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

The chest and arms of a soldier in a camouflage uniform, one hand holding a pen, appear poised over a textbook and note paper.

Army Tuition Assistance

The Army's Tuition Assistance (TA) benefit pays up to 100% of educational expenses for college courses.

Shundra Johnson returns a wedding ring to her husband Coast Guard Lt. Sancho Johnson after his seated discus practice Navy’s wounded warrior training camp. Shundra is also her husband’s caregiver. (DoD News photo by EJ Hersom)

What Benefits Are You Eligible For as a Spouse of a Disabled Veteran?

Spouses of disabled veterans are eligible for many benefits, but getting them can be difficult. We make it easy with this...

U.S. military retirees listen to guest speaker Mark E. Overberg, the Army Retirement Services director, as part of the Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia, Retiree Appreciation Day, Sept. 30, 2023. (Chad Menegay/Army)

Hearing Aids for Military Retirees

DoD and VA offer programs to help military retirees get hearing aids.

Veteran in wheelchair looking at laptop with wife

Aid and Attendance and Housebound Benefits

Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits help with paying for in–home care, assisted living or a nursing home.

Two small figures of Army soldiers in a barren, rocky desert walk toward a mountain range in the distance.

Combat Veteran Health Care Eligibility

The VA offers special health care eligibility to combat veterans.

A soldier salutes during a graveside service for Anthony La Rossa in Farmingdale, N.Y., Monday, Dec. 15, 2014. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Will VA Pay for Your Funeral? The Answer May Surprise You

If you think living is expensive, try dying.

A pair of hands work at some math with a calculator, highlighters, and post-it notes scattered around.

Tutorial Assistance with the GI Bill

The VA's tutorial assistance program is available to help student veterans who struggle academically.

GI Bill Will Pay for Work-Study Jobs that Help Veterans

If you're enrolled 3/4 time or more in college or a training program, you can earn while you learn with the VA's work-study...

female computer programmer in front of monitor

GI Bill Benefits for Vocational and Technical Training

The Post-9/11 GI Bill and Montgomery GI Bill will pay for non-college degree programs such as technical and vocational...

A soldier uses a computer in college. (Courtesy photo)

Veterans Educational Assistance Program (VEAP)

If you elected to make contributions from your military pay to participate in VEAP, your contributions are matched on a $2...

Air Force Reserve plane awaits postflight inspection

Reserve and Guard Montgomery GI Bill

Read this guide to understand the GI Bill benefits available for Selected Reserve servicemembers.

Man writing at a desk wearing a collared shirt.

GI Bill Correspondence Training

The GI Bill will pay you to take correspondence classes.

Sign by the main gate at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Ft. Worth, formerly Carswell AFB, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Reserve Education Benefits User's Guide

The federal government offers several educational assistance programs that may be of benefit to military reservists and...

Active-Duty Montgomery GI Bill

The following is a summary of the Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty program.

GI Bill Q&A: How It Works

The following will offer answers to the most frequently asked questions about the GI Bill.

Military News

Get the Military Insider Newsletter

Get the latest on pay updates, benefit changes and award-winning military content. Right in your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice.

Thank you for subscribing!

View more newsletters on our Subscriptions page.

One last step.

Verify your free subscription by following the instructions in the email sent to:

Most Popular Military News

Gen. Charles Hamilton, Army Materiel Command commanding general, provides keynote remarks during the Association of the U.S. Army Global Force Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama.

Army Secretary Fires 4-Star General Who Meddled in Promotion of Unfit Subordinate

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth -- in a dramatic and rare move -- on Tuesday fired one of the service's top generals...

Self-Directed Credentialing Assistance has been added to the Army Credentialing Program.

The Army is dramatically scaling back one of its most generous education benefits, the Credentialing Assistance program known...

Rear Adm. Kavon Hakimzadeh, Commander, Carrier Strike Group 2 (CSG-2) visits USS Trayer at Recruit Training Command (RTC).

Navy Cuts Length of Boot Camp Amid Rise in Recruiting Totals

The Navy says that, starting next month, it will shorten the length of its Basic Military Training program -- commonly known...

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center is shown in Portland, Ore.

VA Health System Remains on Federal 'High Risk' List Due to Oversight Shortfalls

The VA medical system has been a concern to government auditors for the past decade but has seen vast improvements, according...

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David Flosi greets airmen preparing to depart for Exercise Agile Reaper at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

Congress Shaves Beard Pilot Program for Air Force, Space Force from Must-Pass Defense Legislation

Congress has decided to pass on ordering the Department of the Air Force to establish a pilot program examining whether...

Pete Hegseth is President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary.

Military Leaders Are Rattled by a List of 'Woke' Officers That a Group Urges Hegseth to Fire

The list compiled by the American Accountability Foundation includes 20 general officers or senior admirals and a...

Latest Military Videos

Pentagon Weighs in on Multiple Drone Sightings in Skies over New Jersey

The Pentagon is weighing in on a number of drone sightings in the skies over New Jersey. (Dec. 12)...

Apartment Block in Ruins after Russian Strike on Ukrainian City of Kherson

A 50-year-old woman was injured as a result of a Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Kherson Thursday...

Netanyahu Hosts US National Security Adviser as Israel Advances into Syria

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Jerusalem on Thursday. (Dec. 12)...

Israeli Military Releases Videos It Claims to Show Strikes on Syria, Including Latakia

The Israeli military on Tuesday released several videos it claimed to show strikes on Syria, including the port of...

Investigations and Features

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...

A patch in the home of retired missileer Paul Hunke

They Stood Sentry over America's Nuclear Missile Arsenal. Many Worry It Gave Them Cancer.

For years, it was an open secret among missileers that the Cold War-era missile alert facilities and launch control centers...

Army News

The Army and Navy collegiate debate teams hold an exhibition before the annual Army-Navy football game. (U.S. Navy)

The Best Showdown of the Army-Navy Game Actually Takes Place Away from the Gridiron

The respective military service academy's debate teams have met every year at the Army-Navy Game since 2012, performing an...

The U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron ‘Thunderbirds’ perform at the California Capital Air Show in Mather, Calif.

Do Air Shows Really Help Military Readiness and Recruiting? Congress Plans to Find Out.

Lawmakers want the secretary of defense to brief Congress on how sending military aircraft to air shows affects recruiting...

Navy News

The Best Showdown of the Army-Navy Game Actually Takes Place Away from the Gridiron

The respective military service academy's debate teams have met every year at the Army-Navy Game since 2012, performing an...

Do Air Shows Really Help Military Readiness and Recruiting? Congress Plans to Find Out.

Lawmakers want the secretary of defense to brief Congress on how sending military aircraft to air shows affects recruiting...

Air Force News

Do Air Shows Really Help Military Readiness and Recruiting? Congress Plans to Find Out.

Lawmakers want the secretary of defense to brief Congress on how sending military aircraft to air shows affects recruiting...

(Photo by Airman 1st Class Shelby Kay-Fantozzi)

Transgender Troops, Confronting Shifting Policies of Acceptance, Just Want to Serve

Transgender troops' right to serve -- perhaps even to fight and die for a nation they volunteered to defend -- has been...

Space Force News

Transgender Troops, Confronting Shifting Policies of Acceptance, Just Want to Serve

Transgender troops' right to serve -- perhaps even to fight and die for a nation they volunteered to defend -- has been...

Vandenberg Air Force Base is renamed Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Chinese Citizen Arrested After Allegedly Flying Drone, Taking Photos of Space Force Base

Federal investigators arrested a 39-year-old man this week after accusing him of flying a drone and taking pictures of...

Marine Corps News

Transgender Troops, Confronting Shifting Policies of Acceptance, Just Want to Serve

Transgender troops' right to serve -- perhaps even to fight and die for a nation they volunteered to defend -- has been...

Meredith Berger, assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment and chief sustainability officer, speaks with members of the community while removing invasive plant species at the at the Kanehekili Heiau in Hawaii.

Navy, Marines Team Up with University of Hawaii on Resource Management

The University of Hawaii and the Department of the Navy have signed an unprecedented 10-year agreement aimed at safeguarding...

Coast Guard News

US Senator Says Mysterious Drones Spotted in New Jersey Region Should Be 'Shot Down, if Necessary'

“We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they’re flying over...

Transgender Troops, Confronting Shifting Policies of Acceptance, Just Want to Serve

Transgender troops' right to serve -- perhaps even to fight and die for a nation they volunteered to defend -- has been...

Jim Absher

Latest Articles

Military News

Select Service

Get the Military Insider Newsletter

Most Popular Military News

Latest Military Videos

Investigations and Features

Army News

Navy News

Air Force News

Space Force News

Marine Corps News

Coast Guard News