Army Emergency Relief (AER)

Army Emergency Relief (AER) is a private, nonprofit organization that was created to help Soldiers and their Family members who experience financial emergencies. AER provides funds to help Soldiers with immediate financial needs with rent, utilities, emergency travel, etc. AER also provides emergency funds to Soldiers' orphans and Surviving Spouses and offers undergraduate scholarships to Spouses and Children of both active and retired Soldiers. Established in 1942, AER has assisted more than 3.7 million Soldiers and Family members with more than $1.9 billion in support. In 2017, AER processed over 43,000 cases, providing $69.7 million in no-interest loans and grants and awarded more than $8 million in scholarships to Spouses and Children of Soldiers.

Benefits Facts

TSGLI

Traumatic Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance provides a one-time, lump-sum, tax-free payment to Wounded Warriors who qualify.

Benefits Facts

G.I. Bill

The Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) provides up to 36 months of education benefits to eligible Service members and Veterans for programs such as: college, business, technical, or vocational school; apprenticeship / on-the-job training; correspondence courses; remedial, deficiency, and refresher training (in some cases); and flight training. You usually have 10 years to use your MGIB benefits, but the time limit can be fewer or more years depending on the situation.

Benefits Facts

DTAP

The Department of Defense Transition Assistance Program (DoD TAP) provides job assistance and separation counseling services for Soldiers and their Families during the transition away from active service.

Benefits Facts

Dual TRICARE and VA

When leaving active duty, Service members may be entitled to or eligible for benefits offered by TRICARE and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), depending on whether the Service member retires or separates.

Benefits Facts

CRDP

Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay is the gradual restoration of the retired pay currently being offset by VA disability pay.

Benefits Facts

ACS

Army Community Service helps Soldiers and Families by providing vital services and information during war and peace.

Benefits Facts

CYS

The Army Child and Youth Services (CYS) provides affordable childcare programs for Army Families. Costs are typically based on Family income. Programs range from daycare facilities to sports and fitness programs.

Benefits Facts

Deployment Support

Mobilization, Deployment and Stability Support Operations' mission is to provide training, information and assistance to Soldiers, Civilians and their Families to maintain individual readiness throughout the entire deployment cycle. Deployment and Mobilization provides guidance, resources and training for all; Soldiers, Civilians and their Families; to include parents, Family Readiness Group members, Rear Detachment cadre and ACS/Reserve staff throughout the Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) cycle. Whether supporting deploying units by providing pre-deployment information and material to Soldiers, Civilians and their Families; to providing reintegration and RESET training as they reconstitute their Family unit, the Mobilization and Deployment Team is there to provide support.

Benefits Facts

TSP

The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is a Federal Government-sponsored retirement savings and investment plan. It offers the same type of savings and tax benefits that many private corporations offer their employees under "401(k)" plans.Blended Retirement System (BRS) Members of the Uniformed ServicesIf you are a member of the uniformed services who began serving on or after January 1, 2018, your service automatically enrolled you in the TSP (or will) once you had served 60 days and 3% of your basic pay is deducted from your paycheck each pay period and deposited in the traditional balance of your TSP account, unless you have made an election to change or stop your contributions. You can make an election by following the instructions in Starting, Changing, and Stopping Your Contributions.Non-BRS Members of the Uniformed ServicesIf you are a member of the uniformed services who is not covered by the Blended Retirement System (BRS), your account is established by your service after you make a contribution election using your service's automated system, if it has one. For example, most members of the uniformed services use myPay. If your service does not use an electronic system, you can complete Form TSP-U-1, Election Form and return it to your service.Reentering Members of the Uniformed ServicesIf you were already in the BRS plan before you left the service—whether as a new member of the uniformed services or an opt-in—you will be automatically reenrolled when you reenter. If you were not in BRS but had fewer than 12 years of service when you left, your service may give you the opportunity to opt in when you reenter. In either case, assuming you had served 60 days before leaving, your enrollment will begin with the first pay period after reentering. If neither situation applies to you, you can still start a TSP account or resume contributing to your existing account as a non-BRS member. Follow the instructions in Starting, Changing, and Stopping Your Contributions.

Benefits Facts

SCRA

The Servicemember’s Civil Relief Act provides Soldiers important rights that cover issues such as rental agreements, eviction, credit card and mortgage interest rates, and more.

Featured: Reunion

The return home from combat can often leave servicemembers feeling out of place with the most important people in their lives - their families.

"In deployment, Soldiers grow accustomed to a new lifestyle and a new 'family' - those buddies that bond together to defend each other," said Maj. Ken Williams, 14th Military Police Brigade chaplain. "This lifestyle change is prolonged and becomes familiar, i.e., the new normal."

The families also change while the Soldier is deployed.

"The family is a system," Williams said. "When one family member is absent, the whole system changes. All members of the family adapt to a new 'normal' way of life."

When the servicemember returns, the family may feel uncomfortable with each other, and the servicemember may withdraw from the family.