Tuition assistance programs. These programs provide financial aid for voluntary, off-duty education programs that support your professional and personal goals. Each service branch offers its own program:
● Army Tuition Assistance Program● Marine Corps Tuition Assistance Program● Navy College Program● Air Force Tuition Assistance Program● Coast Guard Tuition Assistance Program
Education programs from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA offers several programs to help service members, veterans, and in some cases, their families, pay for education:
● Post-9/11 GI Bill®: Provides aid for college education or on-the-job training for those who served on active duty after September 10, 2001. Benefits include support for college degrees, testing costs, job training, apprenticeships and more. Also, a spouse or child can use these benefits in certain cases.
● Montgomery GI Bill® for Active Duty and Veterans: Sometimes known as Chapter 30, the program provides education benefits to service members and veterans with at least two years of active duty.Montgomery GI Bill® for Selected Reserves: Provides education and training benefits to members of the reserve.
● Tuition Assistance Top-up Program: This VA benefit can help pay the difference between the total cost of a college course and the amount of tuition paid by the military.
● Rogers STEM Scholarship: Veterans and FRY Scholars who have or will soon exhaust their benefits and are currently enrolled in a STEM degree program or are seeking a teaching certification are eligible to receive theRogers STEM scholarship. Family members who received transferred entitlement are not eligible for additional educational assistance under the STEM Scholarship.

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Tax Credits and Deductions

These benefits may lower the taxes you owe:
● American Opportunity Tax Credit: a yearly credit of up to $2,500 per student for certain expenses paid during your first four years of college.
● Lifetime Learning Credit: a credit of up to $2,000 per year for undergraduate, graduate and professional students, for an unlimited number of years. Tuition and fees deduction: can reduce your taxable income by up to $4,000. Student loan interest deduction: deduct up to $2,500 of the interest you’ve paid on certain student loans.
● Business deduction for work-related education: a deduction for work-related education expenses if they are more than 2% of your adjusted gross income.
Federal Grants and Loans
Federal grants and loans can help you pay for higher education:
● Federal Grants: Grant programs include the Pell Grant, the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, the Academic Competitiveness Grant and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant.
● Stafford Loans: Financial aid for students enrolled at least half-time. You don’t have to repay these loans until after you graduate, leave school or drop below half-time status.
● Federal Perkins Loans: Similar to Stafford Loans, except that you borrow the financial aid from the university instead of the federal government. Federal Perkins Loans have shorter time periods for repayment than Stafford Loans, but Perkins Loans do not require that students are enrolled at least half-time.
● Employment benefits: The Department of Labor, Department of Veterans Affairs, and many other agencies and organizations offer assistance with employment.
Find more services and programs on Commercewise's Education and Employment Resources.
● Unemployment insurance. Depending on your discharge terms and state of residence, you may be eligible for unemployment insurance. For assistance, visit your local American Job Center.
VA employment benefits. The VA offers several benefits to help service members find civilian work:
● Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment: This program also known as Chapter 31, for veterans, can provide benefits, including job training and apprenticeships, one-on-one help in finding a job, postsecondary training, help for veterans starting their own business, and independent-living services for veterans with disabilities who can’t work some jobs. The Compensated Work Therapy program offers benefits to veterans with service-related disabilities.
● Homeless Veterans Community Employment Services: These services can help if you are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Entrepreneurial and Business Education
Some universities and nonprofit groups offer free or low-cost entrepreneur and business-focused courses for veterans and family members.
● Boots to Business: This program is an educational program designed for transitioning service members, including guard and reserve members, as part of the Department of Defense Transition Assistance Program. It’s also available to military spouses.
●Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans: The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) was developed at Syracuse University and conducted in three phases, the first phase is a 30-day online program, followed by a nine-day residency at one of a handful of universities around the country. The third and final phase is a 12-month support plan, as veteran entrepreneurs build and grow their businesses.
Learn more at the Small Business Administration’s site for Veteran-owned Businesses.
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Military Travel & Recreational Discounts & Benefits

Eligible military members and veterans may have some limitations on availability (for example, the discounts may only apply to active duty members traveling on official military orders) but here are some tips:
● Discount Air Travel
Most airlines offer a military discount, but you won’t find these offers listed on travel websites. You will need to visit the airline website or call their customer service department to get the discounts. Many airlines also waive the checked bag fees for military members, especially when they are traveling on orders. Veteran or military discounts for airline travel are also given as a flat percentage off the full-price fare and may not be the best price available. In many cases, you can find a better deal through discount travel websites. There is a free Veterans Advantage plan that gives you access to certain military discounts, a jobs & career network, and free Veterans Advantage events.

● Space-A Travel
Space-A travel is only open to active duty military, members of the Reserve Corps, retirees, and dependents of these groups. Recent changes to the law have also extended eligibility to veterans with a 100% service-connected disability rating. The best resource is to either visit the AMC Travel Site, or contact the nearest military passenger terminal (a list of Passenger Terminals is available on the AMC Travel Site). The terminal staff will have the most current information. If you plan to travel Space A, contact the passenger terminal(s) where you plan to depart from.
Here is the Space-A Travel Handbook (pdf) from the AMC.

Discounts on Lodging and Resorts
● Base LodgingBase lodging is generally much cheaper than hotels on the economy and is usually very clean and well-maintained. Some bases may be off the beaten path in terms of where they are located, but depending on where you are traveling, the cost savings may be worth the small inconvenience.
● Military Vacation Clubs or The Armed Forces Recreation Centers offer exceptional discounts off comparable locations. Some popular resorts include the:• Hale Koa Resort (Hawaii)• Shades of Green Military Resort (Disney World),• Dragon Hill Lodge (Korea)• Edelweiss Lodge and Resort (Germany)• New Sanno Resort (Japan)
In some overseas locations, Status of Forces Agreements may make some groups ineligible to stay at some resorts. You can find more information at the Armed Forces Recreation Center website.
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What benefits do family members of Veterans get?

• Health care.
• Education and training.
• Employment.
• Home loan programs or financial counseling.
• Life insurance options, claims, and beneficiary assistance.
• Pre-need eligibility determination for burial in a VA national cemetery.
• Burial benefits and memorial items.
• Survivors Pension.
• Caregiving, Assisted & Senior Living.



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