Jim Absher

Jim Absher, the military benefits editor, joined the Navy to see the world and later realized the world is 2/3 water. He also worked for the VA in field offices and Washington, DC before coming to Military.com in 2015.

Email: jim.absher@monster.com

Latest Articles

Person using cellphone while also using laptop

Thrift Savings Plan Makes Online Access Easier For Deployed Service Members

The popular retirement savings plan can now be accessed while in the field or aboard ship.

Man working on air conditioning compresser

VA Accepting Applications for New In-Demand Job Training Program

The program will give veterans a monthly housing allowance and pay for the training

A veteran's hat sits on a table during a breakfast event.

Veteran-Owned Food Businesses Get Priority in New Cash Assistance Program

Two previous programs ran out of money quickly. This time, veterans get first crack at the funding.

New Law Makes Many Active Duty, Vets and Survivors Eligible for Free or Discounted Broadband Internet

Eligible households also may be eligible for a $100 discount on a computer or tablet from Uncle Sam

Computer keyboard with "insurance" written on a key

VA Insurance: Getting Help

If you need help with government life insurance, call the VA Insurance Center

What Is the US Public Health Service?

Hint: They're not wearing those uniforms for fun.

Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, South Korea (U.S. Army photo/Staff Sgt. Felix Mena)

Tricare Overseas

Relocating overseas can be very stressful and intimidating. With Tricare, healthcare is one less thing to worry about.

Tricare Young Adult Program

Tricare Young Adult is a plan that qualified adult children can purchase after eligibility for regular Tricare coverage ends

A U.S. Marine receives his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Where Veterans and Military Members Can Get Freebies After Their COVID Vaccines

From national to local, many retailers are offering discounts and free stuff to those who have gotten the COVID vaccine.

New Hampshire State Veteran Benefits

The state of New Hampshire provides several veteran benefits. This page explains those benefits.

Exterior view of a USPS processing facility. (Photo: U.S. Postal Service)

Tricare Mail Order Pharmacy Instructions

The following steps will guide you through the TMOP ordering process.

Maintenance Drug Prescriptions With Tricare

All persons using maintenance drugs must now get their prescriptions filled either at a military pharmacy or though the mail

Tricare Pharmacy Options

Tricare pharmacy options allow you to get prescriptions filled at military pharmacies, civilian pharmacies, or through the...

A pharmacy technician looks at the label of medication.

Prescription Drug Coverage Comparison

Comparison Of Outpatient Prescription Drug Coverage: MEDICARE, VA, CHAMPVA, and TRICARE

Retiree Dental Coverage

The TRICARE Retiree Dental program offers affordable dental insurance to military retirees and their family members.

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Most Popular Military News

Proposed Law Would Make It Easier for Vets to Get Private-Sector Care on VA's Dime

The Veterans Health Care Freedom Act would largely take the VA out of the community care process.

Ray Weaver, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, supports Rolling Thunder 2017. (Joshua L. DeMotts/U.S. Air Force)

Pentagon Rejects Permit Request by Veterans Group for Memorial Day Motorcycle Ride

Motorcyclists typically use the Pentagon's parking lot as a staging area for the ride, but officials denied the application.

Recruits conduct a 5K Hike Parris Island

This Change to Boot Camp Training Could Cut Recruit Injury Rates

Lima Company was one of two recruit companies selected to participate in a study assessing a progressive approach to hiking...

Retired Col. Ralph Puckett Jr visits U.S. Army Rangers.

Army Ranger Legend to Receive Medal of Honor at 94

President Biden will upgrade Ralph Puckett's Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor.

American military convoy stops near the town of Tel Tamr, north Syria, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)

82nd Airborne Paratrooper Faces Charges Related to Gunfight at Syrian Checkpoint

An 82nd Airborne soldier is facing charges stemming from a deadly firefight between U.S. forces and those backing Assad.

Latest Military Videos

Zombie Army 4 Game Trailer

You may have taken down an Undead Zeppelin, but the fight never ends in the most expansive Zombie Army...

Luke Air Force Base Unveils Updated Shopping Center

Luke Air Force Base is celebrating the grand opening of its 112,670-square foot shopping center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Defense Department Watchdog to Examine Pentagon's Handling of UFOs

The Defense Department's watchdog said it will look at how the Pentagon handles UFO reports.

Army News

Soldiers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg and Airmen from the 437th Airlift Wing train together during exercise Predictable Iron. (U.S. Air Force/Airman 1st Class Jade Dubiel)

How Fort Bragg, the Largest Military Base in the US Today, Got Its Start a Century Ago

Fort Bragg was built to train troops for World War I, but became the largest installation in the U.S.

Family and supporters of murdered Private First Class Vanessa Guillen.

Spc. Vanessa Guillen's Harasser Was a Known Toxic Leader, Army Report Shows

The sergeant was known to yell, belittle and threaten soldiers with counseling, delayed promotion or denial of leave.

'They Actually Listened:' Mothers in Uniform React to the Army's New Postpartum Policy

Army moms say that they feel affirmed after the service extended the time allowed to get back within postpartum body...

Navy News

In this Tuesday, July 2, 2019, file photo, Navy Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher leaves a military court on Naval Base San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Gallagher Claims SEAL Platoon Agreed to Practice Medical Procedures on Dying Prisoner

Gallagher's attorney said that nothing he said on the podcast changed the facts of the case as they have been known.

Navy rescue swimmer Cale Foy looks on at Naval Air Station North Island

'I Have to Help,' Says Sailor Who Rescued Migrants at Sea

Foy and another young sailor who was also out hiking and is in basic training as a Navy SEAL recruit were among the first to...

The crew of Wasp-Class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) holds a burial at sea for 25 service members and two spouses while at sea in the Pacific Ocean, March 29, 2021. (U.S. Navy)

USS Essex Honors Service Members and Families During Burial at Sea

The crew of Wasp-Class amphibious assault ship USS Essex held a burial at sea for 25 service members and two spouses.

Air Force News

The Skyborg autonomy core system launches.

Air Force's 'Skyborg' AI System Flies for First Time in Mako Drone

The U.S. Air Force flew an artificial intelligence system onboard a subsonic autonomous drone for the first time last month

Curtis LeMay Haywood Hansell Roger Ramey

How the WWII ‘Bomber Mafia’ Lost the Short-Term Battle But Won the Strategic War

“The Bomber Mafia” digs deep into one of the lesser-known rivalries of the war, the one between Brig. Gen. Haywood Hansell...

Security Forces check personnel coming through Gate 15A at Wright-Patterson AFB on April 8, 2015. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jim Mitchell)

Dayton Sues Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Defense Department for Water Pollution

The lawsuit accuses the base of failing to stop PFAS from entering one of the sources of the city's water.

Marine Corps News

F-35B Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth.

British Aircraft Carrier Departs on Landmark Deployment with Marine Corps F-35s Aboard

U.S. Marines have joined a British naval crew to form the biggest fifth-generation carrier air wing in the world.

Why These Infantry Marines Have a New Obsession with Chess

It's kind of like Fight Club. Except it's mental, not physical, and Marines can't stop talking about it.

Japanese amphibious assault vehicle in the well deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset

Navy Launches Its Own Investigation into Fatal Marine Corps AAV Accident

The Navy is reviewing its role in an at-sea accident that killed eight Marines and one sailor.

Coast Guard News

Coast Guard canine Kyra and Petty Officer 1st Class Clinton Stone MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter

Coast Guard Grounds Some Search-and-Rescue Helicopters As It Struggles to Find Spare Parts

Six Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopters are currently grounded, with four more expected to be out of circulation by June.

Joe Biden welcomes the U.S. Coast Guard Academy's Class.

Coast Guard Academy Will Get Commencement Address from Biden

The ceremony will mark the school's 140th graduation and Biden's second keynote address there.

Coast Guard helicopter flies over boats searching where a boat capsized off San Diego coast

At Least 3 Killed, Many Hurt in Boat Capsize Off San Diego

Lifeguards, the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies responded Sunday following reports of an overturned vessel.