Posted on Jun 13, 2016
Are There Any Military Spouse Retirement Benefits?
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Military retirement often marks the end of a long road.
As a military spouse, you've put in months of waiting on your service member to come home from long trainings or deployment, all while holding down your home and taking care of your family. You've battled career challenges for yourself, planning disasters, cross-country moves and everything Murphy's Law could throw at you.
But other than the long-sought break from the challenges of military life, what's in military retirement for you? Although your service member is who put on the uniform every day, military retirement isn't without perks for military spouses or ways that you can still benefit from the community.
And while all of the benefits available to you are by virtue of your spouse's service, it doesn't mean you shouldn't take full advantage of them.
MILITARY SPOUSE RETIREMENT BENEFITS
Health and dental care. After military retirement, you are eligible to continue using Tricare, the military's health care system. If you are near a base, you may even still be able to be seen in the military treatment facility or hospital if that is your wish. You can also sign-up for a dental plan for military retirees.
Commissary and shopping privileges. Now that you're not a part of the active-duty military anymore, you might find that your living expenses go up. But as the spouse of a military retiree, you still have access to the military commissary and exchange systems. Although just how much you save at those stores over civilian markets is an often-debated topic, everyone agrees there is some benefit to shopping at them.
Military lodging and recreation. As a military retiree, you still have access to the military lodging and recreation systems. Although there are some rules restricting who can stay in military lodges overseas, most allow military retirees. Maybe now is the time to take that girls' or guys' vacation you've been dreaming about for the last 10 years.
GI Bill and education benefits. If your service member transferred the Post-9/11 GI Bill to you while he or she was still on active duty, you can use it to go back to school. Through it, you will receive a monthly housing allowance, an annual books stipend and, depending on where you are going to school, all of your tuition costs and fees covered. The GI Bill must be transferred while the service member is on active duty for this to be available.
If you don't have the GI Bill and your service member has died, you might be eligible for Survivor and Dependents Educational Assistance.
Survivor Benefit Plan. If your service member chooses to set up the Survivor Benefit Plan, an insurance policy, at the time of his retirement, you will have access to that money after he or she dies. That plan can be complicated and confusing, so go here for the full explanation.
VA benefits after your service member's death. Although a service member's pension checks end with his or her death, you may have access to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, and the Veteran's Death Pension.
@SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas , Capt Christopher Mueller , CPT (Join to see) , COL Mikel J. Burroughs , Sgt Joe LaBranche , SSgt (Join to see), TSgt Hunter Logan Capt Seid Waddell SrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F. PO2 Ed C. PO2 Mark Saffell MSG Tom Earley PVT James Strait Alan K. @po1 william "chip" PO1 William "Chip" Nagel @SGT John McConnell SGT John " Mac " McConnell
As a military spouse, you've put in months of waiting on your service member to come home from long trainings or deployment, all while holding down your home and taking care of your family. You've battled career challenges for yourself, planning disasters, cross-country moves and everything Murphy's Law could throw at you.
But other than the long-sought break from the challenges of military life, what's in military retirement for you? Although your service member is who put on the uniform every day, military retirement isn't without perks for military spouses or ways that you can still benefit from the community.
And while all of the benefits available to you are by virtue of your spouse's service, it doesn't mean you shouldn't take full advantage of them.
MILITARY SPOUSE RETIREMENT BENEFITS
Health and dental care. After military retirement, you are eligible to continue using Tricare, the military's health care system. If you are near a base, you may even still be able to be seen in the military treatment facility or hospital if that is your wish. You can also sign-up for a dental plan for military retirees.
Commissary and shopping privileges. Now that you're not a part of the active-duty military anymore, you might find that your living expenses go up. But as the spouse of a military retiree, you still have access to the military commissary and exchange systems. Although just how much you save at those stores over civilian markets is an often-debated topic, everyone agrees there is some benefit to shopping at them.
Military lodging and recreation. As a military retiree, you still have access to the military lodging and recreation systems. Although there are some rules restricting who can stay in military lodges overseas, most allow military retirees. Maybe now is the time to take that girls' or guys' vacation you've been dreaming about for the last 10 years.
GI Bill and education benefits. If your service member transferred the Post-9/11 GI Bill to you while he or she was still on active duty, you can use it to go back to school. Through it, you will receive a monthly housing allowance, an annual books stipend and, depending on where you are going to school, all of your tuition costs and fees covered. The GI Bill must be transferred while the service member is on active duty for this to be available.
If you don't have the GI Bill and your service member has died, you might be eligible for Survivor and Dependents Educational Assistance.
Survivor Benefit Plan. If your service member chooses to set up the Survivor Benefit Plan, an insurance policy, at the time of his retirement, you will have access to that money after he or she dies. That plan can be complicated and confusing, so go here for the full explanation.
VA benefits after your service member's death. Although a service member's pension checks end with his or her death, you may have access to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, and the Veteran's Death Pension.
@SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas , Capt Christopher Mueller , CPT (Join to see) , COL Mikel J. Burroughs , Sgt Joe LaBranche , SSgt (Join to see), TSgt Hunter Logan Capt Seid Waddell SrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F. PO2 Ed C. PO2 Mark Saffell MSG Tom Earley PVT James Strait Alan K. @po1 william "chip" PO1 William "Chip" Nagel @SGT John McConnell SGT John " Mac " McConnell
Are There Any Military Spouse Retirement Benefits?
Posted from military.com
Benefits
Spouses
Military Life
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 3
5
5
0
The most valuable benefit for my spouse is TRICARE For Life (TFL) coupled with MEDICARE. This is the big financial and health benefit for me and her. Other benefits, such as Commissary and AAFES, are nice, but have no where near the financial benefit of health care. We do live near an AFB, but the medical facility there was downgraded from a hospital to a clinic a few years back. We have used civilian medical services exclusively since I retired in 1991. (With world-class medical facilities and practitioners nearby in St Louis, there's no reason to use the Government MTF.) With no disability, I've never been seen at the VA Hospital in St Louis.
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SMSgt Lawrence McCarter
Add to that a survivor benefit plan which You can opt to have some of Your retirement payment withheld to provide for Your spouse to receive a portion of Your retired pay should You pass. My retirement for the USAF had that and also My Retirement for a civilian Police Department had a plan like that as well so it applies in both. On health care I tend to use civilian facilities almost all the time for My Wife and I and rarely have I used the VA except for a few things like an Agent Orange screening for example. I don't have any service connected disability so that would not even apply currently.
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Actually the retired military spouse has the benefits of whatever is on the back of their retired military dependent ID Card such as commissary, MWR, PX and possibly medical.
Space a travel, access to military bases, etc. are benefits which retired military spouses can take advantage of.
The Survivor Benefit Program (SBP) provided them with a guaranteed source of income if their retired military spouse pre-deceases them. In the SBP process the spouse is required to sign, with a witness I believe, if the SBP coverage is declined.
Space a travel, access to military bases, etc. are benefits which retired military spouses can take advantage of.
The Survivor Benefit Program (SBP) provided them with a guaranteed source of income if their retired military spouse pre-deceases them. In the SBP process the spouse is required to sign, with a witness I believe, if the SBP coverage is declined.
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LTC Stephen F.
SrA Mike Holovacs - in my case my wife will benefit from the SBP which is estimated at $2,500 per month if I died today.
I plan on drawing social security at age 66 which is estimated at $2,700 per month. My wife would get that amount as well after I die.
I plan on drawing social security at age 66 which is estimated at $2,700 per month. My wife would get that amount as well after I die.
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LTC Stephen F.
SrA Mike Holovacs - I am also rated at 80% service connected disability. I expect to be rated at 100% pretty soon. It takes VBA years to catch up, unfortunately.
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SSG (Join to see)
The benifit is that the spouse will get to spend their life together with the SM and enjoy the life that they have bot sacrificed for .. they both served in some capacity.. just as if the spouse worked and retired from Wal-Mart.. We do this for our family and our Country
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