Life after the Army

There is a lot of work to be done before you sep­a­rate out of mil­i­tary ser­vice. It not only marks the end­ing of a career, but likely a com­plete uproot­ing of your life and dras­tic mod­i­fi­ca­tion to your lifestyle.

First off, find your sep­a­ra­tion date. If you will not be allowed to reen­list you may have one-two years to pre­pare for your ETS. This will allow you to be well pre­pared for tran­si­tion to civil­ian life. JAG and your local REUP NCO can help you iden­tify the ben­e­fits you will be enti­tled to accord­ing to the type of dis­charge you are being sep­a­rated under.

Regardless of how you will leave the ser­vice (ETS or sep­a­ra­tion) it is imper­a­tive you under­stand your ben­e­fits and imme­di­ately begin plan­ning your tran­si­tion to the civil­ian sec­tor. The econ­omy is tough. Consider the fol­low­ing questions:

• Do your mil­i­tary skills trans­late eas­ily into a civil­ian job skill?
• What can you do while in the ser­vice to acquire addi­tional skills?
• Can you attend civil­ian school­ing to improve your chances for suc­cess in the civil­ian sector?
• Will you have GI Bill ben­e­fits to attend col­lege upon sep­a­ra­tion from ser­vice? If so what is your plan to put this ben­e­fit you use?
• How much leave will you have at separation?
• Are you enti­tled to ter­mi­nal leave or per­mis­sive TDY?
• Did you suf­fer any med­ical related prob­lems as a result of your service?
• Are there any upcom­ing job fairs in the area that are rel­e­vant to your industry?
• Do any local com­pa­nies pre­fer to hire vet­er­ans? Contact local vet­er­ans groups for this information.

Securing your med­ical benefits

Are your med­ical prob­lem doc­u­mented in your records? Sit down and go through your med­ical records and develop a list of issues from head to toe. Prepare your request for ben­e­fits. Sometimes it is a good idea to seek assis­tance from indi­vid­u­als who have a med­ical back­ground so they can assist you in deter­min­ing what your med­ical records say. Do you have a per­ma­nent or tem­po­rary pro­file? If so ensure you have a copy for your records. See a VA coun­selor imme­di­ately to see what you might be enti­tled to.

There are numer­ous orga­ni­za­tions to assist your sep­a­ra­tion from ser­vice the key is to align your needs will orga­ni­za­tions that pro­vide assis­tance in find­ing jobs and can assist you in under­stand­ing your ben­e­fits. The time to start is now. Do not delay. This is your time to plan.