Family Changes

Marriage, a new baby, DEERS, and benefits that shift with your family.

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DIC and What Your Family Gets Beyond SBP
SBP is one layer. DIC and survivor benefits are the rest, if your paperwork is right.
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Military Divorce: What Happens to the Money
Pensions, SBP, TSP, and BAH: divorce touches all of them, and deadlines don't wait.
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Marriage in the Military: The Money Talk
The wedding's the easy part. What actually changes in your pay, benefits, and paperwork.
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Enroll Your Family in DEERS
DEERS turns "we got married" into real benefits. No DEERS record, no ID card, no TRICARE.
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How Much Life Insurance Do You Actually Need?
SGLI gives $500,000 by default. How to tell if that's plenty or your family needs more.
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MyCAA for Military Spouses
The DoD scholarship that pays up to $4,000 toward a license, certification, or degree.
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FSGLI: Covering Your Spouse and Kids
If you carry SGLI, the military can cover your family too. What they get, and the cost.
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TRICARE Prime vs. Select: How to Choose
Referrals, costs, and when each fits, for families choosing Prime or Select.
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Transfer Your GI Bill to Your Spouse or Kids
Who can transfer it, the service deal it locks in, and the spouse-versus-kid rules.
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TRICARE Dental and Vision Coverage
Active-duty dental, family dental via TDP, and how vision works via TRICARE and FEDVIP.
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Military Childcare and Fee Assistance
On-base childcare scales to your income; full slots? The military helps pay off base.
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WIC and Family Food Assistance
Pregnant spouse or little kids? WIC is built for you, and BAH usually doesn't count.
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EFMP: Support for Families with Special Needs
EFMP keeps a family member's medical or educational support in reach as you move.
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Tax Credits for Military Families: EITC, Child Tax Credit, and AOTC
Three credits worth thousands to military families, plus the combat-pay choice.
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529 Plans and Saving for Your Kids' College
What a 529 is, the flexible 2026 rules, and how it pairs with a transferred GI Bill.
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SGLI: Your Life Insurance Basics
You're enrolled automatically at in-processing: the coverage, cost, and beneficiary.
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Wills, Power of Attorney, and a Healthcare Proxy
Young and about to deploy? That's exactly when these three free documents matter most.
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Update Your Beneficiaries on SGLI and TSP
SGLI and TSP pay whoever's on the form. This 15-minute fix protects who you love.
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TRICARE Explained: Your Military Health Plan Options
What TRICARE is, the main plans, and who's covered, in plain English for new families.
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IRAs: Traditional, Roth, and Spousal
An IRA on top of your TSP: why Roth fits junior members, plus the spousal IRA many miss.
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Basic Needs Allowance and Food Assistance
If household income runs short, real programs exist: who qualifies and how to apply.