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

Marine GySgt John D. Fry Scholarship

The Fry Scholarship pays for college for dependents of those who died on active duty

Veteran in wheelchair looking at laptop with wife

New VA Rules for Specially Adapted Housing Grants

Wounded warriors can receive multiple grants for constructing or modifying their homes.

VA and Tricare Warn Sleep Apnea Patients of CPAP Machine Recall

More than 3.5 million of the machines to help treat sleep apnea and snoring are being recalled.

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 military and VA offer several educational assistance programs for reservists and guard members.

Overview of Military Education Benefits

The military offers great education benefits. See what's available and take advantage of the benefits you've earned.

Guard And Reserve Education Benefits User's Guide

The Guard offers several education assistance programs including tuition assistance, the GI Bill, and more.

On-The-Job Training With The GI Bill

The following will guide you on the use of the GI Bill On-the-Job Training and Apprenticeship Program.

The Active Duty Montgomery GI Bill

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

National Guard and Reserve GI Bill Rates

Each year in October the GI Bill payment rates for Selected Reserve are adjusted to meet the cost of education.

A recent graduate holds a degree and smiles.

Montgomery GI Bill

The Montgomery GI Bill helps service members and veterans meet their education and training costs with monthly payments.

student running a lathe in technical school

GI Bill - Not Just for College

Veterans can qualify for GI Bill benefits, even if they are not going to college, and many of them are unaware of that fact.

GI Bill Q&A

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

Using Your GI Bill for Apprenticeship and OJT Training

The following will guide you on the use of the GI Bill On-the-Job Training and Apprenticeship Program.

How to use your military life in a college essay

Montgomery GI Bill User Guide

The Montgomery GI Bill can be hard to understand - cut through the confusion and access the benefits you deserve.

GI Bill: Top 5 Things to Know

If you are planning to use your GI Bill benefits, there are 5 facts you must know to help make the process easier.

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

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio holds the Holy Eucharest before Communion

Catholic Church Says Troops Can Decline COVID Vaccine as First Deadline Approaches

Archbishop Timothy Broglio's message lends support to troops who claim religious exemptions to vaccination mandates.

Navy SEALs Try to Prevent a DC Terror Attack in ‘One Shot’

Director James Nunn claims to have shot the military thriller movie in one continuous take.

Master Leader Course graduation at Joint Base Lewis-McChord

Senior Army Enlisted Can Soon Be Temporarily Promoted Without NCO Schooling

Noncommissioned officers who haven't yet graduated from the Army's Master Leader Course may still get promoted beginning next...

John Thampi’s convoy drives through a sandstorm in Iraq in 2007

A Veteran's Odyssey After Hanging Up the Uniform in an America He Doesn't Recognize

"The story of Odysseus is the story of the day after -- what happens when the battle is done?"

Marine Who Became a Social Media Star for Questioning Afghanistan War Found Guilty, Awaits Sentencing

After Hines accepted both Scheller's guilty plea and the deal both sides agreed to, the defense called a host of character...

Photo collage of the five sailors killed when an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter crashed

Navy Recovers Remains of 5 Sailors Killed in Helicopter Crash Off San Diego

The service said it recovered the lost aircraft from a depth of about 5,300 feet with the help of a salvage and dive team...

Latest Military Videos

Marine Corps Conducts First Ever F-35B Operations Aboard Japanese Vessel

U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 242 conducted vertical landings and takeoffs...

Thunderbirds Pacific Airshow: Huntington Beach 2021

The U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron "Thunderbirds" perform over Huntington Beach, Calif., on Oct. 1, 2021.

Spartan Paratroopers Make Their 100th Jump

Two paratroopers with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, make their...

Army News

Insurrectionists scale the west wall of the U.S. Capitol in Washington

Soldier Who Joined Army After January Insurrection Charged for Role in Attack

The FBI was tipped off to Mault's involvement by an informant who claimed to have seen a picture of him inside the Capitol...

Army Tweaks Testing so More Soldiers Can Try to Earn Infantry, Soldier and Medical Badges

Stringent rules for badge testing make the process incredibly time-consuming for units.

Senior Army Enlisted Can Soon Be Temporarily Promoted Without NCO Schooling

Noncommissioned officers who haven't yet graduated from the Army's Master Leader Course may still get promoted beginning next...

Navy News

Marines rest after building bridges in Afghanistan.

Settlement Spurs Navy to Take Another Look at 'Bad Paper' Discharges of Traumatized Vets

The U.S. Navy has agreed to review more than nine years’ worth of “bad paper” discharges given to thousands of Iraq and...

destroyer USS Chafee is seen from Russian navy's Admiral Tributs destroyer

Russia Says It Pushed US Destroyer from Area Near its Waters

The incident came as Russia and China conducted joint naval drills in the area.

U.S. Navy sailor gets a COVID-19 vaccine at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

Navy Prepares for Discharges of Sailors Who Refuse COVID Vaccine

Sailors who refuse the shot can be reassigned while their cases are heard, and will not be promoted or given any other orders...

Air Force News

Air Force General Is Second Woman to Lead a Top US Command

Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost has became only the second woman to lead one of the Pentagon’s 11 so-called combatant...

Pentagon Official Says He Resigned Because US Cybersecurity Is No Match for China

Nicolas Chaillan cited the Pentagon's reluctance to make cybersecurity and AI a priority as a reason he quit.

CH-47 Chinook takes off from Forward Operating Base Bostick in the Ghaziabad province, Afghanistan

Taliban Official Claims Role in US Chinook Shootdown that Killed 38 in 2011

Muhajer says one of the battles he saw was the 2011 shootdown of Extortion 17, the deadliest single moment of the 20-year war...

Marine Corps News

Lt. Col. Stu Scheller leaves court-martial.

Anger over Afghanistan and the Imperfect Example of Stu Scheller

Lt. Col. Stu Scheller has become a symbol in some military and political circles of a need for military accountability and...

Settlement Spurs Navy to Take Another Look at 'Bad Paper' Discharges of Traumatized Vets

The U.S. Navy has agreed to review more than nine years’ worth of “bad paper” discharges given to thousands of Iraq and...

Marine Who Became a Social Media Star for Questioning Afghanistan War Found Guilty, Awaits Sentencing

After Hines accepted both Scheller's guilty plea and the deal both sides agreed to, the defense called a host of character...

Coast Guard News

Coast Guard: Wreck Found in Atlantic Is Storied Cutter Bear

The legend of the Bear is so ingrained in Coast Guard lore that the sports teams at the Coast Guard Academy are named the...

Workers in protective suits clean the contaminated beach in Huntington Beach

Coast Guard: California Oil Spill Likely 25,000 Gallons

Officials believe the pipeline was likely damaged by a ship’s anchor several months to a year before it ruptured.

Coast Guard members on a 45-foot Response Boat – Medium patrol Tampa Bay, Florida

Here's the Case for Buying the Coast Guard Small Inflatable Boats

The primary response assets for U.S. Coast Guard small boat stations in bad weather are 47-foot motor lifeboats (MLBs) and 45...