Chapter 1

Gearing Up for That DD-214 Life

IN THIS CHAPTER

Handling your medical records

Waiting on your final paycheck

Getting your veteran ID card

The military discharges about 200,000 people every year, and most are entitled to at least some veterans benefits. Those benefits include disability payments, free or low-cost medical and mental healthcare, travel discounts, home-buying benefits, tuition-free school attendance (plus government payments to pay your rent while you're earning a degree), job training and preparation programs, and burial benefits. In many cases, dependents get benefits, too.

Make no mistake: The military got what it wanted from you, whether that was by way of deployment to a foreign country, by working you from sunup to sundown Monday through Friday (and plenty of weekends), or through your literal blood, sweat, and tears. Sure, you got paid (and maybe you even enjoyed yourself - I did), but many of the benefits that I outline in this book are things that Uncle Sam still owes you. Now, it's time to cash them in.

Unfortunately, the government isn't going to chase you down and hand you everything you deserve; instead, you have to apply for the benefits you want. To do that, you have to know what's available, what you're eligible for, and how to access what you've earned. If you're still in the military, you can get a head start by using the benefits still available to you. Then you can prepare to find and access your post-separation benefits, which is what this chapter is all about. It helps you prepare to leave military service with tapping into your future benefits in mind.

Minding Your Medical Records

Your medical records are going to be a very important part of your life for the foreseeable future if you're aiming for a disability claim. Even if you don't think there's anything wrong with you after military service, you still need to keep tabs on all the files that military doctors have compiled on you throughout your career. From the smallest visit to sick call for ibuprofen and wise guidance such as "Rub some dirt on it" to your final physical, you need these records on-hand whether you served 3 years or 30. The following sections explain how to get your health, dental, and mental health records in military healthcare.

Capturing copies of health records

Before you leave the military, you're required to get a final physical. Sometimes called a separation physical, this quick checkup is an out-processing requirement. During this visit with your primary care provider, you get one last opportunity to document whatever ails you. Whether your ears haven't stopped ringing since 2015, your back hurts when you catch a whiff of military-issued gear, or your knee swells up ten minutes before it rains because of the time you jumped off the back of a 5-ton in full kit, you need to let your provider know - even if the information is already in your file from previous visits. Don't be afraid to bring up minor complaints; the VA's piles of benefit applications are full of claims for medical problems that started small and became worse over time.

You can get a copy of your entire medical file (excluding dental and behavioral health, which I cover in the following sections) after your separation physical. Simply head to the reception desk at your provider's office and ask for it. Some installations still give paper copies, though others will either burn you a CD (seriously) or send you an email with everything you need. Make sure your file includes the final report from your separation physical and that all your records are updated electronically.

You alone are responsible for making sure your medical information is correct and complete. If something is missing from your file, talk to your provider before you pick up your discharge documents. It's entirely possible that important information got lost along the way, so check all your medical records before you leave military service; after you're out, you won't be able to get an appointment with your military doctor to clarify anything.

Get the most out of TRICARE by having your family schedule medical checkups, school and sports physicals, and other appointments while you're all still insured. (Chapter 6 discusses the ins and outs of TRICARE.)

Sinking your teeth into dental records

In order to clear your installation and put the military in your rearview mirror, you have to visit the dentist one last time. (Not for the last time ever, though. You may be entitled to dental coverage, which I drill into in more detail in Chapters 5 and 6.) You need your dental records to show your next dentist what the military did throughout your time in service. You never know, you may also need them to file a claim with the VA in the future.

Just like the doctor's office, ask the front desk at the dental clinic for a complete copy of your records, including your X-rays.

If you know you're getting out of the military, schedule one last cleaning and checkup with your military dentist. That'll buy you six months on the outside before you have to find a new dentist. Have your family schedule appointments, too, while they're still covered by your insurance. X-rays for everyone are expensive in the civilian world.

Scoring your mental health records

If you've ever been treated for any mental health condition, including posttraumatic stress, addiction, or substance abuse, or if you've received counseling services, you need copies of your behavioral health records. (They won't have any records for you if you've never been seen.) You may be entitled to VA benefits based on the mental health treatments you received. You can get these records when you clear behavioral health.

If you know you need mental healthcare services, begin care while you're still in the service. In addition to getting yourself the treatment you need, doing so provides the added benefit of showing a history of care for your condition. That may make it easier to prove a claim with the VA after you leave military service.

Using Your Branch's Transition Program

Each military branch has its own transition program, and you're required to use yours if you plan on leaving military service. Here's the bottom line: A lot of people think they won't get much out of a transition program, so they take the day off work, sign in, and mentally check out. Those people are making a huge mistake.

Transition programs have come a long way in the last few years, and they provide all the information they can to help you get off to a good start. You get free information on a handful of VA benefits, coaching on how to access them, help with civilian and government resumes, and even a nudge in the right direction for apprenticeship programs, your GI Bill, and a wide range of other perks. The good people who run your transition program will also be there to answer all your questions about separation, and they'll give you tons of resources to use along the way.

Here's a quick look at each branch's transition assistance program:

• The Army's Soldier For Life Transition Assistance Program (SFL-TAP): SFL-TAP is for soldiers who have at least 180 days of continuous active-duty service. Just about every active-duty Army installation has an SFL-TAP center.
• The Air Force Transition Assistance Program: This program is run by the Air Force Personnel Center; you can attend your courses locally at your Airman and Family Readiness Center.
• The Navy Transition Program: Formerly called Transition GPS, now it's just plain TAP. Sailors can get access to valuable TAP services at the nearest Fleet and Family Support Center.

• The Marine Corps Transition Readiness Program (TRP): The TRP is divided into three components:

  • Transition Readiness
  • The Marine for Life Cycle
  • Career Services and Advising

  Head to the Marine Corps Community Services center to get into your classes.

• The Coast Guard Transition Program: This program is headed by the U.S. Coast Guard's Office of Work-Life. Schedule your seminars by getting in touch with your Transition/Relocation Manager.

Though these transition programs go by different names, they all offer many of the same benefits. In fact, the Department of Defense (DOD) oversees the entire transition program. The DOD requires every separating servicemember to undergo a mandatory pre-separation assessment and individual counseling; then, servicemembers have to attend a one-day pre-separation seminar. Finally, a three-day TAP core curriculum program helps put you on the path you choose (the program offers an employment track, an education track, a vocational track, and an entrepreneurship track). Spouses may sometimes attend on a space-available basis.

Every servicemember - including those who are being involuntarily separated from the military - is entitled to use transition assistance programs. However, some parts of the program may be unavailable to you if you're going to receive an other-than-honorable, bad conduct, or dishonorable discharge (refer to Chapter 2 for more about these discharges).

You can start attending your transition assistance program a year...