Jim Absher

Jim Absher is Military.com's former benefits editor and columnist. He joined the Navy to see the world and later realized the world is two-thirds water. He also worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs in field offices and Washington, D.C. before coming to Military.com in 2015.

Latest Articles

Why You Should Get a Veterans Designation on Your Driver's License

Most states offer a free veteran's designation on their driver's licenses, and if you want to get your full benefits as a...

How to Change or Update Your VA Direct Deposit Information

Learn how to change the bank account where your VA disability payments get deposited in four simple steps.

Should You Sell Back Leave or Take Terminal Leave When You Get Out?

In the final months of active duty, one of the biggest decisions isn’t about paperwork or moving logistics — it’s whether to...

Do Veterans Benefits Expire?

Did you know that many of your VA benefits have an expiration date? If not, you are not alone. Most veterans aren't aware of...

Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance Increase Announced

The benefit will increase by the same percentage as retirement pay every year from now on

Soldiers return from a 11 month long deployment in Kosovo.

Military Permanent Change of Station PCS Overview

The government will reimburse many costs associated with a PCS move. Here is an overview of what you can expect.

A woman holds a military discharge paper.

Understanding the Types of Military Discharge

A military discharge is when a service member is released from their military service obligations. More than 200,000 U.S...

Future airmen take the oath of enlistment.

Everything You Need to Know About the Military Draft

What is the military draft and Selective Service? Here’s everything you need to know.

Airman & Son Place Flag on Veteran's Grave

When You Die, VA Will Provide a Free Grave Marker

The VA provides headstones and markers for the graves of veterans anywhere in the world.

Military PCS Allowances

If you PCS, the government will either provide you transportation between duty stations or will reimburse your travel.

A housekeeper hangs clean towels at the General John K. Cannon Hotel.

PCS Spotlight: Temporary Lodging Allowances

Temporary lodging reimbursement will help to pay some of your expenses while occupying temporary quarters during a PCS move.

Ship Your Household Goods During a PCS Move

The government will ship your household goods when you are transferred to a new permanent duty station.

Ask the Right Questions Before Choosing a School

Deciding whether a school is right for you requires asking smart questions. This guide will help you become a smart consumer.

Social security card indicating retirement income

Can Veterans Get Social Security?

You can get both Social Security benefits and military retirement.

In a silhouette appearing mostly black and gray, an airman walks away from the camera while tossing a wrench in the air.

Air Force Tuition Assistance

The Air Force pays Tuition Assistance for up to 100% of the cost of college courses.

Military News

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Most Popular Military News

New recruits take the oath of enlistment at the Advocate Center for the Eleventh Annual Chicago Bulls Special Recruit Division Enlistment Ceremony in Chicago. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Camilo Fernan)

Could the US Bring Back the Draft? Who Would Be Called First — and Who Qualifies

Could the U.S. bring back the draft? Here’s how Selective Service works today, who would be called first and why only about...

VA Study: Ozempic, Other GLP-1 Drugs May Fight Addiction Across Every Major Substance

For the more than 48 million Americans with substance use disorders, including a disproportionate share of veterans, GLP-1...

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US Navy Sends Submarines Under Arctic Ice for 100th Time in Milestone Exercise

The U.S. Navy has reached a Cold War-era milestone in the Arctic, deploying two Virginia-class submarines beneath the polar...

Bonnie Carroll, founder of TAPS, hugging a survivor (Photo courtesy of TAPS).

After the Knock on the Door: How TAPS Supports Military Families for Life

After a service member dies, families face a lifetime of grief. TAPS founder Bonnie Carroll explains how the organization...

Exclusive: John Ripley, the Marine Who Blew Up the Dong Ha Bridge, to Receive the Medal of Honor

More than 50 years after hanging beneath a Vietnam bridge to stop a North Vietnamese armored invasion, Marine Col. John...

Latest Military Videos

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Boats capsize off US air base construction site on Okinawa, two dead.

Israeli Rescue Services Survey Damaged House Following Iranian Missiles

Israeli rescue services survey damaged house following Iranian missiles.

Cyber Threats Rise as Iran-Linked Hackers Eye US Targets

Cyber threats rise as Iran-linked hackers eye US targets.

US Military Refueling Plane Crashes in Iraq

US military refueling plane crashes in Iraq, with rescue underway.

Investigations and Features

In One of the Marines' Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide

Marine Corps drill instructors are a national symbol of discipline. But for some, their imposing persona belies a dark...

Army Capt. Jeremy Kuykendall and his wife Kate, cradle their daughter

Unsupervised: Military Child Care Centers Slow to Report Abuse with Little Oversight

A Military.com investigation into military day care centers revealed that service branch rules generally prioritize...

Army News

Army Sergeant Wants to Plead Guilty in Georgia Base Shootings that Injured 5

An Army sergeant accused of shooting and wounding five co-workers at a southeast Georgia base last summer is seeking to plead...

U.S. Army Cpl. Marvin Silvester Patton went missing in the Korean War in July 1950. He was finally buried with full military honors in Virginia on March 9, over 75 years since his death. (DPAA)

Korean War Soldier Returns Home After 75 Years. His Brother Is Still Missing

Cpl. Marvin Silvester Patton, who vanished during the first American ground battle of the Korean War, was laid to rest in...

Navy News

Home Front Command officer works at an apartment damaged after an Iranian strike in Bnei Brak, Israel.

Gulf States Intercept New Missiles and Drones as Iran Threatens to Widen War

The war, which shows no signs of ending soon, has upended global air travel, disrupted oil exports from the region and sent...

Chester Evitt, Gulf War Navy veteran. (Facebook)

Student Engineers Help Veteran Return to Archery with Adaptive Device

A group of students in Indiana helped a veteran get back to enjoying an activity he loved, forming a strong bond along the...

Air Force News

'Radiant' Mother from Kentucky Among 6 US Service Members who Died in Air Crash in Iraq

The U.S. military is identifying the six service members who died last week when a KC-135 refueling plane crashed in western...

Maj Gen (ret.) William Neil McCasland has been missing for several weeks (Image: facebook/@Susan McCasland Wilkerson)

Missing Air Force General Case Draws FBI and Online Conspiracy Theories

The disappearance of retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William “Neil” McCasland has drawn the FBI into the search and sparked a...

Space Force News

How Nuclear Waste Can Save Military Satellites and Lunar Exploration

Russia and China can black out military satellites in seconds. A Latvian startup says nuclear-waste generators using 5x less...

After the Knock on the Door: How TAPS Supports Military Families for Life

After a service member dies, families face a lifetime of grief. TAPS founder Bonnie Carroll explains how the organization...

Marine Corps News

Gulf States Intercept New Missiles and Drones as Iran Threatens to Widen War

The war, which shows no signs of ending soon, has upended global air travel, disrupted oil exports from the region and sent...

U.S. Marines with Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/1, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, land at the objective point during a simulated bilateral small boat raid at Kin Blue Training Area, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 26, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rebeka Falcon)

How US Sending of Marines to Strait of Hormuz Signals Posture Shift

Warships carrying about 2,500 Marines could soon patrol the region as attacks on oil tankers intensify.

Coast Guard News

USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10) crew members observe the cutter from a 26-foot Cutter Boat-Large (CB-L) in the Ross Sea during Operation Deep Freeze 2026, Feb. 21, 2026. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Bokum)

GOP Senators Approve Coast Guard Commander Promotion Despite Whistleblower Retaliation

A Coast Guard commander was found in 2018 to have violated the Military Whistleblower Protection Act but may still get a...

U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer Tyler Jaggers

A Wedding Proposal and a Promotion Honored a Coast Guardsman Before He Died of Injuries From Mission

The Coast Guard awarded Tyler Jaggers the Distinguished Flying Cross, one of the highest military awards for heroism.