-Base shops and stores that sell food and brand-name retail items at marked-down prices with no sales tax.
Off-Base Stores Discount:
Many stores and businesses give discounts and small tokens to military spouses. But you may not know sometimes except if you ask.
Health Care
Military Health Insurance Program:
We occasionally meet folks who put up with different health challenges instead of going for check up because they lacked insurance or couldn’t afford the price. You don’t feel such worry as a military spouse or relative. Active-duty military members and their families have access to an insurance health program called Tricare. Numerous treatments, including preventative care, mental health care, medications, births, scans, surgeries, vision care, and dental care, are available to spouses and other family members. Depending on the health insurance plan you select, particularly if you are on-base, health care coverage and expenses, plus deductibles and copays, may vary.
MFLC – Marriage Family Life Counseling Program:
Military OneSource has an arm called Marriage Family Life Counseling (MSFL) program. It is free and private counseling available to military spouses and relatives. They are located On-Base at the Family Support and Readiness Center.
Legal
Legal Assistance
Through Military OneSource or Legal Assistance Centers, spouses can benefit from a variety of free legal services. These services can be used to build an estate plan, decipher a leasing agreement, or get adoption legal advice.
Insurance
FSGLI – Family Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance:
FSGLI premiums start at just 45 cents per $10,000 of coverage, and military spouses are eligible for up to $100,000 in coverage. The FSGLI coverage of the service member cannot be more than that of the spouse. Additionally, children can be insured for $10,000 for free. Enrollment details are available at your military personnel division.
Recreation
Federal Recreational and National Parks Land Pass:
Active-duty service members, their spouses, and their dependents are eligible for free annual passes to more than 2,000 recreation places from the National Park Service.
MWR – Morale, Welfare, and Recreation:
MWR provides a variety of no-cost and low-cost opportunities, including childcare services, hobby stores, movie theaters, and event tickets.
Conclusion
Indeed what you don’t know can limit the level of privileges you enjoy in life. However, knowing is not enough, you must take advantage of the knowledge to get the best of it. You will agree with me after reading this article that there may be a lot of things that are difficult in being the spouse of military personnel but there are great benefits that come with it too. This goes to show that heroes are not only appreciated, but their family members are also .
Frequently Asked Qustions (FAQs)
Question: What do I stand to get if I live off base as a spouse to military personnel?
Answer: You will be compensated by BAN (Basic Allowance for Housing). However, this allowance varies according to the location, pay grade, and dependency status
Question: Is there an allowance for overseas trips?
Answer: Yes, there is. There is a system set in place to take care of that called Overseas Cost Of Living Allowance (COLA).
