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

Your 2025 State Veteran Benefits

There are great federal benefits offered to veterans. Did you know there are also state-specific veteran benefits? Find out...

Why You Should Get a Veterans Designation on Your Driver's License

Most states offer a free veteran's designation on their driver's licenses, and if you want to get your full benefits as a...

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.

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...

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Most Popular Military News

Rep. Ronny Jackson during the 2024 Republican National Convention

Navy Demotion Reversed for GOP Congressman Who Government Watchdog Found Abused Subordinates

Jackson was quietly demoted to captain in 2022, three years after his retirement from the Navy, following an inspector...

The sign at the entrance at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

Camp Pendleton Officer, Wife Sue Military Housing Company over Crash That Killed 8-Year-Old Son

A Marine Corps family whose 8-year-old son died last year after he was struck by a vehicle while riding his bicycle on Camp...

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Coast Guard to Launch Service-Wide Physical Fitness Test for All Members Next Year

Coast Guard men and women must take a preliminary assessment by the end of this year and a mandatory PFT starting in 2026.

USS Falcon crewmen suit up 2 Navy divers during the rescue operation following the sinking of the USS Squalus.

How the Men on a Navy Submarine Survived After Sinking 240 Feet in the Atlantic

Trapped 240 feet beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, Lt. Oliver Naquin could not ensure the crew of the USS Squalus...

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, arrives to meet with Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa at the presidential palace in Quito, Ecuador

Rubio Says US Is Designating 2 More Gangs as Foreign Terrorist Groups

The two new designees, Los Lobos and Los Choneros, are Ecuadorian gangs blamed for much of the violence that began since the...

Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, chief of Navy Reserve, is piped aboard during a change of command ceremony where Rear Adm. Luke Frost relieved Rear Adm. Mike Steffen as commanding officer of Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command aboard Naval Station Norfolk on June 27, 2025.

All Services Now Issue Form DD214-1 to Departing Reservists

The military's reserve components now issue departing reservists a new record that summarizes their periods of active and...

Latest Military Videos

Trump Signs an Executive Order Renaming the Department of Defense the Department of War

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War —...

Trump Issues Warning to Venezuelan Military, Vows US 'Help' for Ukraine in War with Russia

President Donald Trump said Friday the U.S. will work out security guarantees for Ukraine. (Sept. 5) AP

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U.S. employers added just 22,000 jobs last month as the labor market continued to cool under uncertainty over President...

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Investigations and Features

In One of the Marines' Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide

Marine Corps drill instructors are a national symbol of discipline. But for some, their imposing persona belies a dark...

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...

Army News

Members of the Georgia National Guard stand guard

Georgia Governor Sending 300 National Guard Troops to DC amid Trump’s Crackdown

Gov. Brian Kemp, who has worked to repair strained ties with the president after years of political tension, framed the...

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at a news conference

Trump's Promised Immigration Crackdown in Chicago Could Last About Six Weeks, Suburban Official Says

Leaders of a Chicago suburb that houses a federal immigration processing center say they were told that the Trump...

Navy News

Venezuelan Jets Confront US Warship After Trump Orders Strike on Cartel Boat

CBS News, citing multiple Defense Department officials, had reported earlier that the incident involved two armed Venezuelan...

Navy Demotion Reversed for GOP Congressman Who Government Watchdog Found Abused Subordinates

Jackson was quietly demoted to captain in 2022, three years after his retirement from the Navy, following an inspector...

Air Force News

Col. Edward Segura, director of manpower, personnel and services, Air Force Reserve Command, speaks

Space Force Opens Applications for Air Force Reservists to Sign Up for Part-Time Service

Applications have opened for certain Air Force reservists to join the Space Force under its new one-of-a-kind, part-time...

U.S. Air Force Col. Stephanie Figueroa, Commander for the 233rd Space Group, gives a speech

Mobile Missile Warning System Retired, Air National Guard Expected to Have Jobs for Airmen

After about 40 years of standing ready to provide missile warning in the event of a war, the one-of-a-kind Mobile Ground...

Space Force News

Space Force Opens Applications for Air Force Reservists to Sign Up for Part-Time Service

Applications have opened for certain Air Force reservists to join the Space Force under its new one-of-a-kind, part-time...

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle discusses the decision to relocate U.S. Space Command headquarters to Redstone Arsenal

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U.S. Space Command headquarters can be fully operational before President Donald Trump leaves office, a Redstone Arsenal...

Marine Corps News

Camp Pendleton Officer, Wife Sue Military Housing Company over Crash That Killed 8-Year-Old Son

A Marine Corps family whose 8-year-old son died last year after he was struck by a vehicle while riding his bicycle on Camp...

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Once held on $1 million bond for livestreaming threats to shoot elementary school children, a military veteran is now out of...

Coast Guard News

A Coast Guard recruit from Company Oscar 188 does plank exercises during incentive training at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, N.J.

How to Prepare for the Coast Guard’s Mandatory Physical Fitness Tests

The service announced this week that all military personnel will be required to undergo mandatory physical fitness tests, or...

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) (left) sits moored next to U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) at Coast Guard Base Seattle

Coast Guard Begins Upgrades to Puget Sound Homeport for New Polar Security Cutters

The U.S. Coast Guard announced that it will spend up to $137 million to modernize its Base Seattle to homeport new, larger...