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

Stack of college textbooks with military member in background

National Guard Tuition Assistance

The National Guard's Tuition Assistance program pays for up to 100% tuition for college courses.

Coast Guard Tuition Assistance

The Coast Guard offers several programs to support your education goals including Tuition Assistance.

Marine Corps Tuition Assistance

The Marine Corps Tuition Assistance program pays for up to 100% of college courses Marines take while off duty.

Airman 1st Class John Virgin, a passenger service agent from the 3rd Aerial Port Squadron, explains Air Mobility Command's Space-A travel options available at Pope Army Airfield to a customer. (Photo: U.S. Air Force)

Who Is Eligible for Space-A Flights?

Who is eligible to travel Space A? We have all the info here!

Army Tuition Assistance

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

Navy Tuition Assistance

Navy Tuition Assistance pays for up to 100% of college courses taken while on active duty.

Post-9/11 GI Bill Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to some of the most common questions about the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Elizabeth Tower in London Houses Big Ben

Medical Care for Veterans Outside the U.S.

Veterans have access to certain emergency and foreign medical benefits through the VA.

State Tax Information for Military Members and Retirees

What tax benefits does your state offer to military members and retirees? Find out which benefits are available to you.

Kansas State Veteran Benefits

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

Military member studying ASVAB on a computer screen

Seven Reasons to Pursue Online Education

Online isn't just more convenient, studies show online graduates perform as well or better than those from traditional...

National Guard Pay Overview

If you're serving as a member of the National Guard, you're eligible for regular drill pay and might qualify for some special...

Pocket watch with words "life insurance" on face

Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI): What You Need to Know

Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance is a program of low-cost group life insurance available to all members of the Uniformed...

VA Benefit Timelines

Did you know that many of your VA benefits have an expiration date? If not, you are not alone.

Computer keyboard with "insurance" written on a key

Federal Law Keeps You From Losing Insurance Due To Joining Military Or Mobilizing

Military members who risk losing life or health insurance due to mobilization or deployment are protected by law

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

Soldiers were recently served toast and lima beans for dinner at Fort Carson

For Soldiers at Fort Carson, Food Is Scarce

As Americans gather for Thanksgiving feasts, soldiers at Fort Carson, Colorado, are contending with a far less festive...

President-elect Donald Trump speaks with Elon Musk

Musk, Ramaswamy Proposal to Slash Spending Could Include VA Medical Services

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed that they plan to target "unauthorized" federal spending, a category that includes...

A soldier fires a SIG Sauer M17 striker-fired pistol during a weapons qualification at Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland.

Army Offers $15,000 Reward for Info on Missing Guns and Other Gear at Fort Moore

Army investigators are still searching for 31 M17 pistols that disappeared from Fort Moore, Georgia, earlier this year, but...

Vietnam veterans sing during a Vietnam Veterans Day celebration at the Veterans Association of North County, Oceanside

Here Is the 2025 Pay Raise for Disabled Veterans and Military Retirees

Military retirees and disabled veterans will receive 2.5% increases to their monthly paychecks for 2025, thanks to the annual...

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump

Trump's Picks for Key Positions in His Second Administration

Some of his choices could face difficult confirmation fights in the Senate, even with Republicans in control, and one...

Donald Trump before the launch of a test flight of the SpaceX Starship

Trump Reportedly Weighs Immediate Discharge of All Transgender Troops. Here's What That Would Mean.

The proposed plan, as first reported by the Times of London, would entail signing an order within days of Trump taking office...

Latest Military Videos

Master Class: Positioning for Power Jobs in Management and Leadership for Veterans

When you reflect on your military career, was being in a leadership role the best part? Would you like...

Zelenskyy and Scholz Visit Wounded Ukrainian Soldiers at Military Hospital

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited a military hospital in Kyiv on Monday. (Dec. 2)...

What to Know About Sudden Rebel Gains in Syria's 13-Year War and Why It Matters

The 13-year civil war in Syria has roared back into prominence with a surprise rebel offensive that captured Aleppo...

Biden Pardons His Son Hunter Despite Previous Pledges Not to, AP Explains

US President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, on Sunday night, sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence...

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 Is Eyeing a New 30mm Grenade Launcher That’s Basically a Real-Life Bolter from ‘Warhammer 40,000’

If I had to guess what science-fiction weapon of war would be most likely to pop up in the real world, the Bolter from...

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Romello Christian, an infantry platoon leader assigned to B Company 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, kneels behind cover with his platoon during a simulated assault as part of the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center-Exportable (JPMRC-X) exercise at Fort Magsaysay, Philippines.

The Army Needs Hundreds of Officers to Leave Combat Arms

Lieutenants currently branched in armor, infantry, combat engineer and field artillery can apply between Jan. 7 and Feb. 17...

Navy News

The USS Oregon (SSN 793) transits the Thames River after returning from routine operations in route to Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn.

Congress Faces Competing Plans to Cover Submarine Construction Labor Cost

When Congress returns to Washington this week, members will again face the multibillion-dollar question of how to ramp up...

The USS Zumwalt at the Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

Stealth Destroyer to Be Home for 1st Hypersonic Weapon on a US Warship

Hypersonic weapons travel beyond Mach 5, five times the speed of sound, with added maneuverability making them harder to...

Air Force News

Staff Sgt. Jacob Galliher, 24, died during a training mission aboard a CV-22 Osprey when it crashed on Nov. 29, 2023.

Family of Airman Killed in Japan Osprey Crash Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Scrutiny of the military's Osprey aircraft is ramping up as family members of an Air Force special operations airman who was...

Lockheed Martin manufactures the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in west Fort Worth, Texas.

Elon Musk, Charged with Cutting Federal Spending, Calls the F-35 a Waste of Money

Billionaire Elon Musk, the man behind Tesla and SpaceX, said on Tuesday on X (formerly Twitter) that the U.S. should pull the...

Space Force News

Does the Military Need Social Media Influencers?

New military influencers are popping up daily talking about military life -- the good, the bad and the ugly.

Members of the National Space Defense Center stand at attention during the Space Delta 15 activation ceremony at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado.

Colorado Springs Named Permanent Home for 250 Delta 15 Space Force Guardians, Ahead of Possible Space Command Fight

The Air Force announced last week 250 Space Force guardians with Delta 15, dedicated to protecting and defending operations...

Marine Corps News

New contracted barracks managers across Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune attend a training session on MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Marine Corps Brings in Civilians to Tackle Barracks Management, Repairs in Decades-Old Housing

The Marine Corps is expanding its plan to put civilians in its barracks manager program, a move intended to improve decades...

Daniel Penny leaves the courtroom for a lunch break

Self-Defense or Too Much Force? That's the Question for Jurors as Veteran's Subway Chokehold Trial Wraps

A defense lawyer asked jurors to put themselves in the shoes of frightened subway riders as closing arguments began Monday in...

Coast Guard News