Fortunately, the government has tried to compensate for some of these hardships so that military spouses can receive many benefits, from education to insurance to employment.
In this article, take a look at 6 awesome benefits for military spouses
Ensure that you can access benefits
Before you get into the six military spousal benefits, it's important to mention the requirements for the military portion.
- Military spousal benefits do not depend solely on you being the spouse of an active duty service member. Just being married/engaged to them is not enough.
- To be eligible for military spousal benefits, you must first enroll in DEERS – Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System – the military's personnel system. Enrollment can be completed by most family members of the service member.
- After that, you will receive a military-specific ID card, based on which you will receive your spousal benefits.
- It is also worth mentioning that in special cases, other family members can also be provided with such a card.
Also observe:
Now, as promised, let's get to the benefits of military spouses themselves!
1. Education free of charge
If you want to advance in your career and earn a license, certification or associate degree, then this military spouse benefit is perfect for you.
Military spouses can receive up to 4.000 $ from the MyCAA scholarship to continue their education. Check if you can start and complete your studies in the given time frame (the military is on title 10 of its military order).
2. The transfer of GI Bill services
If your spouse has reached the required time in service, all or part of the GI Bill benefits received can be transferred to your spouse or children.
Children can use these services up to the age of 26 years old. In addition, they may be entitled to additional benefits such as housing allowance.
3. Insurance
Military spouses enjoy many insurance benefits. You can get a life insurance from 10.000 $ and up to 100.take out $ 000 coverage.
In addition, enjoy health benefits that cover their surgeries, scans, medications received on base, and even births.
Spousal benefits for car insurance are also included. These discounts on car insurance start at 10% and can go up to 60% if you meet all criteria.
4. Housing
Since being with a spouse working in the military is important to their well-being, free housing is available to the spouse on base.
If living on base is not desired, then spouse can also benefit from a basic monthly allowance for housing (BAH) which can help pay for a home out of town.
5. The loan express
The Patriot Express is a loan program designed specifically for veterans and their spouses who want to start or expand an existing small business.
The loan features low interest rates, ranging from 2.25% to 4.75%, and a maximum loan amount of 500.can reach $ 000.
6. Advice and support
Being a military spouse can be difficult. For this reason, the MFLC (Military and Family Life Counseling Program) has made it a priority to provide on-base and off-base counseling to military and military spouses without putting any of it on your record.
The local Fleet & Family Service Center is also happy to help you find out about job opportunities or recreational opportunities for you and your family.
The disadvantages of being a military spouse
Of course, military spousal benefits aren't the only part of military life – but you probably already knew that.
While the "military spouse loan" part is very helpful for any type of family – and contains many more benefits than we mentioned – there are a few other things that will really test your patience as a military spouse.
- Your spouse is honor bound – As you know, you will likely spend some time apart from your spouse. This is because the military requires them to be dedicated to their duty, no matter what. Therefore, you may have to deal with assignments, work shifts at unconventional hours, services at temporary stations, including training programs, etc.
- You may miss some holidays together – family is very important for a service member, especially because he/she cannot always be home for Christmas, for example in a case where they are waiting for parents, etc. Are directed to spend time with their spouses.
- You may have a hard time understanding his/her feelings – if you are not connected to the military in any way, you will certainly feel something is wrong if your spouse is stressed, anxious, etc. As mentioned earlier, family is extremely important to them – so it's best to keep their feelings as well as the type of work in mind when thinking about them.
The bottom line
In addition, it's also worth noting that you also need to adhere to some military-specific protocols and traditions.
As silly as some of them may sound to you, it's important to get used to them for the sake of your spouse!
For example, if you visit them on the base and watch a movie, the national anthem will be played before the previews.
Next, any errands you need to run in the commissary will be accompanied by a thorough inspection of your vehicle.
Likewise, Be aware that some of the things you can learn together with your spouse, you need to keep away from social media!
After all, being a military spouse certainly isn't easy, but these military spouse benefits are designed to help make your life a little easier and safer.